Do you remember William Hung? Here’s what the ‘American Idol’ cult star is doing now



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It was the hit that was heard around the world. On this day 20 years ago, Ricky Martin released She hits, the first single from his album Loaded sound.

Written by Desmond Child, Walter Afanasieff, Robi Draco Rosa and Glenn Monroig, the contagious dance hit peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Martin his second most successful single behind Livin ‘La Vida Loca and earned the Puerto Rican star a Grammy nomination in 2001.

The song was an extension of the Latin explosion that came on the eve of the millennium, but would return four years later when an impressionable 20-year-old civil engineering student auditioned with She hits in american idol and truly made it his own.

In that moment, with then-judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson looking puzzled, William Hung became an instant phenomenon. Hung affirmed his desire to make a living in the music industry, valiantly performing the song to an unimpressed Cowell, who growled, “You can’t dance, you can’t sing, what do you want me to say?”

Hung replied, “I’ve already done my best and I don’t regret it at all.”

With that, Hung became a household name. Hung released three albums, including Inspiration and Hung for the holidays, and even his own movie, Where is mama’s boy?

While he eventually retired from music, his Idol The experience allowed him to hire concerts as a motivational speaker while working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a crime analyst and later for the Health Department.

Today, he continues to appear in public and is now working to teach online players how to play Mahjong.

Hung still has no regrets. “It’s about continuing to reinvent yourself and discovering what makes you happy,” she says. Variety in a new interview.

She hits turns 20 this month. What does it mean to you?

First of all I’m thankful to have that song She hitsby Ricky Martin because otherwise I wouldn’t be where I am today. I just enjoyed the song from the beginning.

I thought it sounded great and very optimistic. It was unique compared to everything else I was hearing in the early 2000s. I heard it on the radio and it immediately appealed to me.

What was it like to finally come face to face with Ricky Martin?

I was finally able to perform with him in 2018. That was two years ago. And then my audition was in 2004. That was 14 years later.

He said, “Thank you, it was nice meeting you.” I do not know. It sounds so surreal. He’s a very nice guy. My friend and I were very impressed.

You are now a motivational speaker. How did that come about and what do you focus on in your talks?

I decided to pursue motivational speaking about three or four years ago, because I feel like I can make a bigger impact by speaking, compared to just entertaining.

It could still be entertaining, but I want to have a message to inspire people to keep chasing their dreams.

And now more than ever, we need that inspiration, because it is a difficult world to survive in, with the coronavirus pandemic.

I am also very interested in video games because that is my passion at the moment. I am looking to teach people to play Japanese Mahjong for the English public.

His Twitter username is @SheBangsGuy. Have you clearly accepted that this moment has a permanent place in your life history?

A lot of people still call me the “She Bangs” type. They don’t remember my name. It is part of my identity now.

Sometimes in life you can’t change the past. You have no control over the past, but what you can do is make the most of your situation. – Reuters



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