“If it plays in Peoria”, a saying that rings true for River City-raised Victor Solomon.

Previously, he was a fifth-place finisher on NBC’s singing competition, The Voice, and now he’s getting ready to make his American Idol debut on ABC.

“What I learned on the voice was that song choice is very important. When you’re in these singing competition shows, everyone on that show can sing, so you have to [think] ‘how do we stand out besides the actual singing that we do,” said Solomon.

But this soon-to-be idol doesn’t just excel in singing. Solomon graduated from Peoria High School in 2017. He was part of the football team that brought home the 2016 IHSA State Championship; the lessons he learned from that go beyond the field.

“They just taught me a lot about resilience, facing adversity, breaking through ceilings, and those were the things I carry with me everywhere I go,” said Solomon.

His love for singing started at a young age, by middle school Solomon knew music was something he wanted to make his career.

“I started singing in church, I started singing in choirs, and then I just started continuing singing in that way, and then I started receiving more compliments, and then I was like ‘Okay, I think I want to start making a career out of this,” Solomon remembered.

As for what we can expect from Solomon this season on American Idol, he says we will have to watch to find out.

“I will tell you one song I did: I did Hello by Lionel Richie in front of Lionel Richie. The audition process was nerve-racking, crazy, and outside of my comfort zone,” said Solomon. “No matter what happens, I think America is going to love my journey and appreciate it, and you know I am just excited to see what happens after.”

Solomon’s episode will air on March 16 on WEEK ABC.