American Idol: Sir Blayke Shares Unaired Top 20 Song After Elimination
Sir Blayke, an American Idol season 20 Top 24 contestant, shared a video of the rehearsal footage of his unaired Top 20 performance after his elimination from the show. He left the show, along with Scarlet Ayliz and Danielle Finn, after America voted for the first time. They followed Kenedi Anderson, who withdrew from the Top 24 before the vote. Sir Blayke, whose full name is Charlton "Blayke" Ridgell, is a 28-year-old songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. During his audition, he shared that he knew he wanted to pursue a music career at a very early age. His mom was a choir director, and he performed his first solo when he was 8 years old. Sir Blayke said that he was the first member of his family to leave Chicago "to pursue a dream."
Right after high school, with $100 in his pocket, Sir Blayke moved to Atlanta because he knew that the city had a great music scene. He said that "it worked for a minute," but then he "became homeless." He was an intern at a studio, but he would sleep on a bench outside and shower at the gym. Sir Blayke then moved to Los Angeles, where he has been living for about five to six years, working as a songwriter. He said that he is still struggling, but he is happy with what he has so far because it shows that he is "doing the right thing" and "on the right track." For his audition song, he sang "Dive" by Ed Sheeran and an original song for the judges. Although Luke Bryan said no for him to go to Hollywood, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie said yes, so he earned his golden ticket. He made it through all of the Hollywood Week rounds and into the Top 24, during which he sang "Breakeven" by The Script. However, Sir Blayke did not earn enough votes from America to advance into the Top 20.
After Sir Blayke was eliminated from American Idol, he posted a video of the rehearsal footage of what would have been his Top 20 performance, a rendition of Willie Nelson’s version of the ballad "Always On My Mind." The performance included his signature emotional vocals and soaring falsetto notes. In the caption of the post, Sir Blayke reflected on his time with the show, writing, "So, my @americanidol experience has come to an END. I had an amazing time." He then told his fans, nicknamed "Blaykers," that he loved them.
In the comments section of the post, Sir Blayke received a lot of support and love from some of the remaining American Idol contestants who made it through to the Top 20. Elli Rowe wrote, "U are an extraordinary human. Love you so much." Lady K said, "I miss you already! And you’re such an amazing soul! This song def was the 1,2,&3. Sending you love." Jacob Moran simply wrote, "I love you," and Emyrson Flora said, "You have no idea how much I love you." Sir Blayke's fans expressed how proud they were of him and promised to follow whatever comes next in his career.
Although Sir Blayke did not advance to the Top 20 of American Idol, he made his mark on the competition and earned a loyal fan following. He has a spectacular talent and an inspiring story of perseverance that fans will always remember. This is surely not the last that the music industry will hear from Sir Blayke.
American Idol airs Sundays & Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Source: Sir Blayke/Instagram