Final Platinum Ticket Goes to the 'Best Soul Singer' 'American Idol' Has Ever Had
Judges love Cam Amen's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."
The saying goes that the reward of a good deed is in having done it, and that is the case for 27-year-old Cam Amen, who when he turned 18, pulled his brother and sister out of the foster care system and raised them himself. But American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan recognized the sacrifice that Cam had made in order to become the caretaker for his siblings, and they wanted more for him. so, they honored him by awarding him the final Platinum Ticket of season six of the singing competition series on ABC.
Of course, good deeds alone aren’t enough to earn a Platinum Ticket. There has to also be talent to back it up and Cam proved he has what it takes to make it to Hollywood with a unique rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
When he was done, all three judges got up from their desk and went to give him a hug.
“You’ve been through a lot but the rest of your life is waiting for you,” Lionel tells him. “You hear me? God bless you.” And in typical Lionel fashion, he hands him a hanky.
“I can hardly breathe,” Luke adds. “You know, this is our sixth year here, and stylistically, your style is so beautifully unique. I don’t have anyone in this show to compare you to. Every time I wanted you to do something amazing, you did it. It was just amazing. You came out of being upset and crying and just started singing like that. You didn’t even have the tears dried.”
Then Katy tells Cam, “It sounds like you never had a shot. It sounds like you had to sacrifice. You don’t need to hold on to it anymore, just let it come out.”
Related: Watch American Idol Judges Give Out the First Platinum Ticket to 'The Most Gifted Singer Yet'
Lionel asks the native of Indiana, who now lives in Omaha, Neb., with his girlfriend Erica if he believes in divine guidance, and Cam say he does.
“It just happened,” Lionel points out. “For whatever reason, that divine guidance just brought you to us, and my friend, you’re going to have one heck of a ride.”
Then the judges ask him to bring his girlfriend Erica into the room before they vote.
When he goes to get her, Luke tells Katy and Lionel, “He may be the best soul singer we’ve ever had,” and Katy agrees.
When Erica arrives, Luke says, “Cam has just really captivated us with his talent, his story, his voice and we’re about to reward you the best way we know how to love on you guys. We have two types of tickets, the Golden Ticket and then we have this Platinum Ticket. The Platinum Ticket we save for people we feel might be a little more special than your average American Idol. The Platinum Ticket gives you a couple of special advantages and there’s no doubt that you’ve earned the right to them.”
Luke continues, “You are going to Hollywood as one of our Platinum Ticket winners that lets you sit out the first round of Hollywood week and watch all the other contestants get up there and sweat it out. Thank you for making our day.”
Cam is overwhelmed and needs the hanky that Lionel handed him. He says, “This is the first time I ever went for anything for myself and it’s a dream. I just can’t wait to show my brother and sister what I’ve done. They will be so excited.”
Earlier in his video package Cam explained that when he was in elementary school, the police came and pulled him and his younger brother out of class.
“I am holding my brother,” Cam recalls. “We didn’t know what was going on. We were crying, waiting for mom. She never came. We were in foster care a long, long time. When I turned 18, I took my brother and sister and I knew I had to raise them right and get them through high school.”
And that’s what Cam did for five years. His brother is now 21 and his sister is 20.
American Idol airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Next week, for Hollywood Week, it will air two nights: Monday and Tuesday.
Next, American Idol Making Big Changes to the Show's Mentoring Process