'American Idol' Judges Get Emotional After Singer Describes Santa Fe Tragedy
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All three 'American Idol' judges were moved to tears by one contestant's story.
Warning: This story contains information that may be traumatizing to some audiences.
It's been five years since a gunman opened fire at Santa Fe High School in Texas, killing eight students and two teachers. But Trey Louis, a 21-year-old mattress salesperson whose nickname is "Trey from the Fe," still carries the fear and grief from that day with him.
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Louis was a student at Santa Fe High School in May 2018. He's since graduated, and now when he's not selling mattresses, he's singing his heart out in his car. Recently, he auditioned for American Idol, where his story moved judges to tears.
Though the audition got heavy, it started with lighthearted banter about Louis' day job as a mattress salesperson. Judge Luke Bryan essentially asked if Louis had ever caught anyone having sex in the store. Louis has not.
“I’ve had people come in and ask questions about how good you can perform on the bed," Louis said.
Then, Louis performed "Stone," a song off Whiskey Myers' 2016 album Mud. The song from Whiskey Myers, a Texas country band, became a favorite when it was used on an episode of the smash Paramount TV show Yellowstone in 2018.
But Louis' heart was elsewhere that year, and the judges soon learned more about his heartbreaking story.
“You’re singing from just the perfect spot…you’ve got the perfect voice," Bryan told Louis.
Then, the judges asked why Louis auditioned. He took a beat before explaining.
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“American Idol, number one, is … where people I enjoy make it," Louis said. "Number two, as I said before, I’m from Santa Fe, Texas. In May 2018, a gunman walked into my school. I was in art room one. He shot up art room two before he made his way to art room two. Lost a lot of friends. Eight students were killed. Two teachers were killed. It’s really been negative. Santa Fe has had a bad rap since 2018.”
The tearful judges were clearly unsure of what to say. Bryan went first, repeating a line he had said before Louis shared his story.
“You’ve got the perfect voice," Bryan said. "You sing from the right spot. You let it come from your heart, and that’s what we love around here.”
Then, Katy Perry broke down—and went off.
"Our country has...failed us," Perry said.
"Facts," Louis said.
“This is not OK," Perry continued. "You should be singing here because you love music, not because you had to go through that [expletive]. You didn’t have to lose eight friends. I hope that you remind people that we have to change. I’m scared, too.”
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Lionel Richie paused and then gave a thoughtful response.
"We have tolerated this for so long, too long," Richie said. "It’s become a norm."
Perry finished Richie's thought, saying, "That we’ve got to change."
"It’s true," Louis said. "I agree."
Then, Perry shared her hopes for Louis.
"I hope you can just lead," Perry said.
"For myself, for my school, for you? You got it," Louis said.
Louis will be leading from Hollywood—because all three judges voted him in.
Next, check out therapists' tips for coping with anxiety surrounding gun violence.
