Wabash native, Zachariah Smith, auditions for American Idol

WABASH, Ind. (WPTA) - America’s biggest music competition show is back. The search for the next American Idol begins anew on Sunday night with the premiere episode of Season 21 on ABC.

Superstar judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie are back together for a 6th season. One idol hopeful to look out for is Zachariah Smith. Zachariah is 19 years old and grew up in Wabash, Indiana. He graduated from Wabash Sr. High School and currently lives in Amory, Mississippi where he is the Grill Cook at the family-owned Bill’s Hamburgers.

We asked him, “If you’re able to go on to Hollywood week and the live shows, what would that reaction be like?” Smith went on to say, “Wow, just to think about making it through to the next round would just be a dream come true. It’s not every day that you get to walk in and walk out with a golden ticket to Hollywood.”

The journey begins Sunday at 8/7c on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.

Complete List of previous American Idol winners

2002 - Kelly Clarkson

2003 - Ruben Studdard

2004 - Fantasia Barino

2005 - Carrie Underwood

2006 - Taylor Hicks

2007 - Jordin Sparks

2008 - David Cook

2009 - Kris Allen

2010 - Lee DeWyze

2011 - Scotty McCreery