Former 'American Idol' contestant gets a second chance, now as a drag queen

During the final American Idol audition Sunday night, Ada Vox wowed the judges with her range. However, Vox wasn’t always this confident. In fact, some fans may recognize Ada as former Season 12 contestant Adam Sanders.

“Being told no, it was heartbreaking,” Sanders said. “But the truth of the matter is that I wasn’t ready.” He revealed that after being eliminated from the top 50, he began to receive hate messages on social media from people attacking his weight and sexuality. “I let it get to me in a wrong way,” Sanders said. “It killed me inside … almost as much as people were telling me that I should kill myself. I was contemplating lots of things that I shouldn’t have.”

Sanders admitted that he “disappeared from the world for a while,” which ended up making him hurt even more. Through all of the negativity, however, he found a way to build himself up as a new, stronger person. Five years on, he’s ready for a shot at redemption.

As the fabulous drag queen Ada Vox entered the audition room and killed her rendition of “House of the Rising Sun,” Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan were all astounded. In fact, Perry was speechless. But Richie spoke for the group, telling Vox, “What I’m very happy about is that you are owning your talent, you’re owning who you are. We have had a lot of artists who come on here, talented, but a bit confused. What you’re giving us right now is a clear understanding of who you are, coming with an amazing amount of talent.”

And before Vox received the final Golden Ticket to Hollywood, she made a point to let the judges know that this time around she means business. “I’m not here to play with anybody, and I’m here to chase my dreams and make them come true.”

American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of American Idol for free on Yahoo View.

Check out the first ‘Idol baby’ stunning the judges with a “pitch-perfect” voice:

Read more from Yahoo! Entertainment:

• Former ‘Idol’ contestant returns for second chance – as drag queen Ada Vox

• ‘Idol’ contestant surprises mom with call from Katy Perry and Lionel Richie

• Katy Perry takes a tumble and flashes fellow ‘American Idol’ judges

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