91Ƶ

Skip to content

B.C. singer passes audition, gets 91ƵAmerican Idol91Ƶ golden ticket

Cameron Whitcomb, 19, impresses celebrity judges with Waylon Jennings song
28553373_web1_220330-NBU-american-idol-whitcomb-1_2
Cameron Whitcomb passes his American Idol audition in Austin, Tex., to advance to the show91Ƶs Hollywood Week. (Photo courtesy ABC/Eric McCandless)

Another singer from Nanaimo has impressed the judges and is moving on with a chance to be the next American Idol.

Cameron Whitcomb, 19, passed his audition in front of celebrity judges on the Monday, March 21 episode of the ABC reality TV talent competition. It91Ƶs the second time in three seasons that a Nanaimo contestant has been part of American Idol after Lauren Spencer-Smith made it to the top 20 in 2020.

On Monday91Ƶs episode, Whitcomb started his audition with a standing backflip, then performed Waylon Jennings91Ƶ Rock, Salt and Nails. Lionel Richie remained unconvinced, but Katy Perry and Luke Bryan both said 91Ƶyes,91Ƶ meaning Whitcomb received a 91Ƶgolden ticket91Ƶ to advance to the next stage of the competition, Hollywood Week.

91ƵI lost my mind,91Ƶ Whitcomb said. 91ƵI remember celebrating and I had to lock myself in a bathroom somewhere and hyperventilate because it really happened. It91Ƶs a huge thing.91Ƶ

Whitcomb grew up in Nanaimo and went to school at Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools91Ƶ Learning Alternatives, where he enjoyed the 91Ƶamazing91Ƶ music program. He then moved to Kamloops, where he works as a motorcycle mechanic and a pipeline labourer.

Whitcomb said he got into Tyler Childers country music and thought his own karaoke renditions sounded pretty good, so he started posting videos on Instagram. One of those videos caught the eye of a casting agent, who got in touch with Whitcomb about American Idol.

91ƵI didn91Ƶt even know they took Canadians, except for Lauren, but that91Ƶs a special case because she91Ƶs pretty amazing,91Ƶ Whitcomb said.

His American Idol audition was taped last fall in Austin, Tex., and Whitcomb said his audition was late in the day.

91ƵSo I had spent the entire day just nerved out of my mind. I91Ƶd watched amazing singers, one after the other, some of them getting turned away and I91Ƶm like, 91ƵI am not nearly as good as a lot of these people,91Ƶ91Ƶ he said.

But he managed to turn his nerves into adrenaline and said leading up to his turn, he was jogging in place and must have resembled a boxer getting ready for a bout. Seeing his audition now, he notices that he was cutting notes short and said since then he91Ƶs learned to breathe more and has benefited from vocal training and singing lessons.

91ƵI91Ƶm a better singer now, but it was just where I was at and I think it worked in my favour, because I can only really go up from there,91Ƶ Whitcomb said.

He obviously can91Ƶt reveal how the season will play out, but he promises that American Idol91Ƶs Hollywood Week is 91Ƶgoing to be a riot91Ƶ and that the competition will be 91Ƶsuper exciting.91Ƶ He can91Ƶt wait to see how the season is put together and presented on television.

91ƵIt was just a great experience meeting tons of musicians and picking their brain and just taking every little bit you can from everyone you meet,91Ƶ Whitcomb said. 91ƵIf anything, I would have came out a winner, regardless of the golden ticket or not, being able to meet these musicians and taking away some knowledge I91Ƶll have with me for the rest of my life.91Ƶ

American Idol airs on ABC and CityTV.

READ ALSO:

READ ALSO:



editor@nanaimobulletin.com

Like us on and follow us on



About the Author: Greg Sakaki

I have been in the community newspaper business for two decades, all of those years with Black Press Media.
Read more



(or

91Ƶ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }