Watch Berklee Valencia Alum Wow the American Idol Judges with an Otis Redding Song

Spoilers for American Idol season 23, episode 3: Auditions.

American Idol is back, and Berklee is in the competition. Filo(Opens in a new window) just graduated from Berklee Valencia with a master's degree in contemporary performance in 2024, and actually got the chance to audition from a guest speaker who came to campus. 

Last year, pianist Jim Brickman spoke on a panel and attended a concert where he saw Filo perform. When Filo later reached out to see if Brickman would be an external thesis advisor, Brickman asked if he'd ever consider auditioning for Idol. The rest is history. 

Watch Filo sing Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" on American Idol:

Filo and his family came to the US from Egypt to escape the persecution of Coptic Orthodox Christians when he was in middle school. While it was hard to fit in at first, he auditioned for his school's production of Shrek, and landed the titular role. While he grew up singing hymns in church, playing the swamp ogre was his first taste of secular music and performing. His family—including his mom—were at his Idol audition.

"I don't do this just for me. This is it's my family's journey just as much as it is mine. I always want them to reap the rewards of our hard work together and it's just a cherry on top to see my mom there and her getting the recognition for all the hard work that she put in," Filo tells us over Zoom. 

Filo chose the Otis Redding classic for a reason. "[It] has been a part of a lot of milestone performances for me," he says. "And I had a feeling that it would be another milestone performance for me if I sang that song on Idol. . . . I get to show off the passion and the journey that I've had in music through that song." 

And show off he did. "We've been waiting for you," said Lionel Richie. "What took you so long to get here?"

"Born to sing," added Luke Bryan.

"Three notes in, in my brain, I was like, 'holy Shrek,'" said Carrie Underwood. 

He says hearing those comments were "truly surreal." 

"I started tearing up because I was like, wow, all this hard work really paid off, and these industry legends are seeing my vision, which is so rewarding."

Not only did he get three yeses from the judges, but Filo was upgraded to the platinum ticket—one of only three given out this season—which means he gets to skip the first round of Hollywood Week competition and go straight to the second round. 

"You're going to go far," Bryan said. "Definitely top 20 in my opinion, maybe top 10."

"You never know what connection will get you to your breakout moments, so just make all the connections that you can."

Filo MM ’24

"Filo is a great singer and musician. And what makes Filo extra special is that he is a great human," says Simone Pilon, executive director, Berklee Valencia. "He has an ease and friendliness with people and a true desire to get to know others, learn from them, and collaborate with them." 

"His mom is his biggest supporter and it is clear where he gets that friendliness and outgoing spirit," Pilon adds. "It is a true joy to spend time with both of them, and it is exciting to see Filo have this opportunity."

In terms of advice Filo would give to current students, he says, "these connections that you make at Berklee and everywhere you go truly can take you places. And you never know what connection will get you to your breakout moments, so just make all the connections that you can."

Filo's debut single, "Find My Intention(Opens in a new window)," is available to stream now.