Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Michael J. Woodard auditions on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will be back for the new season’s fifth and final audition show, deciding who deserves a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Here’s more about Michael.

* Back in early 2012, at age 14, Michael won a competition among 12 talented young singers called “Majors and Minors” on The Hub, part of the Disney Family network. All the singers were between 10 and 15 years old.

* Mentors for the young singers included singing show stars Jordin Sparks, Adam Lambert and Jennifer Hudson. Other mentors: will.i.am, Colbie Caillat, Avril Lavigne and more.

* The winner of the show got a record deal, but there’s no sign that it resulted in a major release for Michael. His cover of “Closer” was featured as the lead track on a “Majors and Minors” compilation album.

* Michael is from Philadelphia and grew up in a Christian household. His mother, Wanda Martin Woodard, does a weekly 30-minute Facebook live / radio show called H.O.P.E. Victorious.

* In 2016, Michael announced plans to move to L.A. after being accepted into the Musicians Institute, College of Contemporary Music.

* Head to either YouTube or Soundcloud, and there’s lots of Michael J. Woodard music to check out, including originals. That latter includes “Problems” (released to CD Baby in 2015), “Insecure” and “Okay.” You can check out “Insecure” below.

On social media:
Instagram
Twitter: @MichaelJWoodard
Facebook