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A Pastor's Gay Son Wows American Idol Judges With Original Song
"I went straight to Billy Joel and then you kept singing and you passed Billy Joel."
Church janitor Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon wowed American Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan during his audition with his original song "Almost Heaven."
After coming out as gay to his religious family and being told that "this is not a path that I should follow," Harmon says he wrote the piano ballad "questioning if there's a place for me and people like me in Heaven."
"It wasn't always easy growing up as a pastor's kid," said Harmon. "There are certain parts of me that do belong, and there are parts that don't belong."
When he starts singing, Harmon blows the judges away.
"When you opened your mouth and started singing I went straight to Billy Joel and then you kept singing and you passed Billy Joel," said Lionel Richie.
"Your range is incredible. Your voice is incredible…in the 11th and a half hour we are blessed to have you."
The judges unanimously vote him into Hollywood, and unseen in the clip, Harmon rushes out of the room and hugs his boyfriend.
Watch the clip from American Idol in the video below.
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
