Idol Chatter & Voice Views

If American Idol hadn’t held auditions in Puerto Rico this year, Jorge Nunez would be finishing his college education right now.

After all, he tried out for a singing competition in Puerto Rico three years ago, and it didn’t go very well.

“I didn’t get through. I didn’t even get through the first round,” Jorge recalled during a conference call with the media Thursday afternoon.

So he got frustrated with music, decided maybe it wasn’t his “thing” and set his sight on becoming a lawyer instead.

But Jorge’s grandfather always wanted him to try out for American Idol. At one point, he even offered to finance Jorge’s trip to the U.S. so he could do so.

Jorge’s grandfather passed away before that happened, but when Idol traveled to Puerto Rico to audition singers last year, Jorge said he just had to try out.

This time, of course, things went much better. Jorge the college student has transformed into Jorge the American Idol finalist.

The 21-year-old said that change of fortune fueled the tears viewers saw him shed earlier this week as the judges critiqued his performance of the Elton John hit, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

“I cried because they told me I was born to sing,” Jorge said. “I mean, that’s my dream. For someone to tell you that’s what you need to do for a living, that’s an amazing feeling.”

Besides, Jorge noted, he is an artist. And, hence, pretty emotional.

So, is Jorge going to cry as much on American Idol as … oh, let’s say Tatiana?

“Well, that is something that …”

And then Jorge hesitated.

“Ah, I don’t think I need to answer that. She’s a great girl.”