Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Louis Knight behind the keys at his Hollywood Week genre challenge performance on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

You might say Louis Knight made an immediate impression on American Idol.

After all, Luke Bryan predicted he could become the biggest star the show has produced in its three season on ABC.

That statement came after the London-born, Philly-based Louis impressed the judges with an original called “Changes” in the audition round.

It’s a song he wrote in reaction to the suicide of a best friend from high school, hoping the song might convince someone else not to take their own life.

Louis, 19 at the time of his audition, has continued to impress. And he’ll do so again Sunday night, advancing in the duet round following a performance of “Breakeven” that the show has already leaked.

Idol Chatter: How did you wind up auditioning for American Idol Season 18 (Season 3 on ABC) and what prompted you to do it this year? Had you ever tried a singing show in the past?

Louis: Honestly, auditioning hadn’t been a part of my plan. I had been working on my putting my band together to begin gigging around Philadelphia with my newly released EP, “Small Victories.” One day out of the blue I was contacted by American Idol and was asked to audition. After a lot of consideration, I had to pursue this opportunity.

Idol Chatter:Can you explain your song choice in the genre round? You certainly put your own spin on “Ain’t No Mountain?”

Going into this genre round, I really wanted to do something that I connected with emotionally, and something I could make my own. “Ain’t No Mountain” is one of my mum’s favorite songs. I heard it a lot while growing up! One day before Hollywood Week, I stumbled on these beautiful piano chords and just started singing it over them and fell in love with the sound of it. I really hope I did it justice 🙂

Idol Chatter: What’s the American Idol experience been like so far? You’ve gotten amazing feedback from the judges, especially after performing your original (“Change”) in the audition round?

Louis: My American Idol journey so far has just been such a blessing. Being able to perform “Change,” a song that means so much to me, in front of the judges was a completely surreal experience. They are such amazing artists and being able to see my original song resonate with them was such an incredible moment, and so validating that I’m hopefully on the right path. To know that my message of “Change” reached so many people all over the world was an indescribable moment as a songwriter.

Idol Chatter: Now, you released your debut EP “Small Victories” last fall. Can you tell me a bit about that project? And how would you describe your original music?

Louis: After graduating high school in 2018, all I wanted to do was to work on pursuing my career as a singer-songwriter. With the support of my parents, I took a gap year to write and record the EP, “Small Victories” that I released last September. There was a lot of self-reflection while writing the EP, which I found to be very therapeutic and cathartic. I’m so fortunate and grateful to be able to express myself in that way.

“I would describe my original music as singer-songwriter pop, because I talk a lot about my personal experiences and the ups and downs that come with life. It’s been so rewarding being around so many other talented musicians and songwriters. It’s inspired me a lot with writing new music, which I hope to release soon!”