After Michael Williams near perfect audition on the season premiere of ABC's American Idol Sunday night, judge Luke Bryant commented: "I can't understand why we haven't seen you yet."
Maybe that's because the American Idol judges weren't watching The Voice on NBC three years ago, when Williams finished in the top 10.
Williams, 21, from Deerfield Township, wowed Idol judges singing Bruno Mars' "Talking To the Moon." That was his only performance broadcast on Idol Sunday – although the ABC publicity photos showed him singing while playing the white grand piano in the audition room.
On The Voice, Williams' mentor Nick Jonas said he had"the voice of an angel."
On Idol, judge Katy Perry gushed: "I think you're Top 10 material. I think your vocals are amazing."
Bryant praised him for a "great job, great all-around singing." Judge Lionel Richie complimented him by saying, "You're not just another pretty face, thank God … I want to say congratulations."
Williams, who was home schooled, performed in Kings Island's "Country Flashback" show in the Festhaus in 2019. Three months after The Voice, he returned to Kings Island to singon the International Street bandstand stage at the base of the Eiffel Tower in July 2000.
When Idol auditions continue next Sunday (8-10 p.m., ABC), Jon Wayne Hatfield from Goshen will be featured in the episode, according to Idol publicists.
