An "America Idol" contestant who broke down in tears after fumbling with a song's lyrics found himself being consoled by the show's judges.
Appearing as part of the top 12 contestants on Sunday's episode, Hunter Metts delivered a solid performance of the song "Falling Slowly," which was originally performed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová for the film "Once." However, toward the end of his performance, the 22-year-old forgot the lyrics. After completing the song, Metts stepped away from the microphone and turned his back to the audience as he cried, but judges were full of praise and support.
"Hunter, that was the best performance you have ever given," Katy Perry said, according to USA Today. "That shows that you are a human and vulnerable, and everybody relates to that, and it’s amazing. It’s emotion. That’s what music is."
Perry described what had happened to Metts as "perfect."
"You were so connected that you forgot where you were, and that is perfect," she said.
Richie also offered words of encouragement while recounting his own experience of having forgotten lyrics to his song "Hello" during a live performance.
"I thought it was the worst night of my life. The crowd loved it," he said. "If you had not done that, it was called a perfect run. Now that you did that, it was absolutely a perfect run."
During a Q&A round after the show, Perry blamed social media for putting so much pressure on the contestants.
"They read those dang comments, and that is none of their business, and I think it gets into their heads," she said. "That pressure mounts, and it's a real emotional thing for them right now.”
Richie meanwhile, described Metts' performance as "the greatest part of the show."
"Let me tell you what a 'perfect' performance is. It’s when you get the crowd to pay attention to what you just did, no matter what you do," he said. "He forgot the lyrics and showed some emotion. If he never sang another note and just started crying for the rest of the song, it still wins. It just works."
Last week Perry and Richie sat alongside guest judge Paula Abdul, who was filling in for Luke Bryan after he had tested positive for COVID-19, but on Monday's episode, Bryan resumed his role.
Fans received another shock last week when host Ryan Seacrest revealed that contestant Wyatt Pike had dropped out of the show. The singer had just made it through to the season's top 12 competitors when the announcement came. No explanation was provided, but two days later Pike said on Instagram he had to exit due to "personal reasons."
Related Stories:
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.