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Katy Perry broke down after hearing how a school shooting pushed this singer to ‘American Idol’

"This is not ok. You should be singing here because you love music. Not because of what you had to go through," Perry said.

The 'American Idol' season 21 audition came to an emotional standstill with the heart-touching performance by Santa Fe High School shooting survivor Trey Louis. The Texas-based artist left the judges speechless and in tears with a powerful rendition of Whiskey Myers' 'Stone' dedicated to his best friend Chris Stone, who was killed during the fatal shooting. Katy Perry went on an angry tirade right after: "Our country has failed us. This is not ok. You should be singing here because you love music. Not because of what you had to go through. You didn't have to lose eight friends. I hope that you remind people that we have to change because, you know what, I'm scared too," she said, crying uncontrollably. "It's terrible, Katie, it's horrible," Louis's voice pierced the eerie silence. "We have tolerated this for so long, it's become a norm," Richie reacted.

"We've got to change, and I hope you can just lead," Perry encouragingly added. "You're singing from just the perfect spot, oh yeah, so throw that head back, close your eyes, and you've got the perfect voice," Luke Bryan complimented. Louis narrated his harrowing experience, giving an insight into the fateful day. "I'm from Santa Fe, Texas. In May 2018, a gunman walked into my school while I was in the art room. He shot up the art room two before he made his way to the art room one. I lost a lot of friends; eight students were killed. Two teachers were killed, and, uh, it's just really been negative, man. Santa Fe has had a bad rap here since 2018." 

Six days after the gruesome incident, Louis shared a heart-wrenching note on his Instagram describing the fatal shooting. He disclosed that one of his classmates, Christian Riley Garcia, sacrificed his life to save him, allowing him to escape through the back door, making him the only survivor in his class. "It's real. I’m not gonna be the same. No one in art class will be the same; these teachers will never be the same. This just made us stronger, and there’s nothing that could stop the power of a strong community family," he expressed in his lengthy message. Louis earned the golden ticket from the judges and advanced to the next round. "I want to vote on this young man because I think you've done exactly what

You're supposed to do," Richie said before giving a 'yes.' 

Louis was spotted by an 'American Idol' producer after one of his singing videos went viral on TikTok, Sports Keeda reported. For his final performance, Louis performed Blackberry Smoke’s 'Waiting for the Thunder.' The young artist couldn't make it to the top 24 during the competition, American Songwriter reported. “I really found my personality here,” Louis said after his elimination. “Everything that I lost after the shooting. I found it again here, and I’m going to carry it with me.” 

“Here’s what I think we’re all pretty positive about,” Bryan complimented before announcing the result. “You are the winner of American Idol in personality. You were clipping along, doing good, and then you had a pretty big bump in the road."