Philmon Lee, a 25-year-old life insurance agent from LaGrange, Georgia, left a lasting impression on “American Idol” judge and country superstar Luke Bryan, earning his praise after delivering a powerful performance during his Week 3 audition that reignited Lee’s dream of pursuing music full time.
Lee entered the room with a laid-back confidence before introducing himself to the judges trio, Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood. He explained to them that he currently works in the insurance field but hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“I want to sing every single night if I can,” Lee said. “I’ve been a musician my whole life. All credit really [goes] to my dad. He toured around with a gospel quartet group, and I was on a tour bus with him ever since I was, like, four years old. It definitely gave me a hunger. Even being a kid, that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Read on to find out whether or not Lee earned that life-changing golden ticket straight to Hollywood Week.
Watch Lee’s Powerful Performance
Lee revealed that he dropped out of college and signed a record deal with a major label, but then the pandemic struck.
“I was able to record a lot, and it looked like it was going to be pretty promising. And then COVID hit. It just kind of plateaued, and I got shelved. I obviously wasn’t making any money. That’s when I picked up insurance,” he continued.
But his father, Philmon Sr., and the rest of his family continued to support his dream. “My family, they were there every step of the way. The nights that I would cry because I’m not singing, I’m not doing music, and I thought I would never have another chance at it. They were definitely there for every single one of those moments. ‘American Idol’ [is] another chance at doing what I love and getting my foot back in the door. I have a voice, and I want it to be heard.”
Lee went on to perform a rendition of Michael Bolton’s “When A Man Loves A Woman,” which left the judges in awe.
“There’s a difference between bent down and broke down. You were in both conditions. I mean, you were down. You were down. I said, ‘How low is he going to go?’ No, That was great interpretation, man,” Richie said.
Underwood told Lee that he was “surprising.”
“You just walk in and you’re just so chill and calm, and then you open your mouth to sing, hands in your pockets… I was pleasantly surprised,” Underwood concluded.
Bryan gushed that Lee was “making another Georgia boy proud,” referencing himself as a Georgia native. “We’ve had 10 people today that look like they’ve been trained to sing, and you look like you were born to sing. The fun part about this business is we can’t judge any book by any cover. We just have to let you sing. And then, man, when we get somebody like you, it’s pretty dang exciting,” Bryan said. “It is now, I think it should turn to shine.”
Lee earned a golden ticket with three “yes” votes from the judges.
The contestant was almost brought to tears by what Bryan said. “I had a lot of family and friends here with me today that have seen nothing but ups and downs. I definitely felt like music slowed down for me a lot, and I didn’t see another way back into it. But I believe my life definitely changed with this audition,” Lee told the producers after earning his golden ticket.
Another Highlight From ‘American Idol’ Week 3 Auditions
DisneyDuring Week 3 auditions, the judges heard a loud noise coming from outside the audition room. When they went outside, they were met with a school bus parked outside with contestant Noah Orion, lead singer for Wall of Sound, standing on the roof with the rest of his band.
“In front of you is the greatest rock ‘n’ roll audition you have seen in the history of ‘American Idol,'” Orion told the judges. “I know you like rock ‘n’ roll, Miss Carrie. All right, ‘Ace of Spades’ coming in hot, baby.”
As the band played their rendition of Motörhead’s song, Underwood sang along to every word.
Orion also received a golden ticket to Hollywood Week.
