How Trey Louis Turned His Pain Into Music on American Idol 2023

Trey Louis, a 21-year-old mattress salesman from Santa Fe, Texas, has been making waves on American Idol 2023 with his soulful voice and inspiring story. He is one of the contestants who advanced to the next round after impressing the judges with his rendition of “Stone” by Whiskey Myers. But what many viewers may not know is that Louis is also a survivor of the 2018 Santa Fe High School mass shooting, where he lost eight of his friends. He was in an art classroom when the gunman entered and opened fire. He told CNN that since then, his hometown has been “really negative” and has “had a bad rap”. Louis said he auditioned for American Idol to honor his hometown and to show that there is light and positivity in the world. He also dedicated his performance to other victims of mass shootings, such as Parkland, Columbine, and Las Vegas. “I’m not stopping. I got all the motivation behind me. I’ve got all of you guys behind me,” he said after getting his golden ticket. The judges were mov