'American Idol': Delray performer only wanted to play piano, but wound up with golden ticket

Delray Beach's Sam 'Kayko' Kelly-Cohen never had aspirations of superstardom and only became a contestant on ABC's "American Idol" by sheer accident.

He originally came to his friend Abby Blake's Nashville audition to play the piano, but after Blake's audition, the judges Lionel Ritchie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry asked if he also was a singer.

Kelly-Cohen, whose band was named Kayko, wowed the celebrity trio with an original song called “Time of Your Life” and was offered a ticket to Hollywood during the two-night event, earning a social media title as the "Accidental Idol."

On the first night in Tinseltown, the 23-year-old songwriter and producer who grew up in Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale but now calls Nashville home, performed another original piece called “What If?” about imposter syndrome. Perry was so impressed that she said he was no longer an “accident,” but an “opportunity.”

At the conclusion of Sunday night’s episode, "Idol" judges made the largest cut in show history, slashing the singer pool by 87. Boca Raton's Victoria Johnson, 16, and Kelly-Cohen both survived the round, but Johnson’s performance did not make the air.

The remaining 56 musicians took to the stage again the following night on Monday’s episode for their "Showstoppers" performances for "Hollywood Week." Once everyone had their turn, the judges selected the top 24. Johnson was not selected, but Kelly-Cohen was on the list.

Initially, he was focused on playing the piano, but it is clear he is also a gifted singer-songwriter.

Kelly-Cohen's mother died in 2019 and he said music was therapy as he grieved. On his Instagram page, he shared a video of his mother, saying, "Two years ago, my mom passed away. My grieving process is ongoing. But writing this song has helped heal me so much, and all I can hope is that if you’re missing someone that’s no longer in your life, this song can hopefully help you too."

A closer look at Sam 'Kayko' Kelly-Cohen's South Florida roots

According to Kelly-Cohen's social media, he graduated from North Broward Preparatory School, the same school that musician Ariana Grande attended.

His LinkedIn profile provides more details of his early life.

He was an assistant music director for the production of "Seussical Jr." at Rising Starz Music & Performance Academy in 2016, teaching students ages 6-14 the music and lyrics to all the songs and provided additional vocal lessons to the leads. Rising Starz is in Davie. The school congratulated him on his "American Idol" appearance in a Feb. 28 Instagram post.

During the summer of 2019, Kelly-Cohen was a music intern at Lovewell Institute for The Creative Arts in Fort Lauderdale and was the music director there from June-October 2020.

As an intern, he worked with a team to help students ages 8-17 write original musicals. As the music director, he created and launched a virtual playwriting program for students ages 8-13. He again helped students with songwriting, and he also produced and mixed the tracks.

In 2012, he was a finalist in "South Florida Kids Got Talent," the competition that Victoria Johnson, another "American Idol" contestant this season, won last year.

As a child, he performed with Florida Children's Theatre, also where Grande got her start as a youth singer. Kelly-Cohen performed in the production of "In the Heights" at the theater.

'American Idol': What's next for Sam 'Kayko' Kelly-Cohen?

Kelly-Cohen, who along with Blake is a 2016 graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, and his fellow contestants will compete next at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii during another two-night event at 8 p.m., Sunday and Monday on ABC.

The 24 singers will be split in half. Twelve will perform each night and Tori Kelly, Jelly Roll and reigning "American Idol" winner Iam Tongi will make special appearances. Voting power will then be handed over to viewers to select the top 20. Those results will be announced on the following Sunday’s episode, Sunday, April 14.

The following night, a "Top 14 Reveal" will take place with the final episode scheduled for May 19.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 'American Idol' update: Sam 'Kayko' Kelly-Cohen earns ticket to Hollywood