Idol Chatter & Voice Views

You could say persistence paid off for Mathenee Treco.

Three times, he tried out for American Idol and failed.

Last year, he earned a golden ticket in Idol’s Colorado auditions and advanced all the way to Vegas.

This year, he auditioned successfully in Oklahoma City.

And after a solid performance on group night in Hollywood, he’s likely off to Vegas again in Season 12.

Mathenee, 26, from Aurora, Colorado, teamed up with Nick Boddington and since-departed Gabe Brown and Matheus Fernandes on a brilliant version of Queen’s “Somebody to Love.”

Which was appropriate, because Mathenee calls Freddie Mercury a “huge influence” on his music. Of course, he has other influences as well and thinks his affinity for rock, pop, r&b and hip-hop music will help set him apart.

“When you fuse all those things together, you create a new sound — a new thing,” he says in his Road to Hollywood video.

Or perhaps you create “Mathclass,” the debut album Mathenee released in July. You can download the 11 tracks on iTunes, but if you head to bandcamp.com you can listen to full versions of all the songs. Check out “Talk Dirty.” It’s pop music, but the hip-hop influence is undeniable.

Clearly, Mathenee has come a long way since his first live performance — as the Big Bad Wolf way back in first grade.

These days, Mathenee says his 2-year-old niece — who is just starting to show her creativity — provides inspiration to “be a better performer and singer.”

And why could he be the next Idol?

“There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not humming a new melody I’m creating in my head or writing new lyrics,” he answers in describing his dedication to music.

Here are three videos of Mathenee performing. “The Facts” is one of the tracks from “Mathclass.” For more, head here.

“Faded Still”

“Come Around”

“The Facts”