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.
PUBLISHED MAR 1, 2021
Graham DeFranco in 'American Idol' (ABC)
Graham DeFranco in 'American Idol' (ABC)

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. 

Graham DeFranco in 'American Idol' (ABC)

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

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

The network bets big on fresh blood, holding back top performing hits to make room for new content
3 hours ago
‘Running Point’ Season 2 premiere brought stars, surprises, and early episode reveals — here’s everything that went down at Netflix’s big night.
4 hours ago
Season 3 of 'The Pitt' will be set against the backdrop of colder weather and Thanksgiving, and was renewed in January.
5 hours ago
Stormfront is Frederick Vought's wife and first recipient of Compound V, and this episode dropped a huge hint about her relationship with Homelander.
5 hours ago
'The Pitt' has already been renewed for Season 3 in January, but we need to know the answers to these questions before the Season 2 finale.
7 hours ago
Netflix dropped the entire Season 2 of 'Beef' on Thursday for the perfect binge watch, and now fans want to know whether there will be another season.
7 hours ago
Camilla Ludington opened up about what the audience can expect from 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 22 finale in a recent interview.
8 hours ago
The latest edition of the Netflix anthology 'Beef' follows three pairs of characters with distinct issues, all of which converge into a major mess.
9 hours ago
With the 'Tracker' Season 3 finale closing in, truths about Colter’s past start to crack open, setting the stage for tougher choices in Season 4.
10 hours ago
'Beef' Season 2 is set against the backdrop of Monte Vista Point, a prestigious country club
12 hours ago