Auditioning for American Idol with an original song is nerve-wracking enough.
But imagine performing that original song on piano with Harry Connick Jr. hovering over your shoulder.
That was the audition experience for Brandyn Burnette, one of the most talented guys we met during the second night of Idol Season 15 auditions.
If you watched, you likely recall the moment. Ryan Seacrest took Harry’s spot at the judges’ table; Harry stepped off camera.
But as Brandyn got deeper into an impressive performance, he couldn’t resist returning to the stage and even hugging the 25-year-old singer-songwriter from St. Louis at one point.
When the song, Ryan said “that was an easy one,” praising Brandyn for singing “beautifully” and with so much emotion.
And so Brandyn headed off to Hollywood with not three, but four yes votes from the judges.
His reaction on Twitter: “Well…That was crazy!”
My hunch is that Brandyn didn’t advance to the voting rounds on the show, because he released a new music video on Tuesday. And that’s not the type of thing Idol allows current contestants to do.
But if you liked what you heard on Idol, you can check out that video below, as well as a full-length version of his audition song, “Lost.”
Both are included on a six-track “Made of Dreams” EP that Brandyn released in November. So, yep, they’re available on iTunes as well.
At one point, Brandyn was signed to Warner Brothers, because he released a single called “Thanks For Nothing” in 2014 under the label. He also released two other singles in 2015 — “1000 Degrees of Separation” and “Stand Down.”
In an interview you can watch on YouTube, Brandyn says he was at first reluctant to pursue music as a youngster because his dad is an artist and his sister is “an incredible performer.” Then his grandmother gave him a Casio keyboard that Brandyn says “changed his life” and “became his obsession.”
In the same interview, he talks about touring in 2016 and collaborating with Molly Moore, another talented young artist who released a debut EP in 2015.
You can follow Brandyn through his website and Facebook page. On Twitter, he’s @brandynburnette.
“Lost” from the 2015 EP “Made of Dreams”
“Nothing at All” from the 2015 EP “Made of Dreams”
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