Kamron Lawson Fights Through the Nerves for a Ticket to Hollywood on ‘American Idol’

The nerves almost got to Kamron Lawson as he auditioned for American Idol on Sunday night (March 19).

Videos by American Songwriter

The 21-year-old superstore cashier from Beckley, West Virginia peaked the judges’ interests with his impressive take on a-ha’s “Take on Me,” a song known for its difficult range. The panel— made up of Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie—was intrigued, but could tell he had more inside of him.

After Lawson’s initial song, Perry was visibly wowed, admitting she didn’t know anyone who could hit the ear-shattering highs and guttural lows of that song. “You’ve got a big instrument,” she told the hopeful, “I just don’t know if you know how to use it yet.”

Bryan called his performance tame and safe. When the judges asked him for another song, Lawson explained he was originally going to sing a deep cut à la Richie, the 1982 song “Truly.”

Even with Richies’ blessing, Lawson was all nerves going into the performance. “Sometimes you just need to be scared to death,” Richie told him as the audition cut to a commercial.

After the break, the judges could be seen surrounding the shaken singer, checking his vitals. He assured the panel he was okay to continue and went into his second performance. Counted off and coached by Richie, the young hopeful made his way through the song, showing off his touching, but timid falsetto.

The feedback from the judges was mixed. Richie applauded the singer for choosing such a difficult song but shared his worries.

“You have moments of complete control and you’ve got it,” Richie told Lawson. “When you flip over to your falsetto, you’re not sure … You need to study your vocal delivery just a little more.”

Bryan was pleased with his skill but said it all came down to confidence. “You gotta have more confidence,” he said. Perry came in with the rebuttal, saying “There’s something about you that is sparkling at me and there’s something special … I’m going to fight for him.”

Despite the critiques, it was three yeses all around and an exuberant, “You are going to Hollywood!”

Check out Lawson’s shaky, but impressive audition below.

Photo by Eric McCandless / ABC

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