Viral Star ‘The Singing Barber’ Is on ‘American Idol’ This Season

You might know him best as the Tennessee-based TikTok star singing from behind the barber's chair, but get ready to see him in the bright lights of Hollywood: Social media star Noah Peters, aka "The Singing Barber," is officially a contestant on American Idol this season.

Idol just kicked off Season 22, and the show's second round of auditions will take place in the episode airing Sunday night (Feb. 25.) But ahead of the show, fans can watch a preview clip of Peter's surprising - and star-studded -- audition performance.

Peters started off with a conventional Idol audition, singing for judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie with the help of only a buddy backing him on acoustic guitar.

His rendition of Rascal Flatts' "I Won't Let Go" was pretty and polished, and judge Richie even offered a standing ovation, but Perry wasn't quite content with the performance.

"Don't you feel a little naked?" she wondered. "Don't you think you could sing better if you could give a haircut right now?"

"I definitely would," Peters agreed.

Anything is possible at Idol -- and sure enough, crew members wheeled out a barber's chair and equipment for Peters, as Perry called around the set, asking "Who needs a haircut?" Even bigger of a surprise was the person who answered that call: It was Colin Stough, aka the country-leaning third place finisher from Season 21, who also just so happens to have long hair that falls past his shoulders.

With some vocal assistance from Stough, Peters continued his audition with a second song, a rendition of Chris Stapleton's "Broken Halos." After he finished, the judges remarked on how effortlessly he sang when he had the crutch of his barbering tools and a client in the chair.

"It was oozing out of you. I really want you to visualize that when you sing, that you're just back at the shop, just giving a trim," Perry told him. "I just don't want you to overthink. You've got some sweetness to your voice. Some soul, some purity. But it's definitely gonna need a blunt edge here and there...or some layers."

Ultimately, the three judges voted to send Peters ahead to the next round, meaning he'll be going to Hollywood, and will have a Golden Ticket to bring back and frame on his barber shop wall.

Who is Noah Peters, The Singing Barber?

A Chattanooga, Tenn. native, 24-year-old Noah Peters opened his first barber shop in Grundy, Va., but he's subsequently moved his business back home to Tennessee. He now operates his shop out of Benton, Tenn.

In 2022, Peters told Bristol, Va. NBC affiliate News 5 WCYB that he opened his barber shop at the encouragement of his young wife, Kailee Peters. Tragically, Kailee battled cancer, and she died just three months after she and Peters married.

• Peters' favorite country singer is Chris Stapleton, whose "Broken Halos" was one of the songs he chose for his audition.
• During Kailee's illness, Stapleton got in touch with the young couple and sent her some autographed memorabilia, including posters.
• "[Stapleton] said, 'You can keep them, you can sell them, do whatever you want to do.' [Kailee] said, 'No, none of that's gonna happen.' She said, 'They're gonna go in your barber shop," Peters explained, adding that those items are now permanent fixtures on display. "I know she's watching and that's why I keep going."
• The singer has since found love again, and is now engaged to marry his fiancée, Krista.

Peters' TikTok page is a treasure trove of country performances, most of which are him serenading his barber shop clients. However, a few feature duets with talented patrons, or full-on performances from the people who walk into his shop. Last December, Peters shared a jaw-dropping Lainey Wilson cover from a 13-year-old girl who'd never sang publicly before.

American Idol airs on Sunday nights on ABC. Noah Peters isn't the only familiar face on the show this season: Loretta Lynn's granddaughter, Emmy Russell, is also competing.