Seventeen-year-old Tyson Venegas watched nervously to see if he could make it into the top 24 on American Idol.
Expectations were high for the Metro Vancouver high school student who started the season with both a coveted platinum ticket and generous praise for his performance.
After a short breather on Sunday, his journey seemed over.
“I don’t think you’re destined to be in the top 24,” Katy Perry told the visibly depressed teen.
“Actually, I think it’s closer to the top 10,” she added.
“I was really scared,” Venegas said before sitting down and knowing his fate.
He also said he was nervous when he saw the contestants perform on stage backed by a full band for the first time during the showstopper portion of the competition.
Venegas chose to sing Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You.” After his performance, the judges realized that he had forgotten part of the lyrics and had missed some notes.
When he sat down with Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, he explained that he felt a lot of pressure to meet their expectations.
“I practice that song a lot, and I knew it from the back of my head. But when I went on stage and sang it, it wasn’t there,” Venegas said.
“Like I was so angry, after that I was so angry at myself,” he added.
The judges agreed that his final performance was unsatisfactory, but encouraged him to take it easy and chalk it up as a learning experience.
“Maybe we can let go of some of that pressure,” Perry said.
“It’s part of life. It’s how you learn. You’re 17 and you’re very young and you still have a lot to learn. Don’t beat yourself up.”
After promising to do better in her next performance, Venegas left the room and ran to hug her mother and congratulate her.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said.
