Ever since “I Kissed A Girl” launched her career, smooching has become a permanent part of Katy Perry’s legacy, and while many men would be thrilled to lock lips with the singer, one of the guys who actually got to wishes it didn’t happen.
On Sunday, the rebooted season of American Idol premiered on ABC, and during the episode, 19-year-old singer Benjamin Glaze stood in front of judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry for his audition. In their pre-performance banter, Glaze said he likes meeting girls while working his job in retail, to which Bryan responded with a Perry reference: “Have you kissed a girl and liked it?”
“No, I’ve never been in a relationship,” Glaze answered. “I can’t kiss a girl without being in a relationship.”
At that point, he was beckoned over to the judges’ table, and he kissed Perry on the cheek. The judges felt his smooch wasn’t good enough, so when he went in for a second attempt, Perry turned her head and made lip-to-lip contact, which sent a surprised Glaze recoiling to the ground. He laughed and joked it off at the time, but after the fact, Glaze was actually fairly upset. Speaking to the New York Times, he said:
“I was a tad bit uncomfortable. […] I wanted to save it for my first relationship. I wanted it to be special. Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no. I know a lot of guys would be like, ‘Heck yeah!’ But for me, I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately. I wanted my first kiss to be special.”
Glaze did go on to say, however, that since the moment gave him some extra screen time on the show, he appreciates what happened at least a little: “So in that way, I’m glad she did it because it’s a great opportunity to get my music out.” He also doesn’t necessarily feel that he’s been robbed of his actual first kiss:
“[My friends] agreed with me that it didn’t really count. It was lip contact versus a romantic situation with someone you care about. That’s what a real first kiss is.”
Watch Glaze’s audition, a performance of Nick Jonas’ “Levels” that did not get him through to the next round, above.
