In the world of pop culture and entertainment, many stars are known for their profession: the lead singer of… guitarist for… the star from… But many are also parents. Eurythmics fans were reminded of that when Kaya Stewart, daughter of Dave Stewart, ascended the stage of American Idol and blended personal with professional.
Kaya, 22, is Stewart’s first daughter with Dutch photographer Anoushka Fisz; the couple also shares daughter Indya. Kaya participated in the 23rd season of American Idol, singing an original song, “This Tattoo,” but she wasn’t alone. She was joined by dad, all the while determined to carve her own path and proved she deserved to be there on her own merit. Check out the special collaboration!
Kaya Stewart wants to earn a name for herself based on her skills, not her family
For Kaya, her entry into the world of music is a paradoxical one. For one thing, she was irrevocably influenced by her father’s involvement in the industry; he formed the pop duo Eurythmics with Annie Lennox back in the ’80s. “My dad was in a band called the Eurythmics. When I was born, my dad was on tour, and I was going to shows when I was still in my mom’s tummy,” Kaya mused. “The musician’s lifestyle is something that’s just been part of my life. There was never a question of what I wanted to do with my life. [Music] was always going to be what I was going to do.”
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At the same time, she is ready to prove herself and earn a place in the industry. So, Sunday’s American Idol audition was very important to Kaya. But it was dad, Dave Stewart, who showed the biggest signs of nervousness when he went up on stage to play guitar as a backup to Kaya. He even called it “more difficult than being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”
Past meets present
When Kaya went up to audition for American Idol, the evening turned into an exciting time for the judges in a surprising way. Judge Lionel Richie was awestruck after seeing Stewart join his daughter on stage; he even exclaimed, “Oh, wait. What?! Say the backup musician is who?” His fellow judges Luke Bryan and Katy Perry were totally shocked, while Richie was enjoying the surprising reunion. “We were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame together,” Richie explained, “and it was an evening we will never forget. And just to have you with your daughter, I think is so cool.”
The night continued to be very cool as Kaya proved herself a musical force to be reckoned with. “This Tattoo,” her song of choice, is an original song Kaya composed with Stewart. While everyone fell “in love with” Kaya’s performance, it was Richie who gave her a comprehensive rundown of her performance’s strengths, vowing honesty from every word. “So, first of all, from the songwriting part of it and the pressure of being here, I give you so much props,” he began. “And the fact that your dad showed up, I give him props. I mean, there’s a whole lot of props here. In the midst of all of this, you slayed it. I love the tone of your voice and you’re an artist; you’re really an artist.”
With approval from all the judges, Kaya was approved to progress further into the competition. Check out “This Tattoo” below.