One of very few male cheerleaders in the NFL earned a golden ticket to Hollywood by singing a Shawn Mendes song on Sunday night’s episode of American Idol.
Kyle Tanguay, 21, advanced in the competition after belting out “Mercy” for judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
“Give me an H! Give me an O! Give me an L! Uh... this cheerleading stuff is exhausting,” Perry tweeted, “so just welcome to Hollywood, #KyleTanguay.” Richie tweeted: “He's got that touch! It's a YES. We're so glad you brought it to #AmericanIdol Kyle.”
Tanguay, a dancer from New Hampshire, is the only male cheerleader on the Philadelphia Eagles squad and one of fewer than a dozen in the league. He auditioned for Idol in Washington, D.C. last October and was cheered on by the other Eagles cheerleaders.
“This was step 1,” he tweeted. “Now it’s time to get a vocal coach, practice, grow, and SHOW UP! Far from perfect, but that’s what potential is all about!”
Viewers will have to wait a bit longer to see if Tanguay made it through “Hollywood Week,” which was taped in December. American Idol airs Sunday nights on CTV.
Tanguay, who has been dancing since he was 10, is pursuing a degree in dance at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and is a member of the Long2 Dance Company. He is featured in the video for “Half Saved,” a 2019 song by Luca Fogale.