Luke Taylor, a 20-year-old Thornton man who made Sea Shanties a thing on TikTok, made his debut on American Idol Sunday, writes Alicia Vitarelli for 6ABC.

The singer/songwriter brought his unique voice to the show after several promptings from his fans.

Back in January 2021, Taylor posted his own version of a sea shanty on TikTok and it took off, making him a TikTok star.

“Then I got a call from American Idol to see if I would be interested in auditioning,” Taylor said. “It’s not really an opportunity that you can pass up.”

Taylor is a graduate of Garnet Valley High School and currently a sophomore at Liberty University in Virginia.

His deep bass voice tends to give people pause, even American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.

“He said, ‘This is not your real voice, is it?'” Taylor laughs.

And it seems, the taller he gets, the deeper the voice goes, though Taylor thinks it’s as deep as it’s going to get. 

His love of music comes from his dad, his inspiration.

“He’s the one who really pushes me to work hard on my music and keeps me loving it more and more every day.”

Read more about Luke Taylor at 6ABC.