In 2009 Smith auditioned for the
eighth season of
American Idol, with mixed reviews from the judges. However, they accepted him for the Hollywood Round. During the Hollywood Round, Smith's version of "If the Rain Must Fall" caused
Simon Cowell to call it "indulgent nonsense". The other judges overlooked Simon's comment, and accepted Smith into the Top 36. He was eliminated on March 4, 2009, after singing "
You're All I Need to Get By", but was brought back to wild card performance on March 5, picking "
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" as his next song, but was eliminated once again. In the fall of 2010 he appeared in the concert revue for the Record: Quentin Tarantino in Los Angeles, presented by ROCKLA for Show at Barre. It ran from August to October and also starred
Jenna Leigh Green,
Autumn Reeser,
Ty Taylor, and
Audra Mae. Then from November 2010 through January 2011 Smith starred in Show at Barre's For The Record: John Hughes. Also starring
Barrett Foa,
Tracie Thoms and
Ty Taylor. In 2012 Smith was featured in the season finale of the
Opening Act reality talent show, performing as the
opening act at
Lady Gaga's Brisbane, Australia, show on June 14, 2012. performing covers of popular songs re-imagined into vintage genres including
Magic!'s reggae styled, "
Rude", which was arranged into a 1950s sock-hop version with backing by
Robyn Adele Anderson and Jen Kipley. ==References==