'American Idol' 2023: Jon Wayne Hatfield wins golden ticket after dedicating heartfelt song to grandfather Ray
GOSHEN, OHIO: 'American Idol' 2023 has already added a few rising stars to the team; however, the hunt is far from over. The viewers will see some more line-ups for the auditions in episode 2 of the ABC Network show. Among them is Jon Wayne Hatfield, who got a golden ticket to Hollywood with his special song.
During the audition for the golden ticket, Hatfield gives a very emotional performance dedicated to his grandpa, Ray. His song brought tears to his grandpa's eyes and helped him feel welcome and believe in himself. The rising singer also shared the journey of his life since birth and the inspiration he got to pen the song. Additionally, Hatfield gets a standing ovation from 'American Idol' 2023 judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie.
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Who is Jon Wayne Hatfield?
Jon Wayne Hatfield, a 21-year-old country singer, and songwriter hails from Goshen, Ohio. In the recently released audition video, Hatfield shared about his upbringing, revealing he was raised by his grandparents due to his mom’s struggles with addiction. Hatfield is already a social media sensation. Jon first became a rising star on TikTok, where he has more than 295,000 followers. Wayne Hatfield's debut single, 'What A Truck Is For' was released on November 6, 2020. After garnering popularity and massive views, he then released his second song, 'Strong Woman' in May 2021. Each of his songs has now been streamed one million times on Spotify. However, the world learned about Jon Wayne Hatfield when he released 'Growing Up Too Fast'. His third song jumped to #58 on the Music Row Country Breakout chart in August 2021.
Meanwhile, Jon's latest song is 'Good For Nothin', which is a blend of traditional country music with a more modern country sound. Additionally, Jon has received more than five million views on YouTube for his cover of Elvie Shane’s 'My Boy - girl version.' Jon Wayne Hatfield loves working in Nashville, writing and recording with other rising artists and songwriters. However, in a recent interview, he was asked what he loves most about performing, and he said, "I like writing and telling stories that other people can connect with. My dream is to hear people singing my words back to me!"
Jon Wayne Hatfield will stick by his grandpa's side
Hatfield had a tough life but his grandpa has always remained by his side and now it's time to pay him off! Hatfield and Ray share a very special bond, especially when the rising singer's grandmother left the world. He also reflected on the loss of his grandma, saying, "I lost my grandma about three years ago." Hatfield further reflected on how he was feeling about Ray after his grandmother's death. He reflected, "After losing her, watching my grandpa was the hardest thing. He lost his best friend in 50 years. He wouldn’t talk to anybody for about the first year and a half, not even me." Hatfield added, "I got mad at myself because I couldn’t fix it, and he wasn’t ready, and I understand that. I didn’t see what he was actually going through." Later, Ray came out as gay, and this only inspired Hatfield to pen a song about him. Opening up has always been a hard process and it was the same for Ray. And Hatfield was the last person Ray told about him as he was scared because the grandpa thought that Jon might stop loving him. However, the rising star promised that he loves his grandfather no matter what. He shared, "I just wanted to put it out there right away like, 'Hey, don't think that’s going to change a damn thing between me and you, because my best friend, and you’re my dad.'" Ray gushed, "It turned out that "he was for me more than anybody."
Jon Wayne Hatfield in 'American Idol' 2023
Jon Wayne Hatfield recently won the golden ticket with his impressive talent on an upcoming episode of 'American Idol.' Hatfield performed an original song of love and courage titled, 'Tell Me Ray,' during the audition. His song was dedicated to his grandpa Ray, who recently came out as gay. In the recently released audition video, Hatfield revealed that he was close with his grandfather and will sing a song to honor him. However, the judges, Perry, Bryan, and Richie asked Hatfield to invite his grandfather to the stage. As he entered the stage, Perry said, "I think he’s going to sing a song he wrote about you." Ray then burst into tears and shared, "Yeah, I know. It’s a tough one." The judges loved Jon Wayne Hatfield's song and gave him a standing ovation.
Hatfield's song lyrics and the story moved Richie and he gifted Ray his personal handkerchief. While gifting it, Richie said, "Oh my God. I don’t normally do this. Ray, you need my handkerchief." He added, "Oh my God. I don’t give those out to you, but to special people. You are a hell of an inspiration man." The Grammy winner further told Ray, "You know, part of us as people, we have to be encouraged and a lot of us don’t get a lot of encouragement," adding, "A lot of us have to fight for it, and to have that kid write a song about you is just pretty special." Richie then acknowledged Hatfield's impressive ability to tell stories through his music. Bryan also left impressed with Hatfield's song and said, "What I love about being a part of this show is people come in and bare their souls in front of us and people at home that may be dealing with the same stuff get to realize that they’re not alone. You know, It just starts a real nice..."
Katy Perry then gushed, "It starts to make us all feel like maybe we’re all one," before she gushed over his 'genuine storytelling abilities.' The singer further explained, "What you shared with us today was so authentic, so beautiful. You're a songwriter. Amen. You're a songwriter. You’ve got a story to tell. You've got so many stories inside of you." Perry then told Ray that "it’s never too late, welcome to the club, honey. Not everyone gets to live their authentic life. Good for you." Judges then said "yes" to Hatfield and gave him a golden ticket and advanced to Hollywood.
'American Idol' season 21 episode two will premiere at 8 pm ET on Sunday, February 26, 2023. It will be available on Hulu the next day.