American Idol season 23 contestant Santina Madden blew the judges and viewers away with her voice in her audition during the March 30, 2025, episode. However, the college student hasn’t received much screen time in the singing competition so far, which has left fans wanting to get to know her.
Who Is American Idol’s Santina Madden?
Santina is a 20-year-old University of Miami student from Yonkers, New York, according to her Instagram page. When she’s not singing on national television, fans can often find her belting out tunes on TikTok and sharing photos of her adventures in both Miami and New York on Instagram.
Santina made a memorable first impression on American Idol season 23 judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie by walking into her audition with a realistic pillow of her dog, Duchess, and a violin. Luke tried to steal the instrument from Santina during her performance because she was holding it instead of using it, but he found that it was attached to her body and walked away in defeat. Santina showed off her violinist skills at the end of her audition, leaving the judges even more impressed.
“Luke tried to rob you,” Carrie joked.
How Far Did Santina Madden Make It on ‘American Idol’?
Santina auditioned with a breathtaking rendition of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile.” Aside from the almost-violin robbery, the performance went very well, and the judges were captivated by the young musician’s voice. Lionel apologized for Luke “attacking” Santina and gave her a “yes” to Hollywood. Carrie asked the Duchess pillow for its opinion and heard a “yes” before seconding the vote. Santina grabbed her golden ticket and headed to Hollywood Week.
“I’M GOING TO HOLLYWOOD! Thank you @lionelrichie @carrieunderwood @lukebryan for this incredible opportunity! Thank you everyone for your support,” Santina captioned an Instagram photo of herself holding her ticket.
Unfortunately, Santina’s performance during the first night of Hollywood Week on March 31, 2025, didn’t air on TV. However, she assured viewers that she made it to the next round.
“While you didn’t get to see my arena night performance … I’ve made it to SHOWSTOPPERS,” she captioned a carousel of photos and videos from her experience. “Tune into @americanidol’s next episode to see some crazy performances.”
Santina Madden Is Grateful for Her ‘American Idol’ Journey
As she continues to advance on American Idol, Santina has made it clear on social media that she’s grateful to have been given this opportunity. Ahead of the first Hollywood Week episode, the New York native took to Instagram to share a video of herself singing her audition song again while playing the piano.
“To say a song can change your life might seem dramatic, but this one truly did. Thank you for all of your support, and I hope you can follow along this crazy journey,” she wrote in the caption.
Additionally, she shared a compilation video with footage of herself singing in her bathroom and a clip from her American Idol audition as “Die With a Smile” played in the background.
“From singing in my bathroom to singing on @americanidol,” she wrote. “I am so incredibly grateful to have sang in front of @lionelrichie @carrieunderwood @lukebryan. This is definitely an experience I will never forget.”
