American Idol season 20 Top 5 finalist Fritz Hager reveals the advice that judge Katy Perry gave him that he will always keep in mind in the future.
Fritz Hager, one of the American Idol season 20 Top 5 finalists, revealed the sage advice that judge Katy Perry gave him that he will always remember. Fritz, a 22-year-old singer from Tyler, Texas, showed a tremendous amount of growth during the competition. At his audition, he sang “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi. Luke thought that Fritz needed a little more work and voted no for him to go to Hollywood, but Katy and Lionel Richie voted yes and he earned his golden ticket.
When Fritz finished singing at his American Idol audition, Katy pointed out his strengths. She told him that the chorus was “pretty good” and that he had a lot of potential, but she was not “in” until the chorus. She said, “I need you to find who you are as an artist in the first verse. Keep us interested, locked in from the first note. It doesn’t have to be loud, but it just has to be interesting. And you may have the ability to do that because I thought that that chorus was pretty good.” Before Katy voted yes, she said that she thought that Fritz was the kind of person who would “sharpen” around other singers. She said that he was going to “learn how to bob and weave and strategize and sing.” Katy told Fritz, “I think that you deserve a shot, and it’s a yes.”
In an interview with Screen Rant, Fritz shared that all of the American Idol judges had given him “so much amazing advice throughout this whole process” of the competition, but the one that will always stand out to him as he moves forward with his career is the advice that Katy gave him at that very first audition. Fritz said that she told him that “the listener needs to know who I am as an artist from the very first word that comes out of my mouth. And that was advice that I took through Hollywood Week, every round. That’s advice that I’ve taken all throughout this entire process. So that’s always gonna stick with me for sure.” Katy’s advice will always be in the back of Fritz’s mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXcxmHYl6r4
As Fritz moved through the American Idol competition, he proved that he took Katy’s advice to heart. When he played his original songs, “Inconsequential Love,” “All My Friends,” and “The Ocean,” Fritz showed the audience exactly who he was. He also made cover songs such as “Wonderwall” by Oasis his own, and it was as though the audience were hearing it for the first time. After Fritz’s final performance of “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer, Luke joked that he was going to have to ask the show to remove the clip of him telling him “no” at his American Idol audition, validating Fritz as an artist in the competition. By following Katy’s advice, Fritz showed everyone exactly who he was in every performance.
One of the best aspects of the American Idol competition is watching the contestants grow from their auditions to the finals, especially when they follow the advice of the judges. Fritz was the ideal finalist because he wanted to learn from the judges in order to make his already great performances spectacular. Katy’s advice is sure to help Fritz take his rightful place in the music industry. Fritz’s fans now know exactly who he is as an artist.
The American Idol finale airs Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Source: American Idol/YouTube
