HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (WENY) -- A local singer is trying to become the next American Idol winner. Isaiah Smallwood talks about how he decided to audition for the show and started his singing career here in the Southern Tier.

"My mom told me when I was young, I was never quiet and if I was quiet, she knew that there was a problem. I've always been in touch with music. Listening to my mom who listened to gospel music every Saturday when she woke up, cleaning the house," said Smallwood.

Smallwood said his mom started having him sing and lead worship when he was eight years old, and he would have to listen to the music and be able to recite it word-for-word. "Obviously it wasn’t torture because I loved it, but she would put me in a room and sit me there having to learn all these different songs, and if I didn’t know them... I'd be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that," said Smallwood.

Smallwood was born in Elmira and graduated from Notre Dame High School in 2014. He said when he was 15/16 years old, he was in a rap group called the 'Reach Out Ministries.' "We did a bunch of shows around town at different churches and outside events. We gave away a bunch of CDs..." said Smallwood.

While Smallwood has a passion for music, he didn't always love singing competition shows. He said he was actually against those shows for a long time. "I had a preconceived notion that it was a competition. Like it was a very competitive thing, and there wasn’t really space for you to be who you wanted to be. It was a wrong preconceived notion," said Smallwood.

About a year ago, Smallwood and his wife were watching the 20th season of American Idol, when they both concluded he should give it a shot. "My wife was like 'why don’t you do that?' And I was like 'I will.' So, we pinky promised, and the next thing I know, I'm reaching out to a producer," said Smallwood.

Stick with WENY News as we continue to hear from Isaiah about his American Idol audition, and monitor his progress.