'American Idol' singer from Mason opens up about his 'wild' experience 🎤

"American Idol" season 21 contestant and Mason native Michael Williams is putting Cincinnati on the map one song at a time.

Williams, a former contestant on NBC's "The Voice," returned to television earlier this year on ABC's "American Idol," where he auditioned with the song "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars in front of judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Williams made it to the top 20 but did not receive enough votes to advance to the top 12 and was ultimately eliminated.

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Now the local singer is back in the Queen City and will headline his first concert on Friday, June 16, at Madison Live in Covington. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale through Ticketmaster starting at $15.

Williams sat down with The Enquirer before his upcoming concert to discuss his journey on the singing competition show, his love for music and what next for the local superstar.

Here are a few highlights that stood out from our chat.

These excerpts have been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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Q: What sparked your love for music?

A: I started singing because of my mom. She would sing. My dad was a pastor when I was little, and my mom would sing hymns around the house and stuff like that. And I kinda learned how to sing from her. Then all my siblings played piano when they were little, but they all played a sport in college, so I thought that I might do that too. Then music just kind of happened.

Q: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

A: A huge influence for me is LANY. Jake Scott, Jake Miller ... Justin Bieber has been a huge influence on me. Sam Smith, especially when I was developing more of a pop sound and singing more pop stuff 'cause I grew up singing a bunch of classical stuff. And right now, it's like, Frank Ocean and Tyler (the Creator) ... A little bit of Drake.

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Q: Why did you decide to try out for "American Idol"?

A: For me, it was a way to connect with fans more on social media. I had a connection from "The Voice" four years ago and was doing my thing. I'd been reached out to by "American Idol," and I just didn't have the time like two years ago, and then they reached out again, and I was like, "This is a great time to be able to connect more with people." And I was just about to release music as well. I just thought it'd be fun. "American Idol" is this big name. My sister was always a huge fan. She always wanted me to do the show. Then I got the chance, I was like, "Let's do it."

Q: What was your experience like on the show? Any highlights or moments that stick out?

A: The first audition for sure stuck out to me. It was just like a wild moment of – I used to watch the show, and my sister, we'd watch it together when I was little. She would have me get up and act like I was doing my audition during commercials. So I was standing there, and I was like, "Wow, this is, like, really real."

There was a moment during Hollywood Week. I mean, there's so many moments with the contestants because we all just become so close 'cause we're like, "Hey, we're in this together. You love music, I love music," and then we get to connect that way. There was one moment where there was a break in filming, and Luke (Bryan) grabbed my buddy's guitar, and he came down and just started playing and just talked to us for like 20 minutes. ... It was just really down to earth and chill.

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Q: What was the best piece of advice you received from the judges?

A: Be yourself, first and foremost. One of the things that they said was, "After the show, whatever happens, you were made to do this. You're fine." That was really encouraging for me. This is what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. This is what I love. So there's no backup plan for me. I'm all in with this.

Q: What was going through your head when you found out you were eliminated?

A: I was sad. I was definitely disappointed, but the biggest thing in my head was, "All right, it's on to the next thing." Because I wanted to accomplish specific things, connect with the fans, grow my social media. Though I was really disappointed and sad, it was like, "Did I accomplish what I wanted to do?" And it was, "Yeah." So I was like, "All right, what's next?"

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Q: What was your first stop when you got back to Cincinnati?

A: Oh my gosh. It should've been Graeter's. It was my bed, definitely.

Q: So, what is next for Michael Williams?

A: There's so many things next, but the biggest thing that's next for me is I'm playing my first headline show in (Greater) Cincinnati on June 16 at Madison Live. Get your tickets now. I'm so excited. I want to see everyone there. But that's really important to me because when I came off "The Voice," it was during the pandemic, and there were limited chances to do shows and everything like that. So, to now come off "Idol" and be able to come back home and do a show means a lot to me. It's kind of like a thank you to the city and to my fans here and just my people. Cincinnati was so supportive of me on the show, and we knocked down ticket prices so that everybody can make it. ... I'm making it a show that everyone can be a part of.

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Q: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians in Cincinnati who may have dreams of auditioning for “American Idol?”

A: I would say I wanna hang out 'cause I wanna connect with all the musicians and artists in Cincinnati. If you're thinking about taking that step and doing a music reality TV show, go for it. For a long time, I was like, "I don't know if I'm ready to do something like that." I don't think you're ever really going to be completely ready. You just have to throw yourself in, and you'll grow, and you'll work through it. I think it's a great thing to do. I think it puts you in a position where you gotta be you and own who you are. That was a hard thing for me for a long time. Music has really helped me own who I am and be confident in the person I am. So, I'd say do it if you want to and let's hang out, let's make some music, let's do a show.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mason native Michael Williams: 'You gotta be you' on 'American Idol'