Jorge Gabriel Roriquez, West Palm Beach, Fla.
This soft-spoken lad says he’s been singing since he got his CD player at age 5 and singing seriously since age 9. He thinks the fact that he’s bilingual might give him a leg up on the competition. His inspiration: Mexican singer Luis Miguel, the guy often referred to as “El Sol de Mexico.” This isn’t Jorge’s first singing competition. Back in 2007, as “JG” at age 13, he competed on “Making Menudo,” an MTV show in which singers competed for a spot on a Puerto Rican boy band. He didn’t win. But his bio is still on MySpace. It reads: “JG has been grooming himself to be the next Latin singing sensation.” And JG answers the “if you were an animal, what would you be question this way: “Lion, because I am an adventurer and I am vicious.” Judge for yourself.
Jorge’s Menudo Audition
Joshua Holder, New Orleans, La.
Another contestant who cites “The Lion King” as a turning point. He loved the song “Hakuna Matata,” but had an old VCR with a turn dial and had to get out a step stool and keep rewinding to hear it. So, at about age 4, he decided to make his own version. His mom proclaimed: “Baby, that’s called singing.” He says his “spiritual devotion to Christ, love of people and faithfulness” should help him in the competition, which he entered at least in part to provide his wife with a better life. He’s 23, and includes Steven Tyler among his favorite artists.
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Justin McCoy, Baton Rouge, La.
Justin’s friends used a clever ploy to get him to try out for American Idol. They created a Facebook page and asked how many people thought he should. Justin says about 2,600 people responded. “These were all people coming to watch me do acoustic shows. When I saw how many people they had, I said, ‘Man, I’ve got to do this.'” Justin used to be lead singer for a Baton Rouge-based band Addavoy that released at least one independent album, in 2004; then for a group called Another Big Machine. Check out the first video below, of ABM playing a song called “Sedated” with none other than Idol runner-up Blake Lewis. He now classifies his music as acoustic/folk/rock on Facebook. In addition to the clips below, head here for a song called, “I Got Crabs.”
Singing “Sedated” with Another Big Machine
Singing “Left to Burn” with Addavoy
Mitch Moffett, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The original Idol, Kelly Clarkson, was part of Mitch’s inspiration for trying out for the show. He can still recall the season one finale. “I felt like I won when she won. It was so wonderful. I cried. I knew then, dreams are possible.” But entertainers listed as favorites on his Facebook include Jennifer Hudson and Jovany Barreto (see above). Then there’s Brandy, who’s vastly underrated in his opinion. By trying Idol, he says, he’s setting an example for his brothers and sisters.
Singing “I Need You Now”
Singing “I Told the Storm”
Nick Jacob, Marksville, La.
This 20-year-old says he tried out for Idol because of the encouragement of his family. And he’s singing because of a 10th-grade choral teacher who had him sing “I Can Only Imagine” over and over because she loved his version so much. His favorite artists include Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. As for his motivation, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette student says: “It’s time for me to get out there and relate to younger people … to share with them different ways of expressing things.”
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Sammy Arriaga, Miami, Fla.
Love the upbeat attitude this guy demonstrates in his Idol video. He’s Latin, but loves to sing country music. In fact, he says his three inspirations are Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and God. “I wanted to see if American Idol would like a different taste on the show,” he says. “I’ll bring something very unique to the table.” A country singer perhaps, but he also listens to Usher and Outkast
and says he wants to deliver that type of soul with his music.
Singing “Just the Way You Are”
Singing “Whenever You Come Around”
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