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American Idol season 21 will air episode four this week and feature numerous singers as they showcase their talent to make it to Hollywood. To be able to do that, the contestants must impress judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie enough for them to say:
"You're going to Hollywood"
One of the contestants set to appear in the upcoming episode is Tripp Taylor, a 19-year-old TikTok sensation from South Carolina, whose cover of Hit the Road Jack has over 6.4 million views on the social media platform. Although his real name is Raymond Taylor, he likes to go by the name Tripp Taylor.
American Idol season 21 contestant Tripp Taylor has three viral songs on TikTok
Internet sensation Tripp Taylor has over 300,000 followers and more than 5 million likes on TikTok. His viral videos include covers of Hit the Road Jack, Great Balls of Fire, and Jailhouse Rock.
The American Idol season 21 contestant has been singing since he was a child and was selected to be in the National Honor Choir while he was in middle school. Tripp is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities and finished his education in 2022. He is now attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he is majoring in musical theater and is set to graduate in 2026.
During his time on the ABC show, Tripp is set to perform I Believe to My Soul by Ray Charles. The upcoming show's contestant recently opened up about his audition while in conversation with patch.com, where he said that his experience was unbelievable:
"When I auditioned for the producers and they I could go before the judges, honestly, I couldn't believe it".
He added that his performance for the judges was stressful but also thrilling and satisfying. In addition, the singer opened up about his childhood and said that he began taking lessons and started singing in church when he was eight years old. He added that he is inspired by his father’s collection of classic songs and prefers to perform older songs.
While in conversation with postandcourier.com, Tripp said:
"Ever since I was young, music was the place I was most comfortable. It made me happiest, and I wanted to figure out different ways to experience it."
The American Idol season 21 singer plays many instruments, including piano, tenor saxophone, and guitar. Moreover, even though he believes that his music isn’t specific to any particular genre, he likes country, soul, and R&B music more.
While the first-ever concert he ever attended was of singer Luke Bryan’s, he is most excited to meet Lionel Richie as his father listened to a lot of his music growing up. He added:
"Seeing (Richie) in person is just a completely different experience than seeing him in pictures or on television. Seeing (Richie) in person is just a completely different experience than seeing him in pictures or on television."
Besides Tripp Taylor, other singers set to appear in the upcoming episode of American Idol season 21 include:
- Amara Valerio from New York
- Cay Aliese from Tennessee
- Colt Glover from Oklahoma
- Danny Epp from Oklahoma
- Hannah Nicolaisen from Alabama
- Reette Thorns from Wisconsin
- Savanna Christian Gainey from South Carolina
- Rach Lux Karma from Connecticut
Tune in on Sunday, March 12, at 10.30 pm to watch the upcoming episode of American Idol season 21.
