American Idol season 22 favorite Jack Blocker has proven he doesn’t need to change who he is for anyone—not even Katy Perry. The “Roar” singer and fellow judge Lionel Richie initially rejected the 25-year-old graphic artist after his initial audition. However, a push from judge Luke Bryan and the Idol crew gave Blocker new life in Idol. And the Dallas, Texas singer-songwriter didn’t squander it, blazing his own trail all the way to finale night. He fell just short of the title, finishing third behind season 22 winner Abi Carter and runner-up Will Moseley. Now, Blocker says he isn’t holding a grudge against the “Wide Awake” singer for telling him no.
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Jack Blocker Calls Former ‘American Idol’ Judge “A Good Friend”
As Blocker delivered stellar performance after stellar performance, Perry found herself apologizing profusely. Apparently it worked. Blocker called the Queen of Camp “a good friend” during a recent interview with US Weekly.
[RELATED: Jack Blocker Reacts To Losing ‘American Idol’, Shares Future Music Plans]
“We’re close now,” Blocker said.
It took some time, though. “Once we got to L.A… she’d come up after a show and she’d kind of give me a look like, ‘What are you doing?'” Blocker recounted. “And then at the end… she came up to me and she was like, ‘What happens if you win this thing?'”
The pair’s chemistry shone through during their finale night duet of Perry’s 2020 single “What Makes a Woman.” And it does seem quite telling that the “Hot N’ Cold” singer chose Blocker to participate in her final American Idol performance.
Who Will Replace Katy Perry?
Before season 22 even premiered, Perry announced she was leaving American Idol after seven seasons with the show. The announcement set off a social media firestorm as viewers speculated about who would replace the “Part of Me” singer.
Luke Bryan name-dropped two potential replacements during a recent interview with E! News. The “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” singer mentioned pop-rock powerhouse Pink and GRAMMY winner Miley Cyrus.
As for Bryan’s personal opinion, the five-time Entertainer of the Year is partial to Meghan Trainor.
“The whole thing about that role is you gotta have personality and you gotta have fun with it every day,” Bryan said in the interview with E! News. “And I think Meghan [Trainor] has fun with her career, she’s kind of like me. She doesn’t take herself too serious, she has fun with her music. So, yeah, that’d be great.”
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