American Idol's MKY Wins Hearts Instantly As Fans Go Wild Over His Spanish Song Performance

Season 23 of American Idol is in full swing, and it’s safe to say this season has showcased some of the best talent the reality TV singing competition has ever seen. Host Ryan Seacrest and judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and newcomer — Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood faced some of their toughest decisions yet as they finalized the Top 24, who are now in the hands of America’s voters.

Though every remaining contestant has shown that they could be the next big thing in music, a select few have set themselves apart, including Mexican-American singer, Michael “Mikey” Jimenez, who goes by his stage name, MKY. The 25-year-old wowed judges during the audition rounds and has continued to amaze them and viewers alike, especially when he took the stage during “Hollywood: Week” to perform a song in full Spanish.

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American Idol’s MKY Is Becoming A Fan-Favorite After An Impressive Performance In Full Spanish

MKY Performed “Sabor A Mí” During “Hollywood Week: Showstoppers”

25-year-old Michael Jimenez, who prefers to go by his stage name, MKY, (pronounced “Mikey”), is setting himself apart from the other American Idol hopefuls. The Mexican-American singer, who was raised in East L.A. came into the audition rounds singing “Ooo Baby Baby,” by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, and it was so good, judge Lionel Richie got up out of his seat and began dancing like he was back in high school.

His audition impressed all three judges, who invited his mom and dad to hear their son get a “yes” from Lionel, Luke, and Carrie themsleves, and get his golden ticket to Hollywood.

MKY headed into “Hollywood Week” where he totally changed the game by singing a song entirely in Spanish. Along with his guitar, MKY honored his Mexican roots by performing “Sabor a Mí,” written by Álvaro Carrillo Alarcón in 1959. In a clip before his performance in front of the judges, MKY shared why he chose to sing the song.

Performing in front of family and friends of all the Idol contestants, the crowd went wild for MKY’s rendition of the popular Spanish song. Even Luke was impressed by all the love he was getting during his performance. He certainly has that star quality about him.

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Everything We Know About MKY

MKY Was Born Into A Musical Family

MKY’s journey to becoming a singer was highly influenced by his musical upbringing. Before his audition in front of the judges, he shared a few tidbits about his heritage. MKY’s great-uncle, Little Ray Jimenez, was “the first Chicano Mexican-American that was singing R&B soul music in the 60s.”

The Idol hopeful’s late grandfather, Mike Jimenez Sr. (who he is named after), was a part of the American Latin R&B band, Tierra. That love of music was also passed down to MKY’s father, Myke Nez, a third-generation soul singer.

In the clip, MKY’s father expressed how happy he was that his son was “continuing the legacy.”

However, speaking to LA’s Power 106, MKY shared that he almost gave up on a music career until the opportunity to compete on Idol came knocking at his door.

“There’s definitely dark times. I was just at a point where I’m like, ‘Either I can give up 10 years of hard work or I can keep going. And then the American Idol opportunity came. But before that, I was like, ‘For sure I just need something because the world is not paying attention,'” he said.

Before Idol, MKY tried out for another reality TV singing competition series called Boy Band. The one-season ABC show featured young male singers competing to become members of a boy band that was later called, In Real Life. MKY made it to the Top 8 before being eliminated. However, his dreams didn’t end there as MKY and other contestants from the show formed 4th Ave.

After leaving the group, MKY released a few singles on his own, including the songs “Save Me” and “Let Me,” which he proudly shares on Instagram.

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Did MKY Make It To The Top 24?

MKY Had To Perform In A Head-To-Head Round During The Last Leg Of “Hollywood Week”

MKY might have left the crowd swooning over his performance of “Sabor a Mí,” but he still had to give it his all in the next round of “Hollywood Week”, which was called “Head-To-Head.” During this round, the contestants had to choose a partner in which they would go up against one another while singing the same song.

MKY was partnered with Josh King, who impressed the judges with his rendition of “Over the Rainbow” at auditions. The men chose to sing “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez, and did remarkably well, despite Luke believing that they were quite opposites when it came to their musical stylings. After their performance, they received a standing ovation from the judges and the crowd.

While it was a tough decision for the judges, MKY and Josh both made it to the Top 24.

MKY will now head to the next round of Idol, which sees the Top 24 contestants in Hawaii, where they will sing in front of a live studio audience at the Disney’s Aulani Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii.

Those in the Top 24 also include fan-favorites like Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell’s son, Baylee Littrell, Thunderstorm Artis, Zaylie Windsor (who Carrie compared as the next Taylor Swift), Canaan James Hill, and 15-year-old Mattie Pruitt.