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Matt Wilson will be seen giving his audition on this week's episode of American Idol season 21, which is set to air on Sunday, February 26, 2023, at 8 pm ET on ABC. He, along with other hopefuls, will be delivering their skills in hopes of impressing the judges and gaining a gold or a platinum ticket to advance forward to Hollywood Week. Viewers will witness many emotional and inspirational stories, one of which will be Matt's.
American Idol season 21 hopeful Matt Wilson's audition was showcased at the 2022 American Music Awards in November 2022 as part of America voting for their platinum ticket winner. He was one of the three singers put up for the ticket, alongside Haven Madison and Elijah McCormick. Although Elijah won the ticket, Matt's audition was one of the most impressive ones.
Season 21 of the hit ABC competition series premiered on February 19, 2023, and saw the first set of contestants perform in front of judges, pop princess Katy Perry, Oscar-winning singer/songwriter Lionel Richie, and country superstar Luke Bryan. It will be interesting to see the kind of variety that singers bring in this week.
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Matt Wilson wows judges as part of his American Idol audition
American Idol season 21 contestant Matt's audition was so impressive that he was selected as one of the three contenders for America's platinum ticket, which provides the ticket holder the advantage of skipping the Hollywood Week round and resting their voice, while also getting a pulse on their fellow competitors. While he didn't win the platinum card, he still advanced to the next round with a golden ticket.
Matt reportedly began to sing when he was nine years old and grew up listening to gospel, R&B, jazz, and classical music. He was deeply involved with musical theater while attending the Buffalo School of Performing Arts. He won the Kenny Award for Best Actor in 2019 for his performance as the lead in the school's production of Les Miserables, and was then sent to Broadway.
The 21 year-old singer from Buffalo, New York, entered the American Idol audition in disbelief. While Matt revealed that he worked at a daycare center, Luke called him a special human being. When asked who accompanied him to the auditions, the contestant revealed that it was his wife Melisa.
Speaking about his wife, Matt expressed that she encouraged him to audition, put "all of the pieces together," and helped him dream again. He thanked his wife for making the audition possible. As part of his audition performance, the singer chose to sing For Tonight by Giveon. The judges smiled throughout his audition, exchanged verbal notes and gave the contestant a standing ovation.
Lionel proceeded to state that the American Idol contestant's audition had "purity and believablity," and was extremely genuine. The judge further expressed how Matt sang like he delivered a story and had a conversation with them. Katy Perry said that the singer's tone cut through and was "mixed and mastered." Luke called it one of the most "genuine, honest, real" performances he'd ever seen.
When Luke asked Matt about his background and whether the contestant had gotten record deals before, the singer responded with a "no" and called his audition a dream come true. The judges then called Melisa into the room, who opened up about her husband's talent. She said:
"Oh man...the first time I heard him sing was in middle school. At that age to be able to sing like that..he blew my mind, and he still does everyday. He has so much talent and I just want the world to see that."
The judges then proceeded to give Matt their approval and sent him to the next round of American Idol. The contestant has over 2.5K followers on Instagram and updates fans with song covers, originals, and more. He has released six singles - Supernatural, I Can't Wait, Maybe I'm Right, Advice, and Favorite, among others.
Season 21 of the series has been an exciting watch so far. Many contestants have already delivered impressive performances and received tickets to move forward in the competition. Viewers are set to witness more singers and musicians embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
Don't forget to tune in to a brand new episode of American Idol this Sunday, February 26, 2023, at 8 pm ET on ABC.
