This 17-year-old from Vancouver, B.C. blew the American Idol judges away

Tyson Venegas, a 17-year-old from Vancouver, B.C. earned a platinum ticket on the season premier of American Idol. (Image credit: (Instagram/tysonvenegas)

A 17-year-old high-school student from Vancouver, B.C. wowed the judges on the season premiere of American Idol Sunday.

Tyson Venegas, playing a white grand piano, belted out a rendition of Billy Joel's “New York State of Mind” that earned him a rare Platinum Ticket and accolades from judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.

"You are exactly what we look for what we pray for," Bryan said after the performance.

In an introduction to the teen, the audience learned that he had a speech delay when he was younger and that music was the therapy that helped him to find his voice.

Performing in front of the judges was, according to Venegas' mother, particularly special because he has always been a huge fan of Richie's.

"He was inspired by you and then that's where he learned how to sing from his heart and tell stories," Venegas' mother Iris told Richie.

During the stand-out performance, Richie can be seen grinning and shaking his head in apparent disbelief.

"We flipped the switch now," he told Venegas' mother afterward, lauding the teen's skill and professionalism – joking that there was no way he could be only 17 years old.

"I inspired him back then, he just inspired us today. Let me tell you that performance was spot on."

Perry praised the teen for the notes he hit, and the emotion he brought to the song.

"I felt so connected, I felt alive," she said.

The Platinum Ticket is only handed out to three singers during the audition round. It means that Venegas will advance in the competition, skipping a battle in one round of Hollywood Week. Instead, he’ll be able to watch his competitors from the audience.

“He may be one of our most gifted yet,” Bryan told his co-judges as Venegas left the stage with his proud mother.

 

 

 

 

 

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