Dedicating this song to himself.
‘American Idol’ contestant Dave Fio won the judges’ hearts after sharing his emotional backstory, which led him to his audition.
“The preparation experience for this was just the most life-changing experience I’ve ever had.”
Fio shares that one day, his cousin sent him the link that noted the talent show was coming to his city. The music lover was eager to send in an audition taping, with the hopes many others share that being on the show would kick-start his career. However, looking back on this video, Fio thought he needed to change before stepping in front of the judges.
“I didn’t recognize the person, and it was just was just the switch in my head. I thought, ‘I’m not going to get on ‘American Idol’ and take this once in a lifetime opportunity and feel unhappy about myself.'”
From that day forward, he went sober, started hitting the gym, and drastically changed his diet. As the judges begin clapping for him, they are even more impressed when he discloses that he has lost 65 pounds over this 12-week transformation.
The judges loved him from the jump with his positive outlook on life and were even more impressed when he opened his mouth.
“I’m going to sing ‘Save Me’ by Jelly Roll. Kind of fits my situation. ‘Save Me,’ saved me from myself.”
From the growl in his opening note, listeners are instantly taken aback by his talent. As he sings the transformative lyrics, you can hear how deeply Jelly Roll’s lyrics resonate with him. I enjoyed the whole performance, but the judges felt his delivery needed more fundamental work. While many auditionees have had no formal training, this feedback is relatively common.
With the votes split, Luke Bryan does not let Fio’s dream die, so he sends him to Hollywood. I think Jelly Roll would have wholeheartedly agreed with Luke and Katy that this man should go to the next round of auditions.
From one transformed man to another, this audition highlights the power of music.
