Dawson Wayne made it through to American Idol’s Top 26 during the show’s April 10 episode.

From his audition to Hollywood Week to making the Top 26 on the show, Dawson has proved himself at each hurdle.

Speaking during American Idol’s Showstoppers episodes, Lionel Richie said that he “loved” Dawson, and Luke Bryan said that the singer was a “real artist.”

Meet Dawson Wayne

American Idol star Dawson Wayne is 21 years old and hails from San Antonio, Texas.

While his passion is music, Dawson is currently a college student.

He is a missionary and has performed covers of other artists’ songs as well as his own originals on the show.

Find the singer on Instagram where he has 3.8k followers @itsdawsonwayne.

American Idol star Dawson’s audition

Some American Idol viewers may be confused as Dawson flies through to the show’s Top 26 because they don’t remember his audition.

That’s because Dawson’s Nashville audition didn’t air on TV. He took to Instagram on March 26 to share some snaps of himself auditioning on the show.

However, his first moments on American Idol weren’t televised.

Many of the singer’s fans and followers were disappointed that they didn’t get to see his audition and asked what song he sang.

Dawson replied: “Say You Love Me by Jessie Ware.”