According to a report by USA Today , on Wednesday’s episode of American Idol , Katy Perry declared one of the contests was “the winner.”
Alejandro Aranda walked on stage with a guitar in hand saying he was “chill,” and he certainly looked chill in his casual outfit and a beanie.
He started his backstory by saying he grew up “like any other kid,” was home-schooled, and developed an interest in music at a young age. He taught himself to sing, performed on the street to practice and hone his talent, and learned to play both the piano and the guitar.
Throughout the interview and his audition, he was very mellow and humble, not afraid to tell the judges about working as a dishwasher to pay the bills and enable him to pursue his musical talents.
In a gutsy move, he decided to perform an original song of his called “Out Loud.” As his fingers danced across the guitar and the first notes of his song left his body, it was clear to both judges and audiences that Aranda was going to pass the audition with flying colors.
As he finished his song, all three judges jumped to their feet and applauded his performance.
“That was the greatest,” raved Lionel Richie as he walked over and gave Aranda a hug. He then requested that Aranda do another song and play the piano simply because he wanted to hear him crush it.
Following another stellar performance, the judges just couldn’t get over how talented he was.
“I feel like I’m in the presence of greatness. I’ve never seen somebody do what you just did on a guitar. I am so glad you are here – you just rocked my world,” said Luke Bryan in disbelief.
. @Scarypoolparty2 ‘s audition leaves @lionelrichie , @katyperry , and @lukebryanonline speechless! ? #AmericanIdol
Watch Alejandro Aranda’s audition: https://t.co/XpI4epIHiZ
— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) March 7, 2019
Perry asked Aranda what he thought about how he did and Aranda smiled, shrugging off the question and saying there were a lot of other really talented performers.
Perry strongly disagreed with his assessment of his own abilities and declared him a winner.
“Alejandro, I think you’re the winner. I think you’re really special, and an absolute genius.”
Aranda joins a very talented roster of contestants that seeks to become the next Idol this season. As covered previously by Inquisitr , another fan favorite contestant, Myra Tran, who was declared by Bryan to be the next Kelly Clarkson, will be joining the competition.
With Tran in the lineup and Aranda joining the ranks as another fan favorite, this season of American Idol is looking to be a strong competition of highly talented individuals.