Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: DREION, 27, Omaha, Neb., “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind and Fire: He immediately shows off his stage presence on the upbeat tune and gets chair turns from Michael Buble, Snoop Dogg and Reba McEntire. Dreion’s showing off really nice range too, and that entices Gwen Stefani to turn as well. Reba called his performance “so powerful.” Gwen complimented him on doing a great job with a difficult song. Snoop reminded Dreion that he did his own cover of “Shining Star.” Dreion opted to join Team Snoop.

Here’s more about Dreion.

* He’s a full-time musician from Omaha, Nebraska who’s already released a good deal of music.

* On Instagram, Dreion refers to himself as a “foster care survivor.” He was placed in foster care for about six months around age 6 and calls it a traumatic experience.

* He’s since become an activist for foster care reform. In a July interview, he says he’s most proud of his ability to find “a very unique way to merge my passion for music with my passion for foster care advocacy.”

* In fact, two of this original songs — “Let It Rain” and “I Got a Bad Feeling” — were featured in a 2020 film called “Foster Boy.” Produced by Shaquille O’Neal, the film provides insight into the struggles and challenges of foster youth in the system.

* His foster care experience was part of Dreion’s backstory when he auditioned for American Idol Season 18, earning a golden ticket to Hollywood.

* In the July interview, he says some of the best advice he ever received came from Idol judge Lionel Richie, who said “No doesn’t mean never, it means harder.”

* Says Dreion: “Since he shared those special words, I’ve used that as my motivation to never give up, quit, or turn back because I know in my heart if I just keep working I will see the fruits of my labor.”

* He’s already seen some of those. On social media, he calls the summer of 2023 a “mind-blowing experience” that included his first official tour (with Earth Wind and Fire), meeting Bootsy Collins and playing his first festival, Bamfest in Boston.

* He’s already released two singles in 2024 — “Love Eternal” and “Happy Face.” The music video for “Happy Face” dropped in late June, and you can check it out below.

* Inspired by the gospel music he heard in church, Dreion says he’s been singing since he was 4. He’s also a graduate of the Berklee College of Music.

Dreion on social media:
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