They say that music has a magical power to soothe, touch, and take over one’s soul. For Marcio Donaldson, this belief speaks volume of truth.

For a child who was placed in foster care together with his sister, Marcio had no one but music to give his mind an escape from his situation. But more than a coping mechanism, music lighted his heart and gave him something to look forward to.




Marcio grew up into a man who has courage to chase after his dream. Believing in his talent and ability, Marcio auditioned to American Idol to pursue his passion for singing.

He passed the initial test and had a golden ticket. However, he did not go beyond the group performance.

But he did not let his defeat from his first American Idol journey get the best of him. Instead, he took it as a challenge to further hone his talent. And when American Idol opened its door to new hopefuls, Marcio get in on the audition line once more.

In his viral audition tape, Marcio walked in the audition room together with his adopted son and shared his tearful but inspiring story.

As it turned out, the 28-year-old singer has been strengthened by the challenges he faced in life.

“Growing up in the inner city, it was hard.” Marcio admitted and shared how he and his sister were put under foster care as children. “You know how they say the cycle repeats. It started off with my mother in the system. Then me in the system. And then my sister had a child.”

As it turned out, due to his sister’s issues with drugs, she was deemed incapable of raising her child. Police authorities appeared on Marcio’s home together with his 1-week-old nephew.




“The police and the social worker came to my home, they brought him and here was this week-old baby,” Marcio recalled. “They said ‘You have 10 minutes to decide if you will keep the child or he goes in the system.’”

“I looked at them and I said ‘I’ll take him!’” Without missing a heartbeat, Marcio took the responsibility of nurturing his nephew, who is now his son.

“I had no idea what I was doing. But he’s actually a real gift. I know it was the right decision. And he’s changed my life.” Marcio added, sharing how his son changed him for the better.

Thus, for his comeback to American Idol, Marcio is not only singing and fulfilling his dreams but is also doing it for his son.

“I want to show him what a man can really do when you step up to the plate. I want to give him a better life.” Marcio firmly stated his wishes.

Marcio shared his inspiring story before the judges. But among Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, it was the latter who was touched the most.

After all, he  knew very well what being a foster parent feels like.  What people may not know is that he is the adoptive father of Nicole Richie, a child of his bandmate who couldn’t provide what Nicole needed when she was a child.

After sharing his heartfelt story, Marcio showcased his talent by singing his heart out to the song Jealous. And with the three judges blown out by his amazing talent, Marcio once again secured himself a golden ticket to Hollywood.

And though he was not hailed as American Idol 2018, for his nephew, he is more than a singing champion! And with his God given talent, determined heart, and passionate soul, the 28-year-old Marcio is surely going places!
GRAB your tissue and WATCH Marcio’s inspiring audition below that will surely leave you crying-for the good reason!

His heartwarming story is a beautiful reminder of what a man who is willing to step up to the plate can do!