Idol Chatter & Voice Views

We didn’t get to hear him sing during American Idol’s Orlando audition episode, but Pennsylvania resident Aaron Kelly walked away with a golden ticket.

Aaron hails from Sonestown, Pa., (Sullivan County, west of Scranton and east of Williamsport). Head to his MySpace and you’ll find photos of him performing at various sites in the state — the Clinton County Fair, the Jamestown Fair, the Bloomsburg Fair and Sonestown’s own Heritage Days.

In his MySpace profile, Aaron says he’s been singing since he was 9. He’s now 16, meaning this was the first year he was eligible to audition.

He has clearly prepared for this moment. He attended an Idol Camp in 2007 and competed at Disney World’s new attraction, The American Idol Experience, last year to earn the right to audition in front of Randy, Kara and Simon.

And isn’t this quite the coincidence?

Randy Flaum, assistant manager/visuals here at The York Dispatch, was vacationing in Florida and in the audience when Aaron won over the fans at The American Idol Experience.

Here’s a link to the blog Randy wrote at the time, including these prophetic words: “Remember this name.”

Aaron sings country music, very well. You’ll find three songs he co-wrote on that MySpace page, including my favorite, “It’s Gonna Rain.”

There used to be more, including a cover of “I Believe I Can Fly,” which wasn’t quite as good, so I’m wondering how Aaron will do singing the wide variety of cover songs required of an Idol contestant.

But, hey, he’s from Pa., so it will be hard not to root for him to do well.

In his Idol video, Aaron says he believes his ability “to reach out to the audience and put a smile on their faces” sets him apart from the crowd.

As for special talents, he says he can burp really loud.

Fortunately, he doesn’t display that talent on video.

Wise choice, Aaron. And best of luck.