And then next American Idol is………

Danny Wirick, 17, would love to be standing on stage when American Idol host Ryan Seacrest breathlessly utters those words. If he chooses the right song and sings it just the right way and wears just the perfect outfit and can outperform the rest of the contestants, he just might be able to do so.

Not that Wirick isn’t wildly talented. He is fresh out of Grammy Camp, one of just 81 teens chosen from a nationwide pool of 1,500 to attend the prestigious10-day summer program.

“Grammy camp was a huge thing. I didn’t even know how big it was until I got there and then I was totally amazed,” said Wirick who got to collaborate with the likes of singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat, Maroon 5 and Earth Wind & Fire’s Leslie Drayton. Keith Urban served as the honorary dean for the unique program located at the University of Southern California’s Thorton School of Music.

The camp provided students with an immersive music experience and hands-on instruction and collaboration for performing and developing careers in the music industry. The highlight of camp was a live showcase concert of original music performed by Grammy Camp students in front of a standing room only crowd at the El Rey Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

“The showcase was exciting and so much fun. Even some of the cast members of the hit TV series Glee came to show their support.”
Given this experience alone it would seem that Wirick is more than ready for the American Idol stage. But during his steady climb to the performance stage, he has grown and changed tremendously since he began playing piano under the tutelage of Pat Bonnoitt at age young age of six. Today he sings, plays piano, as well as writes, produces and records music. He has been taking formal voice lessons for the past year and a half and has performed in 16 Broadway Bound Kids productions, scoring the starring role in quite a few.

As for American Idol, Wirick left his house at 3:30 this morning, bound for his San Francisco-based audition. He’s an old hat – having tried out last year – and explained a bit of the procedure. One illuminating piece of information and one that most people in the television audience don’t know is that there is a pre-screening process to weed out the chaff before some contestants are allowed to perform in front of the official Idol judges. (Which leads one to wonder how the “Pants on the Ground Guy” got to meet Simon Cowell but that’s a story for another day.

Right now, while you are having your Thursday morning cup of coffee and reading this story, Wirick is in the miles-long Idol queue, waiting for his chance to audition. He’s rehearsed three songs, the first of which – “Breakeven” by The Script –he’s put his own spin on. “I’m really excited as is my whole family. Auditioning for Idol is a unique opportunity and one that most people don’t get to have. Just getting to see the difference between what goes on backstage and what the television portrays is incredibly interesting.”

If American Idol doesn’t pan out for Wirick he’s got a back-up plan that includes applying to the popular music performance program at University of Southern California. Either way, he plans on making music a part of his future. “I love every aspect of music from performing to recording to producing. It will always be a part of my life.”