Leon James "Lee" DeWyze, Jr. (born April 2nd, 1986) was a contestant on Season 9 of American Idol.
Audition[]
Lee auditioned in Chicago. He sang "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. Randy, Simon and at least one other judge voted "yes", sending him to the next round.
Hollywood Round[]
Lee was shown in a group with Crystal Bowersox and Aaron Kelly singing "Get Ready" by The Temptations. On his final solo performance, he sang "You Found Me" by The Fray. After that, he was placed in a holding room with Shelby Dressel, Haeley Vaughn, Maddie Penrose, Jessica Furney, Angela Martin, Didi Benami, Lacey Brown, Aaron Kelly, Ashley Rodriguez, Joe Munoz, John Park, J.B. Ahfua and Janell Wheeler. It was revealed that everyone in the room had advanced. At the judges' final deliberation, it was revealed that he did enough to make the Top 24.
Top 24[]
Lee sang "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 20[]
Lee sang "Lips of an Angel" by Hinder. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 16[]
Lee sang "Fireflies" by Owl City. He received enough votes to become a Top 12 finalist.
Top 12[]
Lee sang "Beast of Burden" by The Rolling Stones.
Personal[]
| Week # | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Singer's Choice | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | Advanced | |
| Hollywood | First Solo | "One of Us" | Joan Osborne | Advanced | |
| Hollywood | Group Performance | "Get Ready" | The Temptations | Advanced | |
| Hollywood | Second Solo | "You Found Me" | The Fray | Advanced | |
| Top 24 (12 Men) | Billboard Hot 100 Hits | "Chasing Cars" | Snow Patrol | 7 | Safe |
| Top 20 | "Lips of an Angel" | Hinder | 10 | Safe | |
| Top 16 | "Fireflies" | Owl City | 1 | Safe | |
| Top 12 | The Rolling Stones | "Beast of Burden" | The Rolling Stones | 9 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Billboard #1 Hits | "The Letter" | The Box Tops | 1 | Safe |
| Top 10 | R&B/Soul | "Treat Her Like a Lady" | Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose | 8 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Lennon/McCartney | "Hey Jude" | The Beatles | 9 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Elvis Presley | "A Little Less Conversation" | Elvis Presley | 4 | Safe |
| Top 7 | Inspirational Songs | "The Boxer" | Simon & Garfunkel | 2 | Safe |
| Top 6 | Shania Twain | "You're Still the One" | Shania Twain | 1 | Safe |
| Top 5 | Frank Sinatra | "That's Life" | Frank Sinatra | 5 | Safe |
| Top 4 | Songs of the Cinema (Solo/Duet) | Solo: "Kiss from a Rose" — Batman Forever Duet: "Falling Slowly" — Once with Crystal Bowersox | Solo: Seal Duet: Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová | Solo: 1 Duet: 3 | Safe |
| Top 3 | Contestant's/Judges' Choice | "Simple Man"/"Hallelujah" | Lynyrd Skynyrd/Leonard Cohen | 3/6 | Safe |
| Top 2 | Contestant's/Judges' Choice/Coronation song | "The Boxer"/"Everybody Hurts"/"Beautiful Day" | Simon & Garfunkel/R.E.M./U2 | 1/3/5 | Winner |
Trivia[]
- Lee shares the same birthday as fifth placer, Aaron Kelly. Coincidentally, the other two Top 5 males (Casey James and Michael Lynche) each share a birthday as well (May 31st).
Links[]
| Season 9 |
| Finalists |
| ·Lee DeWyze ·Crystal Bowersox ·Casey James ·Michael Lynche ·Aaron Kelly ·Siobhan Magnus ·Tim Urban ·Katie Stevens ·Andrew Garcia ·Didi Benami ·Paige Miles ·Lacey Brown |
| Semifinalists |
| ·Katelyn Epperly ·Todrick Hall ·Alex Lambert ·Lilly Scott – ·Michelle Delamor ·John Park ·Jermaine Sellers ·Haeley Vaughn – ·Tyler Grady ·Joe Muñoz ·Ashley Rodriguez ·Janell Wheeler – ·Chris Golightly |