'American Idol' Contestant Nutsa Buzaladze Apologizes to Katy Perry After Duet Round Drama
After the drama, Nutsa Buzaladze brought some action to the American Idol stage as Hollywood Week rumbled on.
The 26-year-old native of Georgia, in Eastern Europe, turned it around with her performance on Idol, which aired Sunday night (April 9), after an incident during the previous duets round. On Sunday's episode of the singing competition show, contestant Nutsa Buzaladze not only slayed the stage with her performance of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" — but also apologized to Katy Perry after last week's incident. Nutsa apologized to judge Katy Perry after her conflict with former contestant Carina DeAngelo during the duet rounds led Katy to ask her to have "more grace" with the other competitors.
Katy Perry had a stinging comment after the duet, “Don’t forget about grace, more grace.” Whatever, Buzaladze sailed through in the contest. DeAngelo did not. This week, in her opening interview in a behind-the-scenes clip, the contestant said, "Duet round was the hardest emotional experience I've had in my life... ever." "I am not this person," she said. "I have never been this person." Once she met with the judges on Sunday, she opened up with an apology directed to Perry, saying she felt "very bad" about what happened.
"I wanted to tell my side of the story and I felt so bad I was frozen. I didn't want to bring negative energy so that's why I didn't say nothing," she said. "I didn't speak up because I didn't want to cry on stage. After I left the stage I was just destroyed. So I wanted to apologize for that."
The "Firework" singer immediately got up and hugged her. "That is great. That's so wonderful and Nutsa, what I meant by grace is that it's OK to be determined and ambitious and edgy and strong but also with grace," she said. "I really relate to you because I know what's like to be a strong woman... to want to be strong and to never break and feel like nothing can ever get to me but that's not real." "You're a real person with a big heart and a big talent," she concluded.
She also talked about the news on Monday in an Instagram post, saying that she was tired from a long flight but hopes "that you will get to know me and my personality better."
With the drama to one side, Buzaladze got on with the action. Wearing a lime skin-tight one-piece outfit, Buzaladze went full-diva as she slammed a performance of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” “All the tears I had in the last round,” she enthused afterward, “now I’m happy.” The judges were too, as Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan all got to their feet. In a sit-down, Perry delivered the lines. “We have really appreciated you in this competition. Thank you for everything that you’ve brought. And we did not put you in the top 24. You put yourself in that top 24…with your spectacular talent.”
