‘American Idol’ judge Luke Bryan sweetly held a six-month-old baby while contestant sang on stage
It seems like Luke Bryan has great potential to be a babysitter! In a March 2018 episode of 'American Idol,' the 'Play It Again' hitmaker was seen cradling a baby boy as he listened to a contestant named Marcio Donaldson give his audition on the stage of the beloved ABC singing competition. During his time on the show, Donaldson narrated his painful story of being raised in a roach-infested home in California's crime-riddled city of Compton before he was placed into the child welfare system. Six months before, Donaldson's life took a big turn when the authorities asked him whether he was willing to take in a week-old baby of his sister, who battled with drug addiction and failed to take care of her.
As per the Daily Mail, with tears in his eyes, Donaldson quipped, "I looked down and I said I'll take him. I didn't want him to go through what I went through. It was the right decision. He's changed my life." When Donaldson came for his audition on the show, he even brought baby Rashad with him. At that point, Bryan asked Donaldson if he could hold the baby. On the other hand, Donaldson playfully warned him by saying, "He's a real baby."
During the episode, Donaldson mesmerized the judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Bryan with his beautiful rendition of "Jealous" by Labrinth, which he dedicated to his new son. Then, Donaldson gushed over his baby boy and exclaimed, "I so love him." After seeing Donaldson break down in tears, Richie hopped out of his seat and went to Donaldson and gave him a comforting hug. Soon after, Bryan raved about Donaldson's raw vocals by saying, "Your voice is a real voice. Is it technically perfect? No, man, but it's real. You ride that horse as far as it will take you."
When Perry was asked to give her feedback on Donaldson's performance, she went on to say, "I think you're a really sensitive, emotional, beautiful, vulnerable soul. We're always looking for people to sing with their feelings." At the end of the day, Donaldson received three yeses from the judges, and he advanced to the next round. Then, Donaldson thanked the esteemed judges and took back his baby Rashad, who had a golden ticket in his hand. As per People magazine, Perry told Donaldson, "God bless you for being such an incredible stand-up man. You're an incredible example."
Once the episode dropped, the fans were moved by Donaldson's backstory and stopped by the comments to share their well-wishes for the singer and his baby. One social media user penned, "He has been through so much, and he still has a heart of gold. ️ I wish the best for him and his son." Followed by a second user who wrote, "Praying, I am speechless, crying happy tears. I pray that you and your baby son get everything that God has for the both of you." Another netizen stated, "He so made me cry, had chills the whole time he sang. I so love him and can’t wait to hear more. He will definitely make it." A user chimed in, "That was so beautiful! I pray that God will bless their journey together!"
