Watch Berklee Valencia Alum Wow the American Idol Judges with an Otis Redding Song Filo MM '24 sang Try a Little Tenderness and Luke Bryan said hes going to go far.
By
Tara Bellucci
March 18, 2025
Filo MM '24 auditions for American Idol.
Image courtesy of Disney/Eric McCandless
Spoilers for American Idol season 23, episode 3: Auditions.
American Idol is back, and Berklee is in the competition. Filo just graduated from Berklee Valencia with a masters degree in contemporary performance in 2024, and actually got the chance to audition from a guest speaker who came to campus.
Last year, pianist Jim Brickman spoke on a panel and attended a concert where he saw Filo perform. When Filo later reached out to see if Brickman would be an external thesis advisor, Brickman asked if hed ever consider auditioning for Idol. The rest is history.
Watch Filo sing Otis Reddings Try a Little Tenderness on American Idol:
Filo and his family came to the US from Egypt to escape the persecution of Coptic Orthodox Christians when he was in middle school. While it was hard to fit in at first, he auditioned for his schools production of Shrek, and landed the titular role. While he grew up singing hymns in church, playing the swamp ogre was his first taste of secular music and performing. His family-including his mom-were at his Idol audition.
I dont do this just for me. This is its my familys journey just as much as it is mine. I always want them to reap the rewards of our hard work together and its just a cherry on top to see my mom there and her getting the recognition for all the hard work that she put in, Filo tells us over Zoom.
This quick quiz will help you explore your musical interests and discover which Berklee Valencia program aligns best with your aspirations. Filo chose the Otis Redding classic for a reason. [It] has been a part of a lot of milestone performances for me, he says. And I had a feeling that it would be another milestone performance for me if I sang that song on Idol. . . . I get to show off the passion and the journey that Ive had in music through that song.
And show off he did. Weve been waiting for you, said Lionel Richie. What took you so long to get here?
Born to sing, added Luke Bryan.
Three notes in, in my brain, I was like, holy Shrek, said Carrie Underwood.
He says hearing those comments were truly surreal.
I started tearing up because I was like, wow, all this hard work really paid off, and these industry legends are seeing my vision, which is so rewarding.
Not only did he get three yeses from the judges, but Filo was upgraded to the platinum ticket-one of only three given out this season-which means he gets to skip the first round of Hollywood Week competition and go straight to the second round.
Youre going to go far, Bryan said. Definitely top 20 in my opinion, maybe top 10.
You never know what connection will get you to your breakout moments, so just make all the connections that you can.Filo MM '24
Filo is a great singer and musician. And what makes Filo extra special is that he is a great human, says Simone Pilon, executive director, Berklee Valencia. He has an ease and friendliness with people and a true desire to get to know others, learn from them, and collaborate with them.
His mom is his biggest supporter and it is clear where he gets that friendliness and outgoing spirit, Pilon adds. It is a true joy to spend time with both of them, and it is exciting to see Filo have this opportunity.
In terms of advice Filo would give to current students, he says, these connections that you make at Berklee and everywhere you go truly can take you places. And you never know what connection will get you to your breakout moments, so just make all the connections that you can.
Filos debut single, Find My Intention, is available to stream now.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Toto in the recording studio from Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary.
Photograph by Jim Hagopian/HBO
The Best Music Documentaries on Every Streaming Platform Explore groundbreaking music documentaries streaming across Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and more. From intimate artist portraits to legendary concert films, discover the stories behind your favorite artists and iconic moments.
Latest
Promo photo for Antonio S nchezs 2022 album, SHIFT.
Image courtesy of the artist
Antonio S nchez, B la Fleck, and Edmar Casta eda Push Boundaries on BEATrio The trio's debut album drops May 16, but you can hear the first single, Archipelago, now.
Sean Jones
Image courtesy of the artist
Berklee to Host Annual Jazz Composition Festival Performances will feature modern jazz masters Sean Jones, Ayn Inserto, Miguel Zen n BM '98, and Christine Jensen.
Matanzas Sound Map on display at Tate Modern
Tate / Reece Straw
Neil Leonard's Matanzas Sound Map Turns Sound into Place at Tate Modern The Berklee professor's immersive installation transports visitors to Matanzas, Cuba, through layered sound, video, and sculpture.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
Genelec announces V2.1 for Aural ID binaural headphone monitoring application posted: 29/05/2026
Aural ID 2.1 enhances binaural monitoring for stereo and ...
Watch Berklee Valencia Alum Wow the American Idol Judges with an Otis Redding Song Filo MM '24 sang Try a Little Tenderness and Luke Bryan said hes going to go far.
