‘American Idol’ Star Noah Davis Shares How His Life Changed After Saying ‘Wig’ to Katy Perry
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Former American Idol star Noah Davis went viral in Season 16 of the show when he bonded with former judge Katy Perry over the word “wig.” Since his time on the show, Davis has amassed an impressive following on TikTok and released original music.
American Idol Star Noah Davis Went Viral for ‘Wig’ Moment
Noah was only 18 years old when he auditioned for American Idol Season 16. He caught judge Katy Perry’s attention when he uttered the word “wig,” prompting her to say it back. The interaction confused fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Perry told them that it’s “not your language.”
“I don’t remember saying that because those days are so long. It takes forever, and you’re so tired,” Davis, now 25, told People in a new interview. “I came out of the audition, and all I knew was I made it through. I saw the video for the first time before it aired, and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, that’s so funny.’ “
Davis’ soulful performance of “Stay” by Rihanna impressed the American Idol judges in his audition, earning him a Golden Ticket to Hollywood. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it into the Top 24 later in the season. The singer told People that he “hadn’t realized my full potential” at the time, saying he’s “very different” now.
Since his time on the show, Davis has come out, joking, “It’s hard to believe I wasn’t out of the closet when I said ‘wig’ to Katy Perry, but I wasn’t.” After Idol, he moved from his hometown of Royal, Arkansas, to Los Angeles with “no money” and “not a lot of friends.”
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@noahdavis thats craazzyyyyyy @Katy Perry ♬ Ribs – Lorde
Davis Has Gained a Large Following on TikTok
After moving to Los Angeles, Davis started posting about his journey pursuing a music career on TikTok. As of this writing, his account has over 990,000 followers, with his bio reading, “please don’t bother me i am making an album.” Previous music releases from the singer include the album F*ck Flowers in 2021 and an EP called The A Side in 2023.
“I want to feel sexy and hot, and I should have music that makes me feel good about myself. So I made it,” Davis told People. “Then other people were coming to me saying, ‘I’ve been waiting for music that is sexy and queer.’ And I thought, ‘I didn’t realize that that was so important.'”
His next project, due out this summer, is a breakup album. Davis shared that he “wanted to say something more real and vulnerable” with his new music, admitting that it was “a bit challenging for me, because I don’t want to let people know how I’m really feeling.”
Davis recently posted a funny TikTok video joking that if he hadn’t said “wig” to Katy Perry all those years ago, he “would have a degree right now.” The singer told People that Perry is “going to be an icon forever,” saying he’d love to recreate his viral audition moment with her sometime.
