Nick Merico: His ‘American Idol’ Journey So Far

Nick Merico joined the American Idol contestants last season but quit before Hollywood week. This season, he’s surprised the judges with each performance, using his charm and voice to make it through to the top 20.

The top 20 Idol contestants will each be performing from their homes in hopes of making it through to the top 10 once live voting starts.

Last year, Merico needed to back out of Idol before he was able to compete in Hollywood week, leading the judges to be wary of him this time around. He said at the time that he backed out due to family issues and added that he’d used the year between auditions as a sort of ‘boot camp.’ This year, he’s said he wasn’t ready last year to go to Hollywood week but finally felt like he was this year.

Richie Didn’t Like Merico During His Audition

VideoVideo related to nick merico: his ‘american idol’ journey so far2020-04-26T19:00:40-04:00

During last season’s audition, 24-year-old Merico sang a rendition of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” which impressed all three of the judges. This time around, Merico was only able to impress Katy Perry and Luke Bryan with his rendition of “You Say.” The third judge, Lionel Richie, had some choice words for Merico after he finished singing.

“I don’t like you,” Richie said at the time. “I’ve gotta be honest with you, I don’t like you, and for some weird reason, it’s not sitting well with me… And, I don’t really think you’re gonna make it in Hollywood.”

Merico said Richie’s comments broke his heart, “a little bit.”

Merico’s Hollywood Week Performances Impressed the ‘Idol’ Judges

Nick Merico Proves Himself to Katy, Luke and Lionel During Hollywood Week – American Idol 2020Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry gave Nick a second shot at Hollywood Week. Is his performance enough to carry him to the next round? See more of American Idol 2020 on our official site: http://www.americanidol.com Like American Idol on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol Follow American Idol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanidol Follow American Idol on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanidol/ AMERICAN IDOL, the iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music competition genre, returns on ABC. American Idol 2020 Helping to determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Emmy® Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest continues as host of the beloved series, while multimedia personality Bobby Bones serves at the in-house mentor.2020-03-17T01:20:58.000Z

During the 2019 Hollywood Week, Merico was able to pass through all three rounds and sufficiently impress the judges throughout.

The final round of Hollywood Week was solos, and Merico performed by himself with just a keyboard. Prior to that, Merico had performed a duet alongside Jimmy Levy, who did not make it through to the top 20 of the competition.

Jimmy Levy and Nick Merico Perform a Cool Duet – American Idol 2020Jimmy Levy and Nick Merico pair up for an amazing performance of “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi. Will Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan only have room for one in the next round? See more of American Idol 2020 on our official site: http://www.americanidol.com Like American Idol on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol Follow American Idol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/americanidol Follow American Idol on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanidol/ AMERICAN IDOL, the iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music competition genre, returns on ABC. American Idol 2020 Helping to determine who America will ultimately vote for to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Emmy® Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest continues as host of the beloved series, while multimedia personality Bobby Bones serves at the in-house mentor.2020-03-23T00:19:16.000Z

“I think you scared him to death, Lionel,” Perry can be heard saying following the performance.

“But you know what, it’s gonna be okay,” Richie said.

He Blew The Judges Away During the Showcase Round

VideoVideo related to nick merico: his ‘american idol’ journey so far2020-04-26T19:00:40-04:00

For the Showcase round, which is the most recent round of the competition we’ve seen so far, Merico blew the judges away with his rendition of “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. Merico chose that song because his mother is a huge fan of Mars and he wanted to sing it especially for her.

Following the performance, when Merico met with the judges to learn whether he’d made it through to the top 20, Richie asked him how he felt about his growth so far. Merico answered that he’d taken what the judges told him in his audition to heart, and he just wanted to be great.

“I’ve got your life right here,” Richie said, gesturing to the paper in his hand. “What do you think I’m gonna say?”

Merico responded that he thought Richie would say the honest truth, leading Perry to laugh and say that was the best answer.

“I have to admit something, I didn’t think you were gonna make it this far, but something has really changed for me. I went from not liking you to appreciating you, and you’re in our top 20,” the eldest judge said. Perry added that Merico earned it and didn’t make it by on anything besides his talent.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Merico has been uploading regularly to his Instagram, most recently with a rendition of Harry Styles’ “Adore You.”

 Nick Merico on ‘American Idol’: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know