LH grad takes musical talents to ‘American Idol’ premiere

Noah Davis, a 2017 graduate of Lake Hamilton High School, will be on the national stage March 11 when his audition for the new season of “American Idol” premieres.

To say he is excited for the opportunity to audition is an understatement, having sung since early childhood.

“I have been singing since I was a little kid,” he said. “I grew up in church and my dad was the music minister, so I grew up singing in church.”

In ninth grade, Davis said he joined the school choir at Lake Hamilton School District, where he was able to showcase his talents not only singing, but playing piano.

It was Davis’ participation in the Future Farmers of America that also helped him share his talent with a larger audience.

“I participated in the FFA talent show in 10th, 11th and 12th grade,” he said. “I did the Arkansas State FFA talent show and ended up getting first place my senior year. From there I competed in the national FFA talent show and got first place, so that was a nice way to wrap up my time with FFA.”

For “Idol,” Davis said he submitted an online audition video.

“I actually saw an ad on Twitter saying it was the last day for online auditions and thought ‘OK, why not?’” he said. “So I recorded a video and sent that in in October, and I actually totally

forgot about it. By mid-November, I got a call from a producer of ‘American Idol’ that he saw my video and would love to hear me sing again. I did a Skype audition and then they asked me to come out to (Los Angeles) to audition for the celebrity judges.”

In a statement released by Brian Bridges, communications coordinator for Lake Hamilton School District, the school will be supporting Davis on his journey on “Idol.”

“One of the best things is seeing Lake Hamilton graduates achieve their goals,” Bridges said on behalf of the school district. “Noah was very involved in the Lake Hamilton FFA program and won the National FFA Talent Award during his last convention with the school. The Lake Hamilton School District is proud of Noah and wishes him the best of luck on his journey to become the next ‘American Idol.’”

Davis’ high school choir director Jacob Richardson said he’s excited to see his former student’s journey on “Idol.”

“Noah was always a very talented student and enjoyed using his gift for enjoyment and uplifting of others,” Richardson said. “I knew that Noah wanted to audition for ‘American Idol’ but the auditions are very secretive. I would say that I wasn’t surprised that he gained a spot on the show. I am excited to see what the future holds for him, both on and off the show. Noah definitely has the drive, work ethic, and talent to be the next ‘American Idol.’”

Many of his students were in choir with Davis, he said, and are excited to see him on the show.

“I believe that Noah is showing my students that it doesn’t matter where you come from, hard work will always pay off,” Richardson said. “The Lake Hamilton choir program will be following Noah’s success and wishes him the best of luck.”

Davis said his experience so far with “Idol” has him considering taking his music career further.

“I have thought about making a career of singing, but it’s one of those things that I always thought was unreachable,” Davis said. “This whole experience, getting a call that they thought I was good enough has made it more real.