For most American Idol contestants, the first audition is the end of the line. Not so for Baltimore native Ju'Not Joyner.
Joyner has auditioned twice in the past two years for the hit reality TV show and made it to the Hollywood round each time. Last year, a soulful rendition of Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" wasn't enough to keep him from being cut.
Ever persistent, Joyner practiced harder and auditioned for the show again. He sang a down-beat take on the hit single "Hey There Delilah," impressing the judges. Again, he was flown to Los Angeles, where Tuesday night, he will compete in the live semifinals for one of the 12 spots in the next round. For Joyner, 26, the second time could be the charm.
"Who knew?" Joyner said. "I'm sitting in a hotel room in Los Angeles. ... Just to get here, it's surreal. I never, ever stopped trying."
Growing up in Baltimore, Joyner wanted to be a professional basketball player. When knee injuries kept him from pursuing the sport, he turned to singing. His father and grandfather both had good voices, and Joyner thought he could carve out a career as a singer.
"I needed a creative outlet because I couldn't play ball," he said.
"At that point in my life, I had no direction," he added. "I was tired of school and wanted to do something different. I was really depressed. I just dove into my music."
Since then, Joyner has written more than 100 songs, of which about 15 are strong enough to be released on an album, he said. He has also performed around the region, opening for mainstream acts such as R&B singers Monica and Jaheim. Several years ago, he sang the national anthem at the Verizon Center for the BB&T Classic basketball tournament.
"It's not a bad resume, but most of my experience comes from the studio," Joyner said.
On Tuesday, Joyner will have to convince millions of viewers and the four judges on TV's most-watched show that he should be voted into the next round. Due to the nature of the show, Joyner will be singing a cover song - not one of his originals. He's not allowed to say which song he'll perform, though. But the hardest part will be putting his stamp on someone else's tune, he said.
"Can you take a song that somebody else sang and make it your own?" Joyner said. "Can you make it sound like something you wrote? That's my goal. That's what I'm going to try and do."
