Pearland 'American Idol' contestant and former UH football player hopes for golden ticket on Sunday
PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston, get ready to cheer on some homegrown talent on "American Idol" this Sunday!
Spencer Wells, a University of Houston graduate and former football player from Pearland, Texas, is vying for his chance to get a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Wells, 24, told ABC13 he got his musical talents from his father, who plays the piano.
"He played the piano all the time when I was younger, and I guess I can kind of attribute that to the ear I have for music," Wells said. "The first time I heard music or was around music was around my dad. And I guess that's just where I got it from."
Despite growing up around music, he said he didn't really know he could sing until high school. Wells told ABC13 his dad asked his choir teacher to put him in the school's pop show, and that's when he started to take singing more seriously.
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After graduating from Dawson High School, where his father was his head football coach, Wells went on to play tight end for the Houston Cougars for three years.
"I knew that I really wanted to play sports at the next level - at the collegiate level. When I started doing this [singing], I knew I always had it in my back pocket," Wells said. "And even on the team, in the locker room and during practice and stuff, I would just sing and mess around and everyone would be like, 'Dude, you need to do something with this. Why are you here?'"
Funny enough, Wells said his opportunity to audition for "Idol" all started with his dad getting a haircut.
"My dad was getting a haircut next door to a bar. A local bar, Friends Pub, that was having a karaoke competition," Wells said. "I entered the karaoke competition and ended up winning it, and one of the judges the last night of the show was actually affiliated with 'American Idol' from a previous season."
Wells said that was his his foot in the door to score an "Idol" audition.
"Long story short, I had a few Zoom calls and got to get in front of Katy, Luke, and Lionel," he said.
When it came to the actual audition, Wells said the experience was surreal.
"I was definitely a bundle of nerves. Throughout the whole day, I felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack to say the least," he said. "But I do think it was one of the most rewarding moments that I've had up to this point in my life. Just walking in there and having all this rush of, 'This is happening.'"
Wells said everything about the music industry is new to him, so it's hard to say what will come next after his "Idol" journey. He said he's influenced by a variety of genres and artists, including country, R&B, old soul, and Christian gospel music.
"I just want to keep taking it day by day and trying to do the best that I can and sing and try to find my voice in music," Wells said.
Find out if he gets the golden ticket when "American Idol" airs Sunday at 7 p.m. on ABC13.
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