It was Douglas Mills’ turn to wow the “American Idol” judges on Sunday’s episode. The 18-year-old delivered an incredible performance of “Strange Fruit”, a powerful track recorded in 1939 by Billie Holiday, after opening up about being bullied and always thinking he was never good enough to audition for the show.
He was then surprised with the VIP Affiliate Pass by ABC13 in Houston, giving him the chance to audition in Austin, Texas in front of judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. READ MORE: Katy Perry Has An Irish Dance-Off With A Contestant On ‘American Idol’ “They heard me singing in school,” Douglas shared of the local ABC station giving him the ticket. “I have always wanted to audition for ‘American Idol’, but I’ve never really left the state or been on an airplane.
I was about to faint honestly. It was a complete surprise.” Douglas explained how he picked the song “Strange Fruit” because the Black community “has gone through so much pain over the past few centuries.
It’s time to bring awareness to it.” The performance had all three judges on their feet, with Richie asking: “What happened?
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