Brandon's biological mom traded him for a car. He dedicated his song to his adopted mother

Some people have a good childhood and some others don’t. Brandon Elder, a 22-year-old contestant on American Idol, is one of the latter.

His biological mother welcomed him at a very young age and, since she didn’t have money to raise him, she traded him to another family for a car. A few years later, the second family put him up for adoption, too.

God Updates reported that they didn’t have enough money either and decided that it was the best decision. He finally got into Patricia’s home, who knew that a family is the most important thing in the world.

Even though she was a single mother, she gave Elder the best childhood she could provide, taking multiple jobs when needed. He was very proud of her for being such a good mother.

When he was 14 years old, Patricia was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a brave battle, she was cancer-free for around three years. Unfortunately, it came back stronger.

It was a harder battle and there was a point where doctors admitted there was nothing they could do. Elder used to sing her songs with the guitar she had bought him as a way to make her feel better.

Since she loved hearing him sing, he decided to pursue a musical career. In mid-2016, Patricia passed away. Elder never gave up and kept singing, which eventually led him to his American Idol audition.

After telling his story to the judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryant, he started singing a song he wrote himself titled Gone, which is a tribute to his mother Patricia.

The judges were clearly touched by the lyrics of the song and they let him know how a good songwriter he is. All three judges gave him a huge ‘yes’ and he is going to Hollywood in the next part of the show.

Perry and Richie admitted that there were a couple of aspects of his voice that he should improve in order to succeed in the music industry, but he is sure he can do it with the help of his mother.