Three local contestants have earned that golden ticket, and they're headed to Hollywood for the next round of the competition.
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16-year-old Dylan Zangwill, from Exton, Chester County, is one of them.
He walked away from his New Orleans audition on American Idol with a golden ticket to Hollywood.
"Honestly, it's pretty crazy," he says.
Zangwill performed his original song, 'Bittersweet Melody,' for the judges.
He calls it a "pinch me" kind of moment.
"Katy couldn't believe that I wasn't famous already," he says, humbly. "It's pretty crazy coming from Katy Perry."
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Zangwill says he felt the love from all of the judges.
"They all stood up at the end of my audition," he says. "Luke Bryan called me a total 'freakazoid,' and Lionel Richie wished he was doing what I am doing at my age. It was all just a really great moment."
Zangwill's musical journey started when he was 4 years old and his parents got him a piano.
"I've been hooked ever since," he says. "Something within me just always wanted to be able to express myself musically. It' been a crazy, wild ride."
Zangwill's parents, Jonathan and Deirdre Zangwill, are not only his biggest fans, he says, "my dad is the dad-ager and mom's the hairstylist. It works out pretty well."
The family owns Stolen Sun Craft Brewing and Roasting Company in Exton.
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"That's really where I got my start," Zangwill says.
Now, he's on his way to becoming the next American Idol.
"It's just crazy that I got this experience, and I'm going to Hollywood!" he exclaimed.
Two local American Idol alums and stars will serve as mentors during Hollywood Week: season 1 runner-up and Doylestown native Justin Guarini and Langhorne's Catie Turner.
You can watch on Sunday at 8 p.m. on 6abc.