It wasn’t exactly his teenage dream. Katy Perry locked lips with American Idol contestant Benjamin Glaze during the season premiere on Sunday, March 11, but the 19-year-old — who had never been kissed — now wishes he could take back the moment.
“I was a tad bit uncomfortable,” the Oklahoma native told The New York Times on Wednesday, March 14. “I wanted to save [my first kiss] for my first relationship. I wanted it to be special.”
Perry, 33, planted a wet one on Glaze after fellow judge Luke Bryan asked the teen if he’d ever “kissed a girl and liked it,” referencing Perry’s hit track “I Kissed a Girl.”
Glaze then revealed to the country crooner, 41, “I have never been in a relationship and I can’t kiss a girl without being in a relationship.”
The “Swish Swish” songstress then beckoned Glaze toward her. Although the teen playfully pecked Perry’s cheek, she caught him off guard by stealing a quick kiss on the lips.
“Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no,” he added to NYT. “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 stumbled backward after the smooch and asked for water before performing Nick Jonas’ song “Levels” for Perry, Bryan and Lionel Richie. However, despite his intimate moment with Perry, Glaze did not advance into the competition’s next round.
“Benjamin, I really enjoyed meeting you today. You gave my heart a flutter. I think you’re really sweet,” the “Chained to the Rhythm” songstress gushed before explaining why she couldn’t vote in his favor. “Truthfully, there are just some people that are out-singing you right now, so I don’t think it would be fair to put you in that kind of competition. Next time just take a little bit more time. I think you were a bit rushed, maybe that was because I sped up your heart BPM of the heartbeat.”
Although he didn’t move forward in the show, Glaze expressed his gratitude to Perry for paying extra attention to him because it helped advance his career when he returned home. “So in that way, I’m glad she did it because it’s a great opportunity to get my music out,” he told the publication.
American Idol airs on ABC Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
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