Watch TikTok star from Pennsylvania wow ‘American Idol’ with voice ‘lower than Cash’
.png "The judges were shocked by Taylor’s low register.")
“Whoa!” is the response 20-year-old Luke Taylor gets when he speaks.
At least that’s what his voice provoked during his “American Idol” audition, which aired March 6, and earned him a ticket to Hollywood.
Taylor, a sophomore in college with a boyish and cherub-like face, sings in a shockingly deep bass. He’s pretty used to fanfare over his voice.
The West Chester, Pennsylvania native began adding his deep basso profundo to Sea Shanties on TikTok and gained over 2 million followers on the app, years before he headed to Nashville to audition for the singing competition.
“James Earl Jones has walked into the building,” a stunned judge Luke Bryan said when Taylor showcased his speaking voice for the first time.
Before he started singing, Taylor spoofed a movie trailer with a majestic voice-over for Bryan, which he on-the-spot titled, “The Great Adventure of the Great Luke Bryan.”
Then the Liberty University sophomore got down to business with his rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”
After he began singing in his smooth, soaring bass, judge Lionel Richie remarked, “He sings lower than Cash.”
Before giving Taylor news regarding his ticket to Hollywood — “Listen son, you’re going to Hollywood, I don’t care” — Bryan requested Taylor perform “Frosty the Snowman.”
“This has been fun as hell!” Bryan said gleefully.
Judge Katy Perry, however, had reservations about giving Taylor her yes.
“I think it’s cool, but if you don’t give us those other notes it’s just one gimmick,” said a concerned Perry.
Bryan gave Taylor an enthusiastic yes, while Richie said he didn’t think Taylor would go “all the way,” he’s curious to see how he’ll perform for Hollywood week, so another yes was secured.
Perry could not give Taylor a third yes, but regardless the soulful singer was on his way to Hollywood.
“Mate, you’re not only what ‘American Idol’ needs this year, you’re what the world needs in 2022. The world is gonna fall in love with you, my friend,” wrote one supportive YouTube commenter.
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Watch TikTok star from Pennsylvania wow ‘American Idol’ with voice ‘lower than Cash’."
