Each season of American Idol brings hundreds of hopeful contestants to television screens across the world, and season 4 of ABC’s reboot has been no different. One of those talented hopefuls in 2021 was Cecil Ray, who said he was auditioning in order to give his daughter the best life he could.
Ray auditioned for judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, and he talked with host Ryan Seacrest before the performance.
The American Idol hopeful told Seacrest that he’d lost his brother, uncle, and his best friend to suicide starting with his best friend when he was just 11 years old. Ray also said that he wanted to audition in order to improve his life and that of his daughter.
“My daughter, she’s my lifetime, she’s my reason for waking up every morning,” he said, adding that she was just a month and a half old at the time of his audition. Seacrest asked him how he kept up a positive attitude.
Ray answered, “Music has always been that light. There were times when I felt like just giving up, but the only light in the dark was music.”
Read on to see Ray’s audition and a recap of what happened.
Watch Cecil Ray’s ‘American Idol’ Audition
Ray sang “Talkin’ Tennessee” for his audition, and from the start, the judges were interested, with Luke Bryan offering up a smile for the contestant. Katy Perry seemed more hesitant.
“Alright, listen, put your hands in your front pockets, close your eyes, and sing that chorus again,” Bryan told the singer, and then later asked him to snap his fingers while singing instead. Afterward, Bryan admitted he loved the performance, saying the singer is “absolute perfection.”
He added that there was a unique aspect to Ray’s voice that would allow him to do well in the performance.
The Judges Loved Ray’s Performance
Katy Perry told Ray that he was a “fireball” and was like a “country Justin Bieber.”
“I know this sounds maybe out of your wheelhouse, but you should definitely do something every morning before you start your day, just to kind of, center you,” Perry shared with the contestant. “You’ve gotta find how to control that energy.”
Richie thought the same way, saying that he thought the contestant had no idea what kind of talent and potential the 20-something had going forward in his career.
Ray ended up getting three “yes” votes from the judges, meaning that he was given a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.
Then, the judges told him that he didn’t need to contain his energy at the moment, encouraging him to cry, jump, scream, or do whatever he wanted.
“I need an inhaler,” he told the judges jokingly.
The scene between Ray and his family following picking up his golden ticket was emotional, as he told them about his three “yes” votes and said he was doing it all for his baby.
American Idol airs on Sundays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
READ NEXT: Watch: Luke Bryan Thinks This 16-Year-Old Will be the Winner of ‘American Idol’
No comments:
Post a Comment