When Katy Perry Got Emotional During School Shooting Survivor's Inspiring American Idol Audition
American Idol has made its place in the hearts of several people not solely for its contribution to music but also for the stories of the contestants that come on the show. Each contestant's story on American Idol is as unique as their voice. One such contestant, Trey Louis not only managed to earn his spot in the competition but also gave the judges an unexpected story about why he wanted to pursue music. The story reportedly left Katy Perry in tears.
American Idol has produced several Grammy-winning singers such as Kelly Clarkson, who also appeared as a judge on The Voice. The 21st season, which saw its finale recently in May, was judged by Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. Back in February, when auditions for the hit show were on, Louis stole the judges' hearts with his story.
Texas sensation, Louis, who went by "Trey from Fe" as mentioned in the audition, poured out his heart and soul in a touching performance. The 21-year-old singer walked into the audition room with a bright and warm presence and a loving smile on his face.
The singer was ecstatic to be among the judges and aimed to deliver his best in front of them. He sang Stone by Whiskey Myers and his voice had the perfect notes of harmony accompanied by a strong and clear head voice that filled the room with a resonance of emotions.
Throughout his audition, Louis had his eyes closed and sang from his heart. As soon as his unique rendition of the song was completed and he opened his eyes, Louis was met with a standing ovation from all three judges. In fact, Judge Bryan described Louis' voice as "perfect" and greatly encouraged him. Perry and Richie were equally smitten by the performance and offered their compliments.
However, the happy atmosphere changed after Louis talked about why he decided to audition for American Idol. Louis revealed that he was a survivor of the Santa Fe School Shooting in Texas, back in 2018, which unfortunately claimed the lives of 9 students and a teacher, as per CNN. Louis expressed the pain of losing his friends and a teacher that he knew and was brought to tears upon recollection.
Upon Louis's heartbreaking revelation, all three judges were moved to tears. Perry was especially seen weeping after hearing the news, and she expressed her opinion on the matter. "Our country has f***** failed us!" claimed Perry.
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The Dark Horse singer went on to express that "this is not okay!" According to Entertainment Weekly, she said, "You should be singing here because you love music, not because you had to go through that f---ing bulls---. You don't have to lose eight friends." Perry asked Louis to continue to remind people to "change" because she is scared too.
As the audition room shared a brief moment of silence, Perry added one final thought before they could vote, "I hope you can just sing." To this, Louis positively responds that he would continue to do so not just for the people he lost, but also for Perry. After a vote securing his place in Hollywood, the three judges and Louis shared a warm embrace.
References:
https://ew.com/tv/katy-perry-breaks-down-school-shooting-survivor-american-idol-audition/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/us/texas-school-shooting/index.html
