"American Idol" just kicked off its 20th season. But Houston teenDouglas Millsmight have already snatched the crown

The Kinder HSPVA student left the judges speechless Sunday night when he auditioned with Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit." Mills, 18, told them he came "all the way from H-town" for his chance at the title. Watch below.

"I have always wanted to audition for 'American Idol.' But I've never really left the state or been on an airplane. I was about to faint, honestly," he said.

His aching, beautiful rendition of the song earned a standing ovation from Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, who genuinely seemed dumbstruck by his performance. Richie called it "superb." Bryan looked on the verge of tears.

"You transcend time and space," Perry said. "You froze the room."

Mills said his performance was "especially for the Black community because we have gone through so much pain over the past few centuries."

I am still recovering from the magic@_ItsDouglasm_just gave us!#AmericanIdolpic.twitter.com/QCfk7yG555

— Lionel Richie (@LionelRichie)March 21, 2022

Music he said, was his "safe place from doubters and haters and people who just don't like me in general."

"I've been called gorilla, King Kong. People said, 'You can't be that person that you wanna be.' It was very painful," he said.

Last year, Mills waspresented with an "Idol" VIP affiliate passat HSPVA by ABC 13. It allowed him to bypass the first several audition rounds. He was recommended by his music teachers.

Next stop, Hollywood.