Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Michael Simeon was part of a three-singer montage during American Idol’s Salt Lake City audition episode.

But we were treated to an impressive snippet of his performance of John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.”

Michael Simeon earned a ticket to Hollywood at the American Idol auditions in Salt Lake City. (FOX Photo)

And we heard Keith Urban give him rave reviews on his vocals.

Turns out Michael is hardly a novice at music. On Facebook, he writes that he’s “been singing and making up songs since I could make noise.”

He says he got his first guitar at age 9, started playing drums at age 11 and picked up the piano at 14.

“At this point I play all three fairly well,” the 19-year-old student from Lumberton, Miss., writes, “but I definitely still have a long way to go.”

Oh, and this is far from his first singing competition, judging from his website bio. In addition to regional events, he previously tried out for The X Factor and America’s Got Talent.

He also released an eight-track album back in 2011 called “Music Therapy.” You can still find it on iTunes.

Though that album is classified as singer-songwriter, Michael says in his Road to Hollywood video that he considers versatility his strength.

“I like to do all kinds of music,” he says. “Anywhere from R&B to acoustic pop. I love to rap and sing hip-hop. I feel as though if I can incorporate that (versatility) through Hollywood Week and the rest of the show — if I get the privilege to move on — I could make an impact.”

His musical influences are equally diverse — from John Mayer to Usher.

“He’s such an incredible performer,” Michael says of Usher. “I strive to be that good one day.”

If you’d like to follow Michael, here are links to his website, Facebook page and Twitter account (@MikeSimeonMusic).

I’ve embedded some samples of his music below. If you’d like to hear more, head to his YouTube channel.

For profiles of more than 90 other Season 13 contestants, head here.

“Hold on We’re Going Home” (Drake cover)

“Give Me Love” (Ed Sheeran cover)

“Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” (John Mayer cover)