Tyson Venegas. Image from his Instagram page
Filipino-Canadian teen Tyson Venegas won the first-ever platinum ticket of the American Idol’s 21st season with his soulful rendition of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” all while playing the piano.
Venegas, who was one of the contestants in Season 2 of ABS-CBN’s The Voice Teens, wowed Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan as he confidently hit each riffs and runs, showcasing his superb falsetto and voice curling techniques.
The performance of this 17-year old native of Vancouver, Canada was so powerful that Richie quipped that he needed to validate if he was indeed just a teenager as he said.
Richie asked Venegas’ mom, Iris, to verify his age. “He’s claiming to be 17-years-old, but he’s performing like a 45-year-old.”
Venegas’ mom told him that one of her son’s first concerts was Richie’s. “He was inspired by you, and that’s when he learned to sing from his heart.”
“We’ve flipped the switch now. I inspired him back then, he just inspired us today. Let me tell you, that performance was spot-on professional,” said Richie.
“You sang notes and runs that I haven’t felt in my body in a long time, and I felt so connected, I feel so alive,” said Perry.
Bryan, for his part, told Venegas: “You are exactly what we look for, what we pray for.”
Platinum ticket
Because of Venegas’ impeccable performance, he was awarded the first ever platinum ticket for the area of Las Vegas, which Richie said would mean that he could “coast through one whole week of Hollywood week.”
The exclusive platinum ticket, introduced only last year by American Idol, will be given through the audition round. This is expectedly higher than the golden ticket that is usually given to contestants who are able to advance to the next round after an impressive performance.
For Venegas, this means that he need not join the first round of performances during the Hollywood week and be able to watch from the sidelines.