The Next American Idol Could Be One Of Chicago’s Own

Could one of Chicago’s own high school students be the next “American Idol?” Devin Velez, a senior cadet at Rickover Naval Academy, has made it to the semi-final round of “American Idol,” meaning that he is among the show’s Top 10 male vocalists for 2013. The star of Rickover’s musical theater program and a standout in its jazz ensemble, has been singing since he was a toddler.

Velez is one of 16 people to get a golden ticket when “American Idol” held auditions in the Windy City. Velez is a good singer and deserves his spot. The song that catapulted him into the semi-finals was Beyoncé’s “Listen,” which he performed in both English and Spanish without drawing a single negative comment from the notoriously tough four-judge panel.

Rickover Naval Academy, 5900 N Glenwood Ave in Chicago, has been supporting their fellow classman. “They just love hearing him sing,” says Velez’s mom who was interviewed on the CPS Blog site. The pressure has to be on for Velez because he doesn’t want to disappoint his friends, family, and supporters. “American Idol” is at the top of the Nielson ratings every week during its run. As many as 29,000,000 people have watched the show on peak nights.

Many tweets have gone out in support of this Chicago singer.  Keke Palmer recently tweeted “Devin Velez’s  Voice” with five emojiis with heart eyes. Velez also has a twitter page @devinAl2 and has a blue “celebrity” check already. Cool right?

Check Velez out on “American Idol” to see how far he goes on FOX TV every Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0DeSZhvFxE&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]

By: Devonte West, Sophomore, Morgan Park