She Bangs’ is 20 years old: ‘AI's William Hung Remembers the Ricky Martin Song That Made Him Famous
As Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" turns 20, @AmericanIdol alum William Hung remembers the song that made him famous: "It's part of my identity now." https://t.co/dxFgkYgXsh
- Variety (@Variety) September 22, 2020
The 22nd of september , 20 years ago, Ricky Martin released “She Bangs,” the first single from his album “Sound Loaded.” Written by Desmond Child, Walter Afanasieff, Robi Draco Rosa and Glenn Monroig, the song peaked at No 12 on the BB Hot 100, that song was the 2nd most successful single (behind Livin' la Vida Loca) and gave him a grammy nomination in 2001.
William Hung became an instant phenomenon when he sang that song in an American Idol audition.
Click to viewHung performed that song to the 3 judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. After he performed Simon Cowell snarled: “You can’t dance; you can’t sing; what do you want me to say?”
Hung replied: “I already gave my best, and I have no regrets at all.”
With that, Hung became a household name and a go-to punchline, like in “The Office” in 2005 when BJ Novak’s character Ryan remarks to Todd Packer (David Koechner), whose license plate reads “WLHUNG,” “You a big William Hung fan?”
Hung went on to release three albums. While he eventually retired from music, his “Idol” experience allowed him to book gigs as a motivational speaker while working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a crime analyst and later for the Department of Health. Today, he continues to appear in public and is now working on teaching online gamers how to play Mahjong.
Today, Hung still has no regrets. “It’s all about continuing to reinvent yourself, and figure out what makes you happy,” he tells Variety.
The original She Bangs (in spanish because it's superior)
Read the whole interview at the source 1 2 3 4
______
Favorite Ricky Martin song? Funniest American Idol/Singing competition moment?