Charlotte-area singer hits the stage for first round of competition on ‘American Idol’
After snagging a ticket to Hollywood, a local singer and musician is officially on his way to a shot at winning “American Idol.”
24-year-old Josh King from Matthews is among the many contestants from across the country showing off his skills to compete in the newest season of ABC’s hit singing competition.
As part of Hollywood Week, he and more than 100 other singers hit the stage for Idol Arena, the round in which contestants were randomly called to perform and didn’t find out if they made it through until the end of the show.
Spoiler alert: Here’s a recap if you missed Monday night’s episode.
An Idol Arena showdown
During this portion of the competition, more than half of the 144 contestants were cut and sent home. So naturally many of them, including King, were nervous awaiting their time to be called on stage.
“Not knowing when you’re gonna sing and being chosen at random is testing you, how you react under pressure,” King said behind the scenes.
“I know I have a lot to work on, like my ability to do interviews … and not come across as a total nervous wreck. But when I sit down behind the piano, I am more comfortable than anybody else in the room.”
For his Idol Arena performance, the 24-year-old opted to sing “Hopelessly” by Rick Astley — in which he also showed off his other musical talents by playing the piano and the harmonica. In a heartfelt moment of gratitude, he dedicated the song to the judges and other contestants.
“You’ve all been good to me. Everybody here has just been wonderful,” he said. “That being said, I’m going to sing a love song, and it’s all dedicated to all of you.”
Following an audition where he didn’t win over all of the judges, he told producers, “Hopefully that impresses Carrie Underwood enough that she hops on board the Joshua King train.”
In the end, that’s exactly what happened.
“If you had done that in your audition, you would have had three yeses absolutely,” the country superstar told him. “You have a sweet personality, a sweet demeanor. I wanted you to be great, and you brought some greatness with you today. So, keep it going, keep it going.”
Luckily for King, he will keep going — after successfully securing a spot among the 62 finalists to go onto the next round of competition.
How to watch ‘American Idol’
You can tune in to watch King this season when new episodes of “American Idol” are released every Sunday and Monday on ABC at 8 p.m., and the next day on Hulu.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 5:29 PM.
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