On February 19, 2023, a brand new season of American Idol kicked off and Jon Wayne Hatfield is one of this year’s stand-out stars.
Along with Nutsa Buzaladze, who recently turned it up too hot according to Katy Perry, Trey Louis, Kya Monee, and many more talented singers, Jon Wayne’s audition touched the hearts of the judges as well as many viewers.
The Ohio native auditioned for American Idol and sang an original song with a heartfelt message behind it.
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Who is Jon Wayne Hatfield?
Jon Wayne Hatfield is a 21-year-old singer who hails from Goshen, Ohio.
He was raised by his grandparents from the age of around five years old. Jon told American Idol judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie that his mother suffered from addiction issues.
Jon is a country singer and songwriter. He and his grandfather both appeared on American Idol during his audition.
Jon Wayne’s American Idol audition
Jon Wayne arrived for his American Idol audition with his acoustic guitar and his grandfather, Ray, by his side.
The singer-songwriter explained that his grandmother had sadly passed away around three years ago.
He performed an original song called Tell Me Ray during his American Idol audition.
Tell Me Ray was inspired by Jon’s grandfather. Ray came out as gay to his grandson. He said that Jon “was the last person he told” because he was “scared” that his grandson would “stop loving” him.
He’s a TikTok and Instagram star
Jon Wayne’s American Idol audition was extremely emotional, much like some of the other singer’s auditions who appeared on the show in 2023 including Trey Louis. Many viewers of the show took to Twitter to comment on Jon’s performance and song.
One person tweeted: “Jon Wayne’s audition with his grandpa Ray is my favorite so far. Such a heartwarming story.”
Fans are clearly keen to show their appreciation for Jon Wayne. He’s already got many followers on TikTok and Instagram.
Find Jon on Instagram at @jonwaynehatfield with over 17k followers. He’s on TikTok at @jonwaynehatfield with over 300k followers.
Jon Wayne also has over 3k YouTube subscribers and had success with other songs he’s released including Strong Woman.
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