A young Kamloops man earned a golden ticket and a trip to Hollywood on Monday’s episode of American Idol.
Cameron Whitcomb, 18, wowed the judges — Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie — with his rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Rock, Salt and Nails.”
Whitcomb, who works summers as a motorcycle mechanic and winters as a pipeline labourer, came off as quirky and likeable on the episode. He said the audition stage marked the first time he’d performed for strangers.
“You’d never sang in front of people?” Perry asked him.
“No, no,” he replied.
“Like today is your first time?” Perry asked.
“More or less,” Whitcomb said. “Except for family.”
In addition to his vocal chops, Whitcomb also performed two back flips during his audition and another afterward.
American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays on City and ABC.
