American Idol judges have been gathering talent for this season's competition during the audition phase, and in one recent episode, they heard a soulful performance from a veterinary student from Oklahoma. Owen Echkhardt took to the audition stage with his acoustic guitar and harmonica, and he explained to the judges that although he's a pre-vet student, his dream is to become a professional musician.
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"If I could pick one dream, it's to be right here," he said.
He then launched into his own rendition of Zach Bryan's "Something in the Orange." He began the performance by playing acoustic guitar and harmonica for the introduction, and he then debuted his voice, which was both folksy and soulful. Eckhardt stayed true to Bryan's version in certain points in the song, but he also infused is own flair, adding quick riffs and slight changes to the original.
The judges were altogether impressed by Eckhardt's performance, with Perry even comparing him to The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
"Can I be so bold to say there's a little bit of Elvis Presley there?" Perry said. Luke Bryan agreed.
Although they enjoyed his audition, the judges implied that they would like to hear more power from the singer. Richie encouraged him not to "throw away" his endings.
"If you can just stay in and stay present and push it, then you become the storyteller," he said. "We're going to have to push you."
Bryan said that the singer is "doing a lot of things wrong," but his voice makes up for it.
"For some reason, I'm giving you a yes," Bryan said with a smile.
Perry addressed Eckhardt, saying he has a "really cool voice," especially in the country genre.
"I think it would behoove you to join us at American Idol," she said.
Eckhardt received three "yes" votes to send him through to Hollywood. And in honor of his time in vet school, Perry and Richie brought out their dogs, Nugget and Sylvester, who played, and in Richie's dog's case — went to the bathroom — on the audition stage.
