“It was a bit rough going in and out of foster care,” revealed Cam Amen before his “American Idol” audition on Sunday night. “I just remember being taken out of my classroom by police officers. I’m holding my brother. We didn’t know was going on. We were crying waiting for Mom. She never came. We were in foster care a long time. I did leave at 18 and took in my brother and sister. I knew I had to raise them right and get them through high school.”

Now that Cam’s brother is 21 and his sister is 20, the server from Omaha, Nebraska is ready to chase after his own dreams. He nervously approached the audition stage in front of judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie before belting out “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Watch Cam’s audition below.

Immediately following Cam’s performance, Lionel embraced the singer and said, “Welcome home. You’ve been through a lot, but the rest of your life is waiting on you.” As Luke walked back to his seat he admitted, “I can’t hardly breathe. This is our sixth year here and your style is so beautifully unique. I don’t have anybody that I’ve seen in this chair to compare you to. Every time I wanted you to do something amazing you did it. It was just incredible.”

Immediately following Cam’s performance, Lionel embraced the singer and said, “Welcome home. You’ve been through a lot, but the rest of your life is waiting on you.” As Luke walked back to his seat he admitted, “I can’t hardly breathe. This is our sixth year here and your style is so beautifully unique. I don’t have anybody that I’ve seen in this chair to compare you to. Every time I wanted you to do something amazing you did it. It was just incredible.”

“It sounds like you never got a shot,” Katy told Cam. “It sounds like you had to sacrifice. You don’t need to hold on to it anymore, just let it come out.” Lionel added, “For whatever reason, divine guidance brought you to us. And we’re going to have one heck of a ride.”

Next, the judges invited Cam’s girlfriend in the room while the presented him with the season’s final Platinum Ticket. He will now get to skip the first round of Hollywood Week as he continues his “American Idol” journey.

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