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ABC's American Idol aired its fourth episode that explored a set of talented singers and songwriters from various parts of the country. Judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie seemed to be a bit tough in this round of auditions as they were pushing the contestants to test their own limits. Sme succeeded, but some still lacked the finnesse to move forward.
Episode 4 of American Idol saw some great performances from contestants. But one audition left the judges speechless and frozen with shock. That audition was of none other than Douglas Mills Jr.
He shared his experience of being bullied by people because of his race, and delivered a stunning performance that impressed the fans. One fan tweeted:
Other notable performances that won the contestants their golden ticket included Zareh Isa, Sam Moss, Dan Marshall, Haley Slaton, and Jacob Moran, among many others.
American Idol contestant Douglas Mills Jr. "hypnotized" the judges with his audition
Sometimes it just takes a little push for an artist to believe in themselves and their worth, which is exactly what happened with American Idol contestant Douglas Mills Jr. The 18-year-old high school student from Houston, Texas, left the judges speechless with his audition.
Trying out for American Idol was something that he always wanted to do, but fear got in his way. But a surprise was waiting for him all along, as ABC13 Houston presented him with the VIP Affiliate Pass to audition in Austin, Texas for the competition.
An overwhelmed Douglas said in a confessional:
"They heard me singing in school. I had always wanted to audition forAmerican Idol, but I’ve never really left the state or been on an airplane. I was about to faint honestly. It was a complete surprise.”
The contestant performed his rendition of Strange Fruit, a personal choice dedicated to the Black community. In a confessional, Douglas also revealed that he had been bullied all these years, with people calling him names like Gorilla and King Kong. Music became his life because it was a safe space from the doubters and haters.
The judges were left speechless as they jumped to their feet after his audition. They took time to reel in the performance, stunned and "hypnotized." Lionel Richie said:
"What happened? I blanked out, passed out, woke up. Young man, that was superb.”
When the judges realized that he did not audition earlier because people thought he wasn't good enough, Katy Perry said:
"Are you kidding me? Is that why you really never tried out? You transcend time and space. You froze the room. That was iconic.”
Luke Bryan admired the contestant for his performance and said:
“It was like you took our bodies and you hypnotized us. You took us on a journey. You controlled every second of that. I am speechless about it.”
The judges then huddled up into a hug for Douglas and gave him a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Fans react to an impressive performance by American Idol contestant Douglas Mills Jr.
Fans were blown away by the contestant's audition and journey. They took to social media to express their feelings.
The next episode of American Idol will air on Monday, March 21, 2022 at 8.00 PM ET on ABC and will feature the final set of auditions. Viewers will have to tune in to see more amazing performances and see who moves forward with a golden ticket or maybe even a platinum one.
