Hunter Metts got a little extra love from the “American Idol” judges on Sunday night.
Metts, 22, took the “Idol” stage on April 18 to perform the song “Falling Slowly” from the movie “Once” — Sunday’s theme was Oscars songs.
Considered to be one of the top contenders in the contest, the 22-year-old software developer from Tennessee hit a snag when he forgot the lyrics to the song just as he was wrapping up his performance.
In tears and clearly upset, the judges rushed to offer him support.
Judge Katy Perry said, “that was the best performance you have ever given.” Addressing the flub, she added, “Perfection is an illusion. It doesn’t matter. That shows that you are a human and vulnerable. Everybody relates to that. It’s amazing, it’s emotion. That’s what music is! I know this is a lot of pressure, but it’s not about perfection. It’s about resonating with people, and you just did… you connected with us. You kept your eyes open, your heart open, you were so connected you forgot where you were and that is perfect.”
Luke Bryan felt similarly. “I don’t even know what happened at the end, but I didn’t care. You did no wrong. You could do no wrong in that moment,” Bryan said, giving a nod to Metts’ falsetto notes.
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Lionel Richie added that he was intimately familiar with forgetting the lyrics of a song. “Oh my god Lionel, I was there the night you forgot the lyrics to ‘Hello,'” people would tell him. And while he thought it was the worst night of his life, the crowd seemed to enjoy it.
