On Sunday night (March 15), Salt Lake City singer Jordan Moyes auditioned for American Idol judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, and he made quite an impression.

In fact, the country judge wanted to sign him on the spot, something that (presumably) producers would frown upon. Instead, after Moyes finished covering Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire," the judges quickly moved him ahead to Hollywood — but the short segment missed the 25-year-old's painful backstory.

Learn All About the Tragedy That Inspires Jordan Moyes: 

Who is Jordan Moyes and why he was auditioning for American Idol are two questions certain to be answered in future weeks of the show (perhaps even during Monday night's March 16 episode), but who wants to wait that long?

The singer and songwriter was raised in Arizona, but moved to Utah after high school. Credit his family for stoking an early interest in music in some very tangible ways. Credit his mother for urging him to try out for American Idol.

Sadly, Moyes' mom died suddenly in June 2018. The Desert News in Salt Lake City learned more about how her death inspired the young singer's journey and shined a light on his original music, including a song called "Not That Far Away" that he released to digital service providers last May. Learn his story and why he may be poised to go far in the 2020 competition in the above video. Moyes has a few friends who can help show him the way, because they've been where he is now.

American Idol may help him make music music a full-time job, but thus far he's taking it slow. While he's on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, he keeps a low profile and plays mostly in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas. He has recorded an EP, however — the three-song I Was Young, I Was Old can be found on Spotify.

Listen to Jordan Moyes, "Not That Far Away"

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