Ocala singer wins golden ticket to Hollywood on ‘American Idol’

Emery Robbins, 18, a Forest High School graduate who recently appeared on American Idol, poses for a photo in downtown Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Robbins passed the American Idol auditions in Nashville and will be heading to Hollywood. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

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Posted March 27, 2024 | By Caroline Brauchler
caroline@ocalagazette.com

As one young singer from Ocala stood before musical legends Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry to sing his heart out, even under studio lights in Nashville he showed his humility and talent to the world.

Emery Robbins had the opportunity of a lifetime when the 18-year-old auditioned for Season 22 of “American Idol,” winning over the hearts of the judges and earning a golden ticket to Hollywood to become a contestant.

“I’m just a kid from Ocala with a guitar,” Robbins said.

Now that “American Idol” has aired Robbins’ three votes of ‘yes’ from the judges, viewers can tune in to follow the contestants to Hollywood in the next episode, airing on ABC at 8 p.m. on March 31.

Robbins auditioned back in November 2023, and was shown in the first episode of the season on February 18 holding his golden ticket. Robbins couldn’t say much about his future on the show to avoid spoiling the rest of the season but said he was not only grateful but also humbled to earn the chance to perform in Hollywood.

“You’re just so captivated by everything that’s going on, with the lights and the cameras,’’ Robbins said. “I just tried my best to be as real as I could.”

The singer said he’s somewhat of a new musician. He taught himself to play the guitar during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he hasn’t put it down since. Robbins eventually started playing the guitar and singing at Church @ the Springs in Ocala.

Robbins auditioned with the song “God Speed” by Zach Bryan. He chose the song not only for its country genre but for its moving lyrics that he relates to in his own life, he said.

“The way that I interpret it is this man is going on a journey and only God and his mama know what he needs,” Robbins said. “The lyrics in the song really related to me and the situation I was in, just having new experiences, trying things you’ve never done before in situations you never thought you’d be in.”

Robbins received good critiques from the judges, including Bryan saying the young singer had “raw talent,” something that meant a lot to Robbins because of the way he looks up to the renowned country musician.

Not only does Robbins love country music because he grew up listening to it (his first concert was Alan Jackson), but he loves to perform it because of the common themes of Christianity present in the genre, he said.

After graduating from Forest High School in May, Robbins decided to turn his love for God and his love for music into a career by working as the youth ministry’s worship director at his parish, Church @ the Springs.

“I think that music in church is so important,’’ Robbins said. “And it’s so relatable to a lot of people because the words are written straight from Scripture.”

The connections he made through worship are also what led him to becoming a contestant on “American Idol,” he said.

“Matt Overfelt runs Ocala United, a local youth group here in Ocala, (and he) was like, ‘Hey, man, I’m going to sign you up for “American Idol”’…Eventually, I was asked to go audition in Nashville in front of the judges and it was just such a surreal experience and I’m super grateful for it,” Robbins said.

Robbins gave credit to his support group of family and friends, who traveled to Nashville with him for his audition. He was accompanied by his mother Ali Robbins, father Ryan Robbins, brother Josh Robbins, sister Ryli Robbins and girlfriend Halsey Fore.