Marcio Donaldson’s American Idol performance might be the most heartfelt audition I have ever seen. Marcio came from a very rough neighborhood filled with crime, substance abuse, and roach-infested homes. His mom tried so hard to keep everything together, but child protective services took him and his sister and they were put into foster care.
During that time, Marcio found refuge in music. Music gave him hope and he grew more in love with singing. During this time, his sister had a baby but because she fell into a lifestyle of drugs she could not keep him. So, when baby Rashad was just one-week-old, the officials came to Marcio and told him that the baby would go into the system if Marcio did not adopt him. Marcio did not hesitate to say yes and he took his nephew in as his own son. Even though he had no clue about being a dad, Marcio stepped up to that responsibility and learned to love his son the best way he can. And Rashad turned out to be Marcio’s greatest gift.
Now, Marcio wants to show his son an example of a what a true man is, so he dedicated his audition to his baby boy. And while Marcio sang, Rashad was watching his daddy so intently and it was absolutely precious. Marcio was so emotional by the end of his audition and could not hold back any tears. I was having a hard time holding them back too!