Jordan Moyes’ time on “American Idol” is over.
During his “Idol” audition, the 25-year-old singer/guitarist from Provo, Utah, wowed judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie with his rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.”
“Your guitar playing is my favorite kind of guitar playing,” said Perry, who sang along as Moyes played. “I can hear every note. It’s so crisp and well tuned, and you are a studied musician. Thank you so much.”
But Perry had to deliver tougher words to Moyes during the show’s Hollywood episode Sunday night. A brief clip aired of Moyes and fellow “Idol” contestant Franklin Boone singing a duet of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.”
“There’s room for both of you in life, but going forward, there’s only room for one,” Perry told the pair after the performance. “Jordan, I’m sorry. It’s the end of the road for you.”
But in Moyes’ eyes, his short stint on “Idol” is just the beginning.
Even with the brief airtime he received on the show — only a small portion of his “Idol” audition aired — Moyes said he has seen an increase in listeners and followers on social media. And that means even more people will hear his new single, “Birmingham,” due out March 27.
As a guitarist and songwriter, Moyes channels a style that has done well on “American Idol” recently. For example, singer/guitarist Alejandro Aranda was the runner-up on the show’s previous season and performed seven original songs during his run. But the judges, while loving his sound, wondered if that style could go as far this time around, Moyes said.
Moyes, who spent about 10 minutes with the judges during his initial audition round, said the judges spent a few minutes mentoring him during the audition, telling him how to improve so he could make it further on the show.
“In their minds they’re kind of trying to separate between an artist or a songwriter that they want to listen to and then a performer that appeals to the masses on this type of show,” Moyes previously told the Deseret News. “There’s definitely artists and performers that know how to steal a stage and know how to grab and captivate an audience. And I feel like I’ve always been … the guy that hides behind his guitar and focuses more on the songwriting. A lot of it was them just trying to help me find the balance between the two.”
Moyes’ time on “Idol” was cut short, but in the end, he accomplished what he set out to do: get his name out in the world.
“I’m a musician with or without the show,” Moyes previously told the Deseret News. “But it’s exciting to see how this will translate into my own music.”