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 ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
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.
