The Showstoppers round marks the first time that contestants will showcase their talent by performing with a band this season for their last chance to make it into the coveted Top 24. Parade.com has a sneak peek at Jason Warrior as he takes the stage to impress the judges with his performance of “Believer” by Imagine Dragons – and Jason says there is a notable difference between this performance and his golden ticket audition. Back then, Jason told viewers and the judges, “I’ve experienced a lot of nos and I’ve had opportunities taken away from me for a lot of mistakes.” And Lionel told him, “If you go back and try to scream at the past, you’ll trip over the future.” The 25-year-old from Chicago, Ill., took those words to heart: “To have Lionel speak to me the way he did entirely changed my perspective. From that day forward, everything about me changed. When I step on the American Idol stage, you will see that’s not the same Jason we saw before.” The nos that Jason was speaking of began when he appeared on FOX’s short-lived series The Four, and Meghan Trainor gave him a “no.” As he explained at his first Idol audition for the judges, this is him giving it a second shot. “I was spun out of my emotions because I thought I was all that and a bag of chips dippin’ hot sauce, but I wasn’t even close to being there yet,” Warrior admitted. “I had to have that humbling experience. That moment of immaturity almost completely destroyed my career. Doors started to close. Door after door, opportunity started to walk away. My mom taught me that you’ve got to keep going no matter who says no. I made a mistake. I learned from it and I intend to show that. I was hurt. I was destroyed. National television and I thought I couldn’t come back from that.” After Jason sang Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Lionel told him, “Very few people can take a Marvin Gaye song and turn it into their song. I am going to ask you to forget all about what’s behind you. That is one of the strongest vocals I have ever heard on this show. I am very proud of you because it took a lot of guts to crawl back into that saddle.” American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Next, Watch Pilot Graham DeFranco Try to Fly Through His American Idol Audition
