Being a contestant on American Idol is not a picnic for everyone. There can be discouraging comments from the judges that can be painful to hear. No matter how sturdy someone's ego is, it's always hard to be told that you aren't as great a singer as you thought. Evan Honer recently came forward to describe his traumatic time on the popular singing show. He claims that judge Luke Bryan told him to pretty much forget about music. It hurt him.
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Per Whiskey Riff, , "Luke Bryan told the 'Take Me As I Come' singer to 'stick to diving' (Honer is a former D1 swimmer/diver at California Baptist University) and essentially quit music after his audition on the show back in 2022." Judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry also gave Honer a thumbs-down.
Things Got off to a Rocky Start
Honer was a guest recently on The Thicket With Mike & Josh podcast. Because of his strict schedule as a diver, just appearing on Idol was a problem. Skipping practices is evidently frowned on. He said, "I had to beg my coach to let me miss. It was like one day of practices, but you can't miss practices."
Furthermore, Honer was all by himself. No moral support from family or friends with him. "One day, I drove up just by myself. I was the only one at American Idol that didn't have somebody with them. I was just by myself in the nicest hotel I've ever been in."
Bryan's Negative Comment Blindsided Honer
He recalled, "That caught me off guard. Honestly, I thought at least they were going to be nice. It honestly crushed me. That drive home, I was really trying to convince myself... I don't need them. But then, back in my head, I was like, 'Why did they say that?' It's a dagger."
The sting did not subside right away. The experience shook Honer's confidence. "It destroyed me for a little bit. Because as much as you want to say, 'No, I don't like Luke Bryan. He sucks anyway. Whatever." It's three people that are massive in the industry [who] told you that you probably shouldn't do this. And I'm like, 'You know what? They might be right."
Still, he did not give up. "Thankfully, I just kept trying... it was the delusional thinking, maybe. I'm just like, 'I don't need them.' I kept telling people that, but then I actually started to believe it."
Honer has released a pair of albums with another in the pipeline for September.
