“I was the only contestant performing from his room,” Noah told Parade.com by phone after the show. “It was nerve-wracking because I didn’t think it would be enough considering everybody else was performing with a band and stuff, so that was really scary to me. I’m just grateful that it worked out, you know?” And Noah did have some serious reservations that it wouldn’t because he was experiencing the worst sore throat of his entire life and didn’t know if he would be able to sing. “It was killing me and my voice, but I was just trying to push through it. I honestly can’t believe I made it through to be honest, because my throat was hurting that bad. I was having such problems with it.” Despite his illness and his misgivings, the 19-year-old construction worker from Louisa, Kentucky made it into the Top 5, along with Fritz, HunterGirl, Leah Marlene and Nicolina Bozzo, and he has a good shot tonight of making it into the Top 3, which would put him in the American Idol finale. “Truthfully, I did not expect to come to this competition and make it as far as I have by no means at all,” he admitted. “So, to know that America wants you to be in that spot is just unreal to me. I don’t know. It just blows my mind, man. It’s amazing to think that people are rooting for you in that way.” In fact, after his performance last week while performing with his COVID sore throat, judge Luke Bryan told Parade.com, “When I look at Noah, I think relatability. Good old boy factor. America knows that that boy showed up and didn’t mean to do any of this.” What Luke meant by that is Noah didn’t even sign himself up to audition for American Idol. Rather, he was pushed to audition by his best friend and co-worker, Arthur, who we saw joined him in Austin when Noah performed for his golden ticket to Hollywood. So, on Idol’s Disney-themed night (May 1), Noah paid tribute to Arthur through his song selection, saying, “I picked, ‘You Got a Friend’ based off of me and Arthur, and our experience where he signed me up for the show.” The Disney night was also special to Noah because the contestants were taken to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, where they got to enjoy the park along with their family members who were flown in especially for the occasion. “It was really cool because I got to see my little boy,” says Noah, who is father to a 9-month old. “So, doing the little rides and him smiling, I thought, that was the best thing for me. I love that. And I’d never been to Disneyland either. It was my first time.” American Idol airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Next, Make Your Vote Count! How to Vote Online or By Text on American Idol 2022
