After appearing as a masked singer on America’s Got Talent, Sheldon Riley has returned to the fore without a mask, this time on American Idol. The talented and versatile singer performed Matt Corby’s Brother in the audition, winning a Golden Ticket.
Sheldon Riley progresses to American Idol’s next round
Sheldon Riley previously appeared as a masked singer on America’s Got Talent. He reached the quarterfinals in Season 14. He also made it to the semi-finals in AGT: Fantasy League as a member of Team Mel B.
Now, the Australian talent has removed the mask and appeared in an audition for American Idol. In his video package, Riley explained why he took two years to bring out his authentic self and how he finally came out from behind the mask.
“I’ve wanted to do music since I was a really young kid,” Sheldon said (via Parade), “When I was maybe 15 years old, I sung at my school and I remember that first applause, and I was, ‘This is what I’m going to do.’ I loved the way it made me feel. I loved the way it made me feel noticed. About 10 years ago, I auditioned for a big TV show back in Australia – my big moment. I sang my song, and they said it wasn’t quite enough, just you singing is not enough.”
Following this, self-doubt set in. So, he adopted a character for the stage. And this idea took off.
“I had opportunities like crazy, not just Australia, but the world,” he explained, “have been on every TV show competition known to man. I’ve done it all. The outfits just kept getting crazier and crazier. It was almost like an addiction to being the most memorable person in the room.”
He further explained, “But I’d come home and take the mask off, the makeup, the accessories, everything, and I would hate that person I saw in the mirror. I hated that version of me, so I took 2 years off and remembered why that little kid got up on stage that first time.”
He further added that this time, he was here just for his voice and no additional gimmicks. He sang Brother by Australian singer/songwriter Matt Corby, and left the judges thoroughly impressed. It was three yeses from the judges. This means Sheldon will continue his journey on American Idol.
