American Idol: Delaware's Margie Mays to sing again after making cut

Ryan Cormier
The News Journal

Even though she burped and fidgeted throughout her “American Idol” audition, music superstar Katy Perry still thought Delawarean Margie Mays was a “star.”

Perry, a judge on the reality competition program, sided with fellow judge and country singer Luke Bryan in voting for Mays earlier this month during the show’s opening auditions. (The show’s third judge, R&B veteran Lionel Richie, voted against Mays.)

The opening five episodes of “American Idol” showed the audition process, concluding with Monday night’s program.

Wilmington native Margie Mays will compete on the new season of "American Idol," which kicks off Sunday night.

On Sunday night, the ABC show’s next round, “Hollywood Week,” kicks off.

Mays and every other singer that made the cut will return to sing again.

Mays, 25, who grew up in Wilmington, is a Tower Hill School graduate. She went to college at Stanford University and the Los Angeles College of Music. Her parents, Chris and Alice, still live in the Wilmington area.

It will be interesting to see if the jittery Mays can harness her oversized personality and let her soaring voice shine.

Even before she faced the judges during her five-minute segment, she opened up to host Ryan Seacrest about her uncontrollable nerves: “I’m so nervous. I think I’m going to throw up and go to the bathroom in my pants.”

During her audition, which aired March 3, Mays was too much for Richie, who joked at one point that he felt like he needed to “check into a home somewhere” after seeing Mays for the first time.

Even so, Perry saw something in Mays when she sang “Shot” by New York pop act Lawrence and pushed her through to the next round.

Delaware native Margie Mays with her father Chris at her "American Idol" audition.

“You’re literally a star,” Perry said to Mays after she finished singing her song. “You can be exactly who you are. Just focus on winning with your voice and letting your heart shine through. You’ve already switched from in between the two going from totally insane to totally pro.” 

Ahead of her television debut, Mays told The News Journal about her audition meltdown even before it aired.

“I turned into a babbling idiot and you can quote me on that,” she said from her Los Angeles apartment. “I’ve been watching the show since I was 7. I really thought about what I was going to say to leave an impression. And then I walked in there and just babbled. I mean, I couldn’t even say my name. I just made random sounds. I can’t wait to see how they edit it.”

“Hollywood Week” on “American Idol” featuring Mays runs Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).