WATCH: Texas Teen Leaves 'American Idol' Judges Gobsmacked After Audition

An 18-year-old from Texas stood up to his bullies this week with a mesmerizing audition for American Idol.

Meet Douglas Mills Jr., a student at Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, who auditioned for the 20th season of American Idol this week. He received the "VIP Affiliate Ticket Pass" from ABC Houston, which allowed him to make the trip to audition for the show.

The journey to the auditions was not easy for Mills, however.

"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," Mills said. "It was complete surprise and this is my shot."

Mills said music is his life and his safe place from doubters and "people who don't like me in general." Mills said he was bullied when he was younger "because he looked different." "Still today, it's hard for me to love myself. But music has helped me out. When I'm singing, I don't care what no one says," he said.

For his audition, Mills sang the 1939 song "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday. "I picked this song especially for the Black community because they have gone through so much pain over the past few centuries. It's time to bring awareness to it," Mills said.

When Mills opened his mouth to sing, he captivated judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan almost instantly. Mills got a standing ovation from the three judges.

"Um. What happened? I blanked out, passed out, woke up. Young man, that was superb," Richie told Mills.

"You're a superstar. You transcend time and space. You froze the room. That was iconic," Perry said.

"It was like you took our bodies and you hypnotized us. You just took us on a journey, you controlled every second of that," Bryan said.

In addition to a trip to Hollywood (obviously), Mills got a group hug from the three judges. You can watch Mills' powerful performance below: