Instagram Jimmy Levy in Instagram photos.
Season 18 of American Idol returned to ABC last week and viewers were treated with the familiar faces of superstar judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, as well as a lot of new and impressive contestants during the two-hour premiere. One of the contestants who will be auditioning on American Idol this season is Jimmy Levy, a 22-year-old singer from Miami.
Here’s what you need to know about Jimmy Levy:
1. He Already Has Some Music Collaborations & Credits to His Name
Levy has some good music collaborations under his belt already, most notably a collaboration with XXXTentacion. Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known professionally as XXXTentacion, was shot and killed in 2018. His album “Bad Vibes Forever” was released after his death and it includes the song “Wanna Grow Old (I Won’t Let Go)” featuring Jimmy Levy.
Jimmy posted a picture of himself on Instagram with a Billboard plaque for the song. He put as the caption: “I’m so grateful for everyone who was part of the timeless project [Bad Vibes Forever.] THANK YOU JAHSEH this is ALL because of you bro… You were the greatest artist of this generation and one of the most powerful people to ever walk the earth… You have saved millions of broken people, including me. One day I’m going to tell my grandkids about you… how you changed the world forever & I got to collaborate with a legend in effort to save the broken world. We all know your energy is here..”
Jimmy also has a song called Red Horns that will be released in April 2020, and this one is another collaboration, featuring Rick Ross. It will be on Jimmy’s album called “Aching World” which is set to be released soon.
2. One of His Songs Has Passed 3 Million Views on Spotify
Jimmy’s most listened to song is Shadow, which has well over 3 million listeners on Spotify. Jimmy Levy’s Spotify page has over 300,000 monthly listeners. Shadow was released on December 9, 2018.
This is the music video for the powerful song:
3. He Is Open About His Struggles With Self-Image and Mental Health
Jimmy Levy shares with his followers his struggle with depression and his self-image. He has confessed on Instagram that he had been planning to commit suicide on the night that his popular song “Shadows” was released, but he didn’t go through with it since his mother returned home earlier than planned and he didn’t want her to have to see it.
He said that this story inspired his upcoming single called “Red Horns” that he will be releasing on April 3, 2020.
He also wrote in a holiday post on Instagram that he would be going “into the new year with my new mindset,” sharing a video of a song that he wrote a year before. The song was called “I Don’t Wanna Be Here” and he said he wrote it “while my hands were covered in bandages sheathing my self-harm wounds. I didn’t think I was going anywhere in life & I was at rock-bottom. My lyrical content has always been my truth & that has never changed.”
He said that his later song with XXXTentacion called “Wanna Grow Old” is a “hopeful & uplifting” song as well as an “anti-suicide anthem.”
4. He Used to Be Part of Two Less Lonely Duet Group & Appeared on Best.Cover.Ever.
Jimmy Levy used to be one half of a duet group with Nikki Rechtszaid called Two Less Lonely. In 2017, they participated in the Best.Cover.Ever. series with Bebe Rexha and Ludacris. In this YouTube web series, participants send in their best cover of a song by an artist and the two best submissions are picked to compete for a chance to sing with the original artist.
Two Less Lonely sang a cover of “I Got You” by Bebe Rexha for their submission video. They got picked for the episode, and they chose to sing “In the Name of Love” live in front of Bebe Rexha and Ludacris. They ended up losing to the other group.
The full episode is available here:
In the interview portion of the episode, Jimmy shared his story with music, saying “I was always a big kid, I used to get bullied in school but the ability to reach to so many people and touch people with music helped me a lot and it helped me gain confidence. I can still be happy, I can do what I love and I don’t have to worry about my weight.”
After their performance, Ludacris told him “I think you have an extremely unique voice Jimmy.”
5. He Has Posted Frequently to His 150k Instagram Followers About Appearing on American Idol
Jimmy has a large Instagram following with over 150,000 followers, and he has posted many updates about his American Idol audition.
He posted a side-by-side comparison photo and a caption sharing his happiness at being able to pursue his dream on the show. He said “After being bullied my entire life because of my size and rejected from every music or television opportunity that I went for, I was at an all time low… I felt worthless… I was giving up on myself, and I didn’t want to continue what I NOW know is my PURPOSE… and that is to ease the broken people with my music.”
He continued, saying “Next week is the season premier of American Idol on ABC. I finally got to live my life long dream of getting to audition for this show.. I’ve been watching it since 2002 when Kelly took it all… and guess what? I got to audition in front of the most incredible & legendary artists that I look up to [Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie].”
After the show’s premiere on February 16, Jimmy posted a message to his followers on Instagram:
He said: “My American Idol audition has been postponed for a later date. I will still be airing for a small amount on Sunday [February 23]; however, my full segment will air at a later date.” He finishes by saying “I love you all and I am so grateful for your support. I will keep everyone updated when I have more information.”
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