SC teen chef’s ‘go for it’ belief helps him make it to ‘American Idol’ Hollywood round

A South Carolina teen overcame his natural shyness and now is headed to Hollywood with “American Idol.”

Aiden Adair, 19, a chef in a senior living center in Charleston, lived most of his life in Clover.

He said he decided to audition at the urging of some of his 350,000 TikTok followers.

“It was a lot,” Adair told The Herald after his Nashville audition, which aired Sunday night.

All three judges — Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie — voted to send Adair to the next round.

After a senior year working from home due to COVID-19, Adair graduated from Clover High, where he had been part of the chorus. When he sang for the Idol judges, it was the first time he sang in public since high school..

“There’s no backup plan,” Adair told The Herald. “I believe if you have a backup plan you don’t believe in your first plan.”

He said he does not want to look back on his life with regrets for the things he never tried.

“If you’re passionate about something, if you have a dream, just go for it,” Adair said. “No matter what.”

This story was originally published February 27, 2023 at 1:01 PM.