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Louis, a former mattress salesman, told ABC affiliate KTRK he discovered he had a knack for singing when he went viral on TikTok about a year ago.

Of the platform that \"American Idol\" has given him, Louis said, \"It does mean I get to shine a brighter light on my town and represent my friends that I lost, and it's an honor.\"

As of time of publication, the U.S. has experienced 92 mass shootings and eight mass murders in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive; already this year, the number of gun deaths overall has surpassed 6,700.

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