Voting continues tomorrow, so he appeals for support
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Filipino-Canadian singer Tyson Venegas continued to excite fans in the Philippines and Canada as he made it to American Idol’s top 10.
He appealed to his supporters to keep the votes coming especially on Monday, May 1.
“Tonight ROCKED. I have made the #Top10 of @americanidol but it’s not over yet. Idol is back TOMORROW night at 8/7c on @abcnetwork and I will need your votes again to make it through AGAIN. Same drill! We are LIVE COAST to COAST and voting opens right when Idol STARTS at 5p PT / 8p ET and closes near the END of tonight’s show! Thank you so so much for your support and votes. Genuinely here because of you all and I hope you’re enjoying all of our performances!” Venegas wrote on his Facebook account.
Venegas took the judges’ advice and performed “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder.
“It was so comfortable. You weren’t even trying to make the magic happen,” American Idol judge Luke Bryan told Venegas after his performance.
In the hopes of solidifying a Top 10 spot, Venegas sang an emotional rendition of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John and George Michael in the previous episode.
“Tyson’s feeling good, his dad (Paul) and I had a talk with him the night before his last performance and told him we’re already so proud of him,” Venegas’s mom, Iris Samson, told the Vancouver Sun over the phone from Los Angeles. “We told him have fun, enjoy the moment and he did, he’s relaxed and happy.
“But on pins and needles? Of course we are, Paul and I are absolutely nervous, but are we keeping that secret from Tyson? Absolutely,” she added.
Prior to that, Venegas performed an original song titled “180”
Fans are obsessing over the song’s meaning on his social channels.
“We don’t really hear a lot of pop songs with such a strong & powerful message like this so this was so refreshing & great to hear,” a fan wrote. “So incredible that he wrote this. I need this song on Spotify asap,” another one added.
Judge Katy Perry also praised Venegas’ original song: “I know what you stand for, I know what your values are, I know what your perspective is, I know where your heart is and therefore, I can fall deeper in love with you.”
The top 10 includes:
- Colin Stough, 18 from Mississippi
- Haven Madison, 17 from Tennessee
- Iam Tongi, 18 from Hawaii
- Marybeth Byrd, 21 from Arkansas
- Megan Danielle, 20 from Georgia
- Oliver Steele, 25 from Tennessee
- Tyson Venegas (Platinum ticket winner), 17 from Canada
- Warren Peay, 24 from South Carolina
- Wé Ani, 23 from New York
- Zachariah Smith, 19 from Mississippi
The latest ones who were eliminated tonight were Lucy Love, 28 from Arkansas and Nutsa, 25 from the Republic of Georgia.
Last week, the other Canadian contestant, Emma Busse, 20 from Burnaby, B.C., exited and didn’t make it to the top 12.