‘American Idol’: Postal Worker Brajawn Upshaw’s Story

American Idol has recently returned with its latest season, filled with a new line of hopeful pop idols. One up-and-coming contestant is Brajawn Upshaw, who serves as a postal worker in his everyday life. Interestingly, just how he got signed up for the reality series is a story on its own.

Brajawn Upshaw Wanted To Personally Thank One Of The Judges In Particular

Upshaw is a 21-year-old from Temple, Georgia. For the past three years, he has worked at a post office.

More recently, Upshaw has recently become one of the latest contestants to appear on American Idol. However, it almost didn’t happen.

Brajawn Upshaw on 'American Idol' - YouTube — Brajawn Upshaw on ‘American Idol’ – YouTube

As noted by Parade, Upshaw couldn’t bring himself to audition for the series. Instead, his mother Tasha signed him up without him knowing. However, he ended up having the courage to appear on the show.

This will give Upshaw the chance to meet judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood. Notably, Upshaw has cited Bryan’s documentary, Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, as a source of inspiration for him.

As the Idol-hopeful shared, “I have held myself back a lot because I didn’t think I could do a lot.” He continued, “Luke, I have to say thank you.”

“I woke up one day to your documentary. And your dad [Tommy Bryan] was telling you to go out and live your dreams and if something didn’t work out, you could come back home to the peanut factory. I woke up, and I was crying. I woke up and said to God, ‘I’m trying. But maybe I’m not trying hard enough.’”

Bryan commended this, saying, “That’s what life’s about, taking the big swings.” Upshaw agreed, noting “A big leap of faith. If I can come out with a Golden Ticket, it’s showing my mom she’s right.”

American Idol Fans Are Already Sharing Their Reactions To Upshaw’s Performance

Upshaw’s mother is naturally a big part of his life. As he noted during his audition, he’s “been working for the post office for about three years now,” adding he works with his mother and brother.

For his audition, Upshaw performed “Lovely” by Billie Eilish and Khalid. Notably, tha udition was shared on American Idol‘s YouTube and Instagram. On the latter, the post was also shared by all three judges in addition to Upshaw himself.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by American Idol (@americanidol)

Taking to the comments, many fans shared their reaction to Upshaw’s performance. A few fans also took time to praise Upshaw’s mother for her supporting her son’s dreams. Some comments included:

“Wow what an incredible voice.”
“I like that when I close my eyes, I don’t know his race. That’s diversity in a beautiful voice.”
“There was a John Legend sound coming out of that voice.”
“U have an angel’s voice. God blessed u. All the best.”
“That’s a good momma right there.”

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