A successful audition turned into a moment of pain, tears and misunderstanding for the three judgesamerican idolon February 26, when a young candidate said he survived a massacre.
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan fell in love with the talent of Trey Louis, a 21-year-old mattress salesman from Santa Fe, Texas, when he brilliantly performed the song Calculus by Whiskey Myers.
But when he shared that he was a survivor of a 2018 mass shooting at his high school, he touched the judges’ hearts. Katy Perry in particular broke down in tears, head in hands, as the young singer – who was in one of the classes shot by the killer – said he had lost eight friends and two teachers during the massacre.
“[J’ai] Lost a lot of friends,” Louis said, fighting back tears. It’s really negative and Santa Fe has had a bad rap since 2018.”
“Our country that’s kidding us has failed,” cried Katy Perry, crying. It’s not okay!”
“You should be singing here because you love the music, not because you’ve had to go through those damn cops. You didn’t have to lose eight friends! I hope you will remind people that we need to change. Because, you know, I’m scared too,” added the 38-year-old singer, who wants Louis to become a leader in the fight against gun violence in the United States.
Moved, Lionel Richie added with tears in his eyes: “We have tolerated this for so long, too long. It has become the norm.”
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 80 mass shootings in the United States so far this year alone.