Leon James "Lee" DeWyze (born April 2, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois who is currently a finalist on the ninth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, DeWyze released two independent albums called So I'm Told in 2007 and Slumberland in 2010.
DeWyze's career began when he was 16 or 17, after he met Louis Svitek, owner of WuLi Records, and Ryan McGuire of the Virginia Gentlemen.[6] Prior to his becoming a contestant of American Idol, DeWyze released two albums, the independently released So I'm Told (2007) and Slumberland (2010) from Louis Svitek's Wuli Records.
DeWyze auditioned in Chicago for the ninth season of American Idol with the song "Ain't No Sunshine", which was also covered by Kris Allen. During Hollywood week, his group included Aaron Kelly and Crystal Bowersox, who all made it into the top 24 and subsequently the top 7.
During the first week, he performed "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, which was praised by Simon Cowell. The next week he sang "Lips of an Angel", which did not get the same response as his first performance but was good enough to get him into the top 16. His third song, "Fireflies", came as a surprise and was generally liked by the viewers, critics, and the judges.
After making it to the Top 12, DeWyze performed "Beast of Burden" during The Rolling Stones week. For the Top 11's theme, Billboard #1 Hits, DeWyze performed "The Letter" by The Box Tops. The following week DeWyze performed "Treat Her Like a Lady" impressing mentor Usher and all four judges including Cowell who said that "This is the night that your life may have changed forever." His closest friend among the competitors is former roommate Andrew Garcia.
Official website of American Idol
Check out the tattoo's from the celebrities of American Idol. Adam Lambert, Andrew Garcia, Blake Lewis, Carly Smithson, Crystal Bowersox, David Cook, Megan Corkrey.