'American Idol' 2023: Who is Tanner Charles? Singer dropped out of college to follow passion
BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA: 'American Idol' season 21 has already seen some promising singers since its premiere. However, the ABC Network singing competition has more in store, including some truly mellifluous voices. Among them, Tanner Charles is gearing up to bring his raw talent to the biggest singing competition's stage.
Tanner is all set to make his debut on 'American Idol' in front of judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie in episode 3. Tanner didn't have any professional training, but he does sing at the church's main campus in Broken Arrow. Notably, the aspiring singer recently quit college to pursue his passion.
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Who is Tanner Charles?
Tanner is a Battle Creek Church worship leader from Broken Arrow. He also sings at the church’s main campus. Tanner, 21, went to Mingo Valley Christian School and studied for a year at Tulsa Community College. He also enrolled for a year at Oral Roberts University but changed his mind before junior year and auditioned for 'American Idol'.
Tanner has an interesting story about why he auditioned for the show. A casting producer on the show came across one of Tanner's singing videos on Instagram and asked him to audition, according to Tulsa World. Tanner shared with the outlet, "I got to skip a lot of the normal rounds you would go through if you were just doing the virtual audition, so I got to go straight to the last round and sing for the executive producers over Zoom." He added, "And then I got a 'yes' from them, and I got a chance to go sing for the actual celebrity judges in Nashville." While Tanner didn't reveal who the casting producer was, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for him.
Tanner Charles in 'American Idol' season 21
ABC Network recently revealed the first look photos of Tanner's audition. In the first photo, the singer can be seen standing in front of the judges with a bright smile. Another image shows him playing the piano while a woman, who might be there for his support, stands beside him. Tanner recently shared photos from 'American Idol' and expressed his excitement in the caption. He penned, "COMING SOON... Don’t miss my Audition on American Idol Sunday, MARCH 5 !!! @americanidol." Meanwhile, in the interview, Tanner shared his audition experience and revealed that he was really nervous. Being an over-thinker, he worried about "all the things that could go wrong in there," he said.
'American Idol' season 21 episode 3 will air at 8 pm ET on Sunday, March 5, 2023. It will be available on Hulu the next day.