Virginia native Mike Parker returned to American Idol on Monday evening for the first round of Hollywood Week.
Before kicking off the show with a cover of Cam’s Platinum-selling hit, “Burning House,” Parker shared an update about his mother’s health as she was hospitalized with a mystery illness prior to his audition.
“Since my audition, we did find out that mom has Leukemia. She’s still fighting, still a marathon, but her numbers are back where they’re supposed to be. She’s in great spirits and my mom would hate it if she was the reason that I wasn’t singing.”
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Parker hopes that he puts a smile on his mother’s face with his performance. He then dedicated his performance to her and promise that he will do all he can to make her proud.
“Being able to take that golden ticket back to her meant more than anything else,” Parker shared. “Seeing her happy, it made me feel like it was worth it. So, I’m here to let her know that I will work my butt off to make it as far as I can in this competition. This is all for her.”
Parker’s performance impressed the judges enough to earn a spot into the next round on American Idol.
The 27-year-old carpenter previously earned praise from Deana Carter after he auditioned with a soulful rendition of her fan-favorite hit, “Strawberry Wine.”
“So blown away at the aspiring artists and existing icons that this amazing song continues to take on new life and new fans!” Carter shared. ”Way to go Mike Parker & American Idol …THANK You for continuing to lift this up! My #mentor bags are packed and ready! ”
American Idol airs every Sunday and Monday at 8/7c EST on ABC.
