Marcio Donaldson brought his adopted son to his 'American Idol' audition, wows judges

This brave man hopes to be an inspiration not just to his nephew, who he calls his son, but also for every dreamer out there.

American Idol is no stranger to moving contestant backstories. People come from all across the country to audition for the show, and they come from all different backgrounds and with different life experiences, as reported Liftable.

And this season, very few contestants have a more compelling backstory than Top 24 finalist Marcio Donaldson. He captured the hearts of America when he showed up to his American Idol audition with his infant son, Rashaad, in tow.

He went to the audition stage on Monday’s episode after trying out in season 15, this time with the purpose of going to Hollywood with the 6-month-old baby boy he adopted after authorities stepped in due to his sister’s substance abuse.

Donaldson took on the responsibility of caring for his sister’s new baby. She was dealing with a drug problem; and when authorities came to check on the newborn, her brother immediately knew it was his time to step up and help.

They came to me they told me I only had 10 minutes to decide or he goes into the system,” said Donaldson. “So I said, ‘No thank you, I’ll take him.’ I took that responsibility on because I didn’t want him growing up the same way I grew up.

The young singer has had to face many obstacles in his young life, but he believes it is music that kept him focused on living the best life he can. He gives credits to a program he took part in at the Watts Tower when he was younger.

Donaldson was part of the 15th season of American Idol but failed to win the competition. The first surprise was that the 28-year-old singer returned to the show to try once again to make it to the end.

All the judges gave Donaldson a nod, meaning he’s moving on in the competition. ‘God bless you for being an incredible, standup man. You’re an incredible example,’ said Katty Perry praising him.