Is ‘American Idol’ Finalist Dalton Rapattoni Already A Rock Star? Hometown Visit Proves That He Is
From the archive: published Mar 29, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.
It’s a dream come true for the four American Idol finalists, Dalton Rapattoni, La’Porsha Renae, Trent Harmon, and MacKenzie Bourg, who are hoping to be the last one standing on this iconic singing competition. Out of these four, Dalton seems to be the one who has embraced his inner rock star.
Rapattoni just had his hometown visit in Sunnyvale, Texas, on March 26, and it was obvious from the photos posted by the Dallas Observer that he is well-loved. He seems to already have quite a fan club, from the very young to an older crowd, who were holding posters for him to see. It had the feel of a regular concert of a famous musician. He may just have to get used to his newly-found famous status from now on.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDgnkCRuQWG/?taken-by=americanidol
The Idol finalist was treated to a parade with his mother sitting beside him in a bright yellow car. She even wore a t-shirt with his picture on it that read “Daltonized” on it. Dalton and his mom are obviously close. One photo showed him at one point snuggling up to her as they made their way through the parade. She has supported him not only as he has been pursuing a music career, but also in the darkest times in his young life.
https://twitter.com/daltonhttp/status/714756801099665409
He just recently revealed on American Idol that he suffers from bipolar disorder, and music has helped him get through the bad moments. Dalton has had a couple of emotional moments on stage, especially singing Sia’s “Bird Set Free.” He explained to Billboard in an interview what caused him to break down into tears after performing that song.
“In the middle of the song, I saw my mom and she was crying. At that point I knew I was going to cry so I tried to hold on as long as possible. There were some sloppy notes in there because I was trying to hold back tears. I did my best to hold back until the end.”
He said that he felt connected to that song, even though he was not familiar with it. The lyrics seemed to speak to him personally, which is what makes him such a relatable performer.
Like a "Bird Set Free," @DaltonRapattoni just soared through his @Sia performance. #IdolTop4 https://t.co/vZMKmuHeRa
— American Idol (@AmericanIdol) March 25, 2016
In addition to the parade, Dalton provided the spectators to a special concert in his hometown that showed off his talents that has been seen on American idol these past few weeks. Just looking at the photos of Dalton’s visit in his hometown gives a sense of how much he commands the stage no matter where it may be. He was all smiles in his purple leather jacket as he saw just how many people came out to support him.
He even had one fan come up on stage to hold his phone because he said he was just learning that one. The song was called “Calling You” by Blue October. Of course, it gave one young girl a chance to get close to her favorite idol.
“I didn’t think even one-fourth of y’all would be here. I became who I was here.”
Whether this young guy wins the title of the final American Idol or not, Dalton has already become a rock star. There is certainly nothing written in stone that says that you have to win the competition to be able to make it in the music business.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDgjvXzuQd4/?taken-by=americanidol
Be sure to catch Dalton’s hometown visit on Thursday’s American Idol, as well as the rest of the final four contestants.
Do you think Dalton Rapattoni will be the last American Idol?