#Flashback Friday
William Hung auditions for American Idol
REMEMBER when William Hung performed Ricky Martin’s She Bangs for the judges on American Idol?
Hung was just a 20-yearold civil engineering student when he turned up for an audition in San Francisco on Sept 22, 2003.
In an interview on the show, Hung said he really likes music and wanted to make a living from it.
Later, the episode cuts to Hung’s performance and judging from judge Simon Cowell’s frustrated look... it’s safe to say that he’s not a fan.
Hung gave his all in the off-key performance as he included some hip-swaying moves and hand movements. As fellow judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul tried to contain their laughter, Cowell stopped Hung and savagely criticised his audition.
In response, the good-natured student replied: “I already gave my best and I have no regrets at all.”
Hung didn’t need a spot on
American Idol to launch a music career after all. After the audition, Hung gained a massive following and made appearances on TV shows like The Late Show With David Letterman and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
He landed a record deal and released debut album
Inspiration which include covers like She Bangs (of course), R. Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly and Elton John’s
Circle Life. Negative reviews didn’t stop the album from selling over 200,000 copies.
So where is Hung now? An interview with LA Weekly in 2012 revealed that Hung is focusing on his career as a statistical analyst. He has no plans to record new music.
“I showed that even the Average Joe could succeed. Though I may not have won
Idol, I somehow made it and that’s something I’m very grateful for,” he said about his time on the show. –