ABC/Christopher Willard
Each season of American Idol brings hundreds of hopeful contestants to television screens across the world, and season 4 of ABC’s reboot has been no different. One of those talented hopefuls in 2021 was Anthony Guzman, who showed up dressed in a costume.
Guzman was able to audition in front of American Idol judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. Before his audition aired, it was clear that he would be a standout one way or another, as he came dressed in a costume and carrying Thor’s hammer.
The judges were skeptical before he started singing, but they were each impressed once they heard the voice that came out of Guzman’s mouth.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Katy Perry said when he finished singing.
Watch Guzman’s Audition
Guzman sang a Michael Buble song for the judges, and the judges hadn’t been expecting that.
Longtime American Idol host Ryan Seacrest shared that he thought it was the first time he’d ever seen someone in a cape perform a Michael Buble song.
When Guzman first walked into the room, Richie said, “Whoa! It got serious all of a sudden.”
“You’ve got a sledgehammer,” Katy Perry said to him, and he told her that the hammer was actually Thor’s hammer, and that’s what gave him the power to sing. “Who are you?” the judge then asked jokingly.
Guzman Bonded With Katy Perry
When Perry asked Guzman if he would consider himself a Viking, he said, “More of a modern Viking,” leading Perry to say “Skol,” which is a chant that is the Viking’s way of saying “Cheers!”
“Listen, can we teach them about Skol?” Perry asked the contestant, and he happily explained the term to both Richie and Bryan.
That led to Bryan revealing that he’s one-third Scandanavian and each of the judges yelling “Skol!”
“Listen, I’m really excited to hear how this translates into your music,” Perry said.
When he started singing Michael Buble, all of the judges were impressed.
“Holy hell, that’s a curveball!” Bryan exclaimed, looking impressed with the Viking enthusiast. Later, he said, “I just didn’t feel like it was this huge artist moment for you. It’s a no from me.”
Guzman earned a “yes” from both Katy Perry and Lionel Richie in the end. Richie told him that he could “seriously sing” but that he needed to take himself “serious.”
Ultimately, Guzman received a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.
According to The Reality TV, Guzman prefers to sing heavy rock and metal rather than soft songs like he did for his audition. He’s also an actor who currently has no social media accounts. Guzman has quite a long way to go before he moves on past Hollywood Week on American Idol, but he certainly has a chance in getting to the live shows if he continues to show the judges what he’s made of.
American Idol airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC until live shows begin.
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