MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Who is Graham DeFranco? Luke Bryan called this 'American Idol' contestant's voice one of the 'most listenable'

The 27-year-old from Texas came into the competition with very low confidence but left with the assurance from all three judges that he's got a great voice.

Graham DeFranco from Rockwall, Texas, auditioned for 'American Idol' on Sunday (February 28) night. He joked a lot about how surreal it was to audition for the show with all those mikes and lights. So far, the only performing he had done was at open nights and DeFranco joked about finally getting to experience what it's like with "people actually paying attention to me."

Who is Graham DeFranco?

DeFranco is a 27-year-old Texan who grew up with two dreams, being a pilot and second was being a really famous singer. His father is a pilot and that's where DeFranco picked his career path from and successfully became a survey pilot. He had started singing at a young age and DeFranco's dad completely supported his dreams to become a musician. "(My dad) is not usually nice to me but somehow with my music he is really sweet," he had said in the video package that played before he went inside the audition room. 

RELATED ARTICLES

Who is Cecil Ray Baker? Meet 'American Idol' contestant who Katy Perry called a 'country Justin Bieber'

Who is Celeste Butler? Meet the 'American Idol' contestant who has sung alongside Diana Ross and Chaka Khan

DeFranco is a naturally goofy person and he joked a lot to shake off his nervousness before going in front of the judges to perform. "Once I go into the room with three megastars I am kinda gonna throw up. Once the cameras start rolling people are going to see if I am full of myself or not," he said.

For the auditions, he sang 'Part One' by Band of Horses. The judges loved what he did with the song but also noticed his lack of confidence. "You have one of the most listenable voices in the competition," Luke Bryan said with a little bit of frustration about how unaware DeFranco was about his own talent. Lionel Richie told him about his every morning ritual where he stands in front of the mirror and says "Oh my God, I am Lionel Richie!" The judges asked DeFranco to follow the same ritual to build his confidence. At the end of his audition, DeFranco left the room with three yeses, a golden ticket, and a lesson to work on building his confidence and belief in his voice. 

Catch new episodes of 'American Idol' Sundays at 8 pm ET on ABC.