El Paso singer Julian Kalel Almanzan is still chasing that American Idol dream! Almanzan made it to the Top 30 contestants on “American Idol” Monday, March 3.
Almanzan sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt to loud applause from the audience and big smiles from judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
He introduced his segment by saying why he wanted to be the next American Idol.
“I want to be the next American Idol because I want to show that your story, your pain, can be used to be your greatest power,” he said.
Last year, the singer was selected to compete on American Idol. However, he had to step down because of mental health concerns.
Having passed the initial auditions this year, Almanzan was back on stage, with his mom, Melodya, and a family friend behind the stage with host Ryan Seacrest. In his video interview, Almanzan, 19, said he was still processing being back on the competition show. And that he still gets nervous, but is pushing himself.
“I’ve done a lot of growing, a lot of learning. And so, this year I’m definitely feeling much more well prepared and confident. But I’m always nervous. I mean, why wouldn’t you be nervous in Hollywood Week?” he said.
When he finished singing, Bryan said, “my favorite part about that is when you hit your first note, the crowd screams, you smile, and your smile was so big you almost couldn’t sing the next line.”
“We feel very big things for you and that was the first of many great experiences for you and we’re just glad we get to watch,” Bryan added.
Almanzan and the remaining contestants will now head to Hawaii for the next phase of the competition.
Where to watch ‘American Idol’
“American Idol” airs at 6 p.m. MT/7 CT Monday on the ABC Network. “American Idol” Season 24 will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
A subscription to Hulu costs $11.99 a month (or $119.99/year) for the ad-supported plan. Students can get Hulu with ads for $1.99 a month, and Hulu Premium (no ads) is $18.99 a month.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso singer Julian Kalel Almanzan advances on ‘American Idol’
Reporting by Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
