Not his teenage dream. American Idol alum Adriel Carrion reflected on an awkward moment with judge Katy Perry that still has him shook years later.
The season 19 contestant — who was 18 when he auditioned for the singing competition — recently shared a clip from his time on the show via TikTok. “SHE IS IN MY NIGHTMARES NOW!! 
,” read the caption.
In the video, Carrion and fellow contestant Anthony Guzman prepared to begin a duet during the Hollywood round. “We have officially banned everyone from singing ‘Watermelon Sugar,’” Perry, 38, teased from the judges’ table, referring to the hit Harry Styles single.
When Lionel Richie asked the duo what they would be performing, Guzman replied, “We’re gonna do something sweet for you.”
Perry interjected with a straight face: “Not ‘Watermelon Sugar.’”
The camera panned to the two singers, both of whom struggled to not show the disappointment on their faces. “I can’t take another ‘Watermelon Sugar,’” Perry quipped as Guzman queued the band. “Is this ‘Watermelon Sugar?’”
When the clip ended, Carrion showed his current reaction. “It’s the way that it has been three years and I’m still traumatized by this moment,” he joked. “I could be getting my beauty rest and all I hear in my nightmare is, ‘Not Watermelon Sugar.’”
Carrion’s initial audition wasn’t aired during the 2021 season, and he was eliminated from the competition before the Top 20.
The “Dark Horse” singer has been a judge on the reality series since 2018, joining for its 16th season as the show transitioned to ABC from Fox. She evaluates hopeful musicians alongside Richie, 73, and Luke Bryan.
“I don’t think any of us believe in being nasty,” the pop star told Us Weekly of the audition process as she and her fellow judges prepared for their first season. “I think what we believe in is being constructive and giving constructive criticism because it doesn’t help anyone and people are really sensitive and we understand because we’ve all walked into a room like that at one time in our lives.”
Richie noted at the time: “I think I’m going to change the word ‘nasty’ to ‘brutally honest.’ … I think nasty only implies that we’re going to hurt someone.”
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Over the years, the trio have grown incredibly close — with the “We Are the World” singer and the country crooner even offering Perry advice before she and Orlando Bloom welcomed daughter Daisy in August 2020. “Oh, my gosh, I’m definitely getting a [parenting] education,” she exclusively told Us six months before Daisy’s birth. “Especially when Lionel turns from being lovable Lionel to, like, lay it down Lionel! So I’m getting a real education, yes.”
