'American Idol' Judges Swoon Over Nick Merico -- And His Audition

Ron Dicker

Katy Perry made goo-goo eyes at contestant Nick Merico on “American Idol” Monday.

But could he sing?

Merico, a 22-year-old ex-actor who starred on the Nickelodeon show “Every Witch Way,” proceeded to sit down at the piano and croon a soulful cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black.”

Afterward, all three judges immediately saw heartthrob possibilities for Merico, who said he was set on a music career.

“Can you prepare him on the girls screaming?” panelist Luke Bryan asked. Lionel Richie praised Merico’s “dreamy eyes” and “amazing” sound, predicting he could be famous if all goes well.

“Nick, you know you’re like a handsome gentleman, correct?” Perry asked.

But the “Roar” singer actually offered the most reserved praise for Merico’s performance, noting that “there are some people that can sing better than you but maybe missing other pieces of the puzzle.” She encouraged him to seriously pursue his talent.

Then the three judges granted the contestant passage to Hollywood for the next stage of the show.

Watch Merico’s audition above.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.