Dakota Hayden described his past week in one word: crazy.
While he’s in Hollywood filming Season 20 of American Idol, Hayden said every day brings a new opportunity.
“The atmosphere in Hollywood is a lot different than Fordsville where I’m from, and the amount of people here is just great and everybody here is pretty talented,” Hayden said.
While he wasn’t featured in the latest episode, Hayden confirmed he is continuing onto the next round in Hollywood.
Leading up to his unaired performance, Hayden said he became more comfortable performing without the guitar that he’s known to typically carry along with him.
“The whole time I’ve been singing, I’ve always sung with the guitar in my hands and I guess I’ve become too attached to that while performing. I didn’t realize I could get away from it as easily as I had been,” Hayden said.
When it came time to perform for the judges, he said not having his guitar helped him. He found reaching a certain note in the song was hard, but mixed with the adrenaline of the performance he was able to reach it.
Moments like that showcase a lesson he’s learning about his craft while in Hollywood.
“I have a lot more diversity with my voice. I feel like I can do a lot more things than I thought I could, music-wise,” Hayden said.
Life for Hayden outside of rehearsals and practices is pretty different too.
As he has been staying in Hollywood with his mom, he has received fan mail from across the country — some being a custom dish with a bible verse, him and his guitar on it; another a new pair of boots after judge and pop star Katy Perry said she loved how dirty his boots were.
“I’m loving the support. I have all kinds of support from everybody, from home, from around the nation,” he said.
As for what’s to come for Hayden, the classic American Idol Duets round returns on Sunday and then the Showstopper/Final Judgement before the Final 24 is announced airs on Monday — both at 7 p.m.
