“They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone,” “American Idol” judge Katy Perry said when the rising singer tried out for the show five years ago. “I see you winning ‘American Idol’ if you want to.”
But “Idol” fans didn’t end up seeing much of Boone. Not long after his audition, the then-18-year-old singer from Washington decided to drop out of “American Idol,” wanting to potentially pursue music on his own terms.
Now, amid a whirlwind rise to fame for the singer that has included two albums, a Grammy nomination, a Coachella debut, world tour and Super Bowl commercial, “Idol” is sharing some previously unaired footage of Boone from his short time on the show.
‘American Idol’ airs Benson Boone duet with Mary Jo Young
During the final “Idol” audition episode for this season, which aired Feb. 16, the judges saw the return of Mary Jo Young, a 24-year-old singer from Ohio who previously competed with Boone on the show’s 19th season.
Young had actually been paired with Boone for a duet of Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” during Hollywood Week. It wasn’t her best moment on the show — she forgot the lyrics and appeared to freeze on stage.
“When it came to an end, it was a good kick the baby bird out of its nest because I needed to go and grow,” she reflected during her return to “Idol.”
Young, who previously reached the top 24, is looking for some redemption this season.
Since her first time on “Idol,” she has opened for acts including Alex Warren and Jessie Murph.
“I feel like a new person,” she said as she auditioned with her original song, “Don’t Call Me,” in front of “Idol” judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood. “I wanted to come back to ‘American Idol’ because I learned the most from being on the show than I have on any tour.“
The judges were impressed with Young’s performance, with Bryan noting in particular that she had a “different air of confidence” about her this time around.
Once again, the judges sent Young through to Hollywood Week.
“I’m going to Hollywood Week much more prepared,” she told “Idol” producers after her audition. “This ticket shows me it’s always good to get up and try again, and I’m proud of myself for it.”
A look back at Benson Boone’s ‘American Idol’ audition
Boone hadn’t grown up watching “Idol” and didn’t have much of a connection to it, but it was an experience he was interested in trying. The opportunity to compete came around the time he took a break from college after a semester at BYU-Idaho in an effort to focus more on music, per the Everett Herald.
The teenager seemed a bit in disbelief when he entered the “American Idol” audition room where music superstars Perry, Richie and Bryan were sitting at a table.
“I didn’t know I could sing before a year ago,” he said. “It’s become a really big passion of mine, really quickly.”
It only took a few notes of him singing Aidan Martin’s “Punchline” for the “Idol” judges to seem in even more disbelief than Boone.
Richie called Boone’s voice “natural talent” and Bryan called it “a true gift,” but it was Perry who offered up the boldest declaration.
“They’re gonna swoon over Benson Boone,” she said. “I see you winning ‘American Idol’ if you want to.”
“That is the biggest compliment I’ve ever got,” Boone responded. “Thank you.”
But that ended up being the one and only performance viewers would see from Boone, who dropped out shortly after.
Why Benson Boone quit ‘American Idol’
While Boone didn’t have anything negative to say about “American Idol,” he told the Los Angeles-area radio station 104.3 MYfm that he didn’t really connect with it.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to do music,” he said. “If I ended up going far on the show I didn’t want to be there and be like ‘Well, I don’t want to do music so why am I here?’ I just didn’t feel like I deserved to be there, really, so I stepped away to kind of figure out if I wanted to actually do it.”
And if he did decide to pursue a career in music, Boone said he didn’t want to be defined — or restricted — by “American Idol.”
“I don’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, Benson Boone, ‘American Idol’ blew him up. Like, that’s where he comes from.’ No,” he said during an appearance on “The Zach Sang Show.” “I want to be Benson Boone ‘cause I write smash hits and they love my music. ... I just didn’t want that label on me.”
Boone praised his parents for supporting him in his decision to quit “Idol” in an attempt to carve his own path — even if they didn’t completely understand it at the time.
“I think I’m a big risk-taker,” he said on “The Zach Sang Show.” “And that’s how I’ve been my whole life. ... I feel the thrill of not knowing fully how something’s going to go. ... And they just believed in me and I think it was because they believed in me that I really thought I could do it.”