And the winner of… American Idol, Season 21… is… PJAE.
I mean, maybe!
Hours ago, the final judges’ cut happened on the latest installment of American Idol. Weeks and months of grueling auditions and challenges, highlighted with beautiful, triumphant moments of success came down to this one night. After this, the contestants who move forward will be decided by live voting.
And we got some gay representation in the Top 26, baby! Please welcome PJAE, real name Peter Gomez, to the long list of Idol finalists who belong to the LGBT community.
The 23-year-old singer hailing from Oklahoma has had a whirlwind experience on Idol thus far. From his emotional audition, to his bluesy duet and the battle to turn the Top 24 into the Top 26. You can catch all of these moments just below.
According to Sportskeeda, PJAE draws inspiration from gospel, jazz and the modern pop genre. When you listen to his second and third audition, specifically, one can see how these genres have shaped his voice. And I truly believe, and hope, that his one-of-a-kind masterful interpretation of songs propels him into the Top 12. Blue Cantrell would be proud, honey!
PJAE has several songs available to stream on Spotify. The most recent track, released just last week, is a duet with his Idol partner We Ani titled ‘Won’t Take Me Alive.’ I’m surprised Idol contestants can release original music during the competition since previous contracts were so ironclad. Still, if you enjoy this man’s voice, head over to the streaming service and listen to his catalog.
Next week we’ll see PJAE live in action, and I cannot fucking wait. Good luck, sir.
I have to admit I stopped watching when Simon left, but it’s nice to see we might be getting a gay winner.