Kevin John almost didn’t audition for American Idol.
It was another day at the gym, and this Neshaminy High School alum was aimlessly scrolling through Facebook during a quick breather. Among the many posts from friends and family was something different: an advertisement for season 21 tryouts. John kept on scrolling, but not for long. A gut instinct told him to return to the ad and take action.
And he’s so glad that he did.
John advanced to the second round of Hollywood Week on the current season of American Idol and, though he didn’t make it to the coveted Top 24, took away something pretty special: a newfound sense of confidence in himself as an artist.
“Before my American Idol journey, the only person who didn’t fully believe in me was me,” John told The Times in a recent interview. “But post-Idol, my life has been incredible. Since I’ve been home, my career has already changed drastically in the best of ways, and the confidence I now have in myself as an artist in this world has been outstanding. The whole experience was such a blessing.”
This American Idol dream has been in the making for an entire decade. At 8-years-old, John fell in love with the competition show thanks to season 3 star Jennifer Hudson. In fact, when she got eliminated earlier than expected, he couldn’t go to school for a week because he was so devastated. From then on, John knew one thing: eventually, he’d stand in front of the judges and show off his vocal chops.
At 16, when he was finally eligible, John and his mom waited in line all night when auditions came to New Jersey. However, producers cut him from the running before he could even get in front of the trio.
“I was so heartbroken from that rejection of a dream I’d always had,” he said. “I kind of put American Idol out of my mind completely. I stopped watching the show. I didn’t think about auditioning again.”
That is, until that fateful Facebook ad popped up in his feed. Since John was 28 — the cutoff age to audition — he figured, what did he have to lose? He already had a blossoming music career in Nashville, where he moved about a year and a half ago. Tossing his name in the Idol ring one last time couldn’t do any harm.
This time, instead of waiting hours in line, John got to virtually audition from the comfort of his living room, slippers and all. He sang for producer after producer until the final one asked, “Would you like to audition for Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan?”
Needless to say, his answer was a resounding, “Yes.” John, accompanied by his partner Brandon, set out for his in-person Nashville audition, which he described as “the most magical day of my life so far.” After chatting with host Ryan Seacrest, John sang Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” in front of Perry, Bryan and Richie, the latter of whom gave him a standing ovation. Though Richie has heard the song performed countless times, he told John that he’ll never hear it again without thinking about that performance.
It was unanimously decided that John should receive a Golden Ticket to Hollywood, where he was due only two weeks later. In that short span of time, John turned 29, making him the oldest contestant in the room. Still, this didn’t affect his focus. Rather, he was thrilled to be among so many talented individuals, many of whom he still calls friends.
For his first Hollywood Week performance, John sang “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse. It went well, with the other contestants giving him a standing ovation. However, as he began to see top-notch artists sent packing, he started to get in his head.
“I was crying backstage. I hate seeing people’s dreams get crushed. I want everyone to be a winner,” he said. “And I wanted more than anything to continue on in the competition.”
As he stood on stage awaiting his fate, Perry locked eyes with John and gave him a strong look that said, “You’re good.” Moments later, John was moving on to the duets round of Hollywood Week. Perry approached him after the decision to give him a hug and say, “No matter what happens, I see you, I believe in you and I hope you’re healed from everything.”
There was absolutely no time to relax after the stressful first round. The rest of the day was spent perfecting Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” with his duet partner Janora Brown until about 1 a.m., all before a 5 a.m. wake-up call for more rehearsing and filming.
It was that day that disaster struck.
“I don’t know what happened, but around 5 p.m. while filming for duets round, my voice just completely disappeared. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t sing. It was as if sickness just slapped me in the throat and it was the most devastating feeling to be without my voice, which is, for American Idol, the one tool that I need the most.”
A surplus of tea was sipped until his duets performance at 9 p.m. John even wore his signature “superpower” color of orange to lessen his nerves.
When asked by Perry why he always sports the shade, he explained how, on the first day of middle school, he was relentlessly made fun of for his orange sweatshirt. Despite loving the color, he stopped wearing it for many years. The idea was, if he didn’t stand out, people wouldn’t have anything bad to say about him. Yet even sans-orange, John still experienced his share of bullying, as well as depression and an eating disorder. Upon overcoming these battles, he had an epiphany.
“When I came out the other side, people still had something to say about me. They found something to pick on me for, and so I embraced orange as my color that says, ‘I hope you see me. I hope you look at me. I hope you notice me.’ And I got to share that story with the judges and with the contestants, and that was really special and important to me,” said John.
He and Brown gave “Time After Time” their all, even as John’s voice began to crack. Yet his fellow contestants in the audience cheered him on, allowing him to give one of the most heartfelt performances of his career. Perry told him, “Oh, you’re a fighter. There’s nothing you can’t do.”
Both John and Brown were sent home, which, in retrospect, might have been for the best. In the days that followed, John’s sudden sickness kept getting worse, but he’s looking back with no regrets.
“The journey was cut shorter than I had wanted or hoped. But it was absolutely perfect,” he said. “It’s my journey and it’s one I’m proud of. If I had to do it all again, I absolutely would.”
For those wondering why they didn’t see an orange-clad individual on their screens the past few weeks, John’s performances didn’t make it to air. Simply put, there are many contestants and just not enough time. However, if anyone is traveling to the Nashville area, they can catch John’s weekly residency at The Electric Jane (his dream venue), a gig that he booked as soon as he returned from Hollywood.
On the heels of a six-song EP and five singles, John is also working on his debut full-length album, the release date of which is to be determined. In May, listeners can expect a studio version of his “Suspicious Minds” rendition that Richie loved so much.
When asked to describe his personal style of music, he said, “When you’re listening to Kevin John, I want you to feel a release. I love to use storytelling to help people feel emotions. So whether that is to release stress you have and let it go and find joy, whether that’s to let some tears out, whether that’s to let your love out, let your feelings ebb and flow through you.”
He added, “I’m a pop/rock, contemporary, country and soul singer. I’m a little bit of everything and my music is meant to be enjoyed live. It’s meant to be enjoyed audibly. And the album is going to be a storytelling of pretty much my life experiences thus far. I like to take the stories of my life and turn them into anecdotes that can relate to everybody wherever they are on their own personal journey.”
Confetti won’t be raining down on John during the American Idol finale, but he’s still getting to do everything he’s wanted since childhood. Growing up, he could usually be found singing at talent shows, malls, recitals and more across Bucks County. He already had the talent…American Idol just gave him the power to believe in that talent.
“After getting such validation from Lionel and Katy, for them to talk to me as a fellow artist, my life changed,” he said. “I see everything I’m capable of.”
Unlike his 16-year-old self, who banished Idol from his life following rejection, John is an avid viewer of this season as he cheers on his many friends, especially Lucy Love, Wé Ani and Iam Tongi.
“Pretty much everybody that’s there is out of this world,” he said. “If I came in 80th place, everybody there is truly amazing.”
Keep up with Kevin John at instagram.com/kevinjohnmusic/. He has a second annual Christmas show scheduled for Dec. 22 at Bensalem’s Broken Goblet Brewing.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
