JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville native has the opportunity to become the last winner of "American Idol." Joshua Wicker, a 25-year-old local singer, auditioned for the show’s Farewell Season.
Wicker’s audition will be featured in Wednesday night's two-hour premiere on FOX30.
Despite being appreciative for the opportunity to audition, Wicker said he’s not a devoted "American Idol" watcher.
“We have not been huge fans (of 'American Idol'). We don’t watch TV really at all," Wicker said.
The biggest obstacle facing Wicker was his pregnant wife’s looming due date.
“We were really on the fence because my wife, Holly, was three weeks away from her due date,” Wicker said.
Fortunately, the "American Idol" staff made accommodations for Holly Wicker, making the audition process easier than he expected.
“With our situation of having to drive six hours and not knowing if we were going to have our baby or not, they took good care of us. We were able to be comfortable,” Wicker said.
Wicker’s music career has gained him a loyal following on YouTube. One of Wicker’s original songs posted to the video-sharing site has over 13,000 views, and a cover song he recorded has over 45,000 views.
Wicker said music is in his blood. He spent part of his childhood touring local churches as a part of a family gospel band.
“I’ve been in music forever. My dad taught my brother and me to play music and we grew up in a gospel group,” Wicker said.
Wicker’s success grew when he started a band with his friends called Don’t Sigh Daisy. But right before signing a record deal, the group decided to focus on their families.
“The drummer was a firefighter, another guy was going to (be) studying abroad. There were bigger things taking place so we decided to take a step back and focus on life rather than music,” Wicker said.
The group members remain close friends and still produce music together.
“We still record, we were in the studio last night making music,” Wicker said.
Wicker describes his solo music style as acoustic folk.
Wicker said he doesn’t dream of mainstream success. He owns a business and works for a local church.
“There so many things going on, this wasn’t like chasing a dream for us. My dream is not to go out and get a recording contract,” Wicker said.
Wicker didn’t reveal the results of his audition, but he did say there is "nothing crazy to look out for," on Wednesday's episode.
“It’s crazy that it’s working out like it is and that we’re able to be a part of it,” Wicker said.
Watch the two-hour premiere of "American Idol: The Farewell Season" at 8 p.m. on FOX30.
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