On American Idol, contestants often perform original songs for the judges. But it can be a risky move.
Performing an original song means the singer really needs to be confident in their material. Not just in the lyrics, but in how they are able to perform it.
Often times, singers tend to miss the mark when they sing an original song.
Singing a cover can be safer because the material is well known and the singer can mirror the original performer’s tone and energy.
However, original songs can also make singers stand out, especially in a competition. That is what happened for Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon.
Jeremiah introduced himself to the judges by telling him that he currently works as a janitor at a church. It is the church that his father is the pastor for. When Katy Perry heard this, she asked him if he was a PK.
A “PK” is a pastor’s kid, which AI defined as “1. Pastor’s Kid, 2. The child of a Paster, 3. Awesome Singer.”
In his pre-taped segment, Jeremiah talked about how when he was growing up, he felt like part of him didn’t belong. He realized he was gay when he was nine years old, but he didn’t come out to his parents until years later.
However, when he did come out to his parents and the rest of his family, they believed that he was not following the right path.
Despite not feeling the welcome from his loved ones, Jeremiah still has his faith. He says that his religion is stripped down to loving others.
For his audition on American Idol, Jeremiah chose to write an original song titled “Almost Heaven.” His inspiration for the song was the hope that there is room for people like him in heaven.
American Idol shared the video on their Facebook and YouTube channels. On Facebook, the video got over 10 million views, 2,000 shares, and 9,000 reactions. People really loved Jeremiah’s performance!
The video has gotten over 3.4 million views on YouTube. Many commenters expressed their sadness that Jeremiah was alone at his audition. One commenter wrote:
Breaks my heart that his family wasn’t waiting for him after his audition like the other contestants. He’s incredible.
While another commenter said:
loved that song, feel really bad for the guy, Sexual orientation should not define us, and your family should love you no matter what. best of luck man. i hope u win.
One Facebook user felt like Jeremiah didn’t even need American Idol to sell his song:
Dude could sell that song right now and make millions without this show. I do not like the kind of genre music at all and I mean I honestly would listen to this song over and over. I know I’ve listened to it at least ten times over the past two weeks and it doesn’t get old. It’s very catchy and it speaks for a lot of people. Just my pennies worth.
What did you think of Jeremiah’s audition? Some fans of American Idol think his voice sounds like a combination of Gavin Degraw and Sam Smith. I can definitely see that comparison!
American Idol airs on ABC on Sundays and Mondays this season. The next episode airs on Sunday, April 14, 2019.
You can watch Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon’s audition on American Idol in the video below:
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