On Friday, March 28, 2025, DV alumnus Filo Ebid, who is currently in American Idol’s top 24, returned to DV almost 6 years after his graduation to perform as a special guest during DVHS’ Senior Wildcat Night.
Ebid first moved to the US when he was 13 from Egypt.
“When my family first moved here, it was a challenge to find my footing in American society, and it wasn’t until I really dug in and discovered my talent and my passion for the stage and for singing, that I felt like I belong,” Ebid recalled.
His first true experience with singing, however, would come from his experience in the Coptic Orthodox Church when he was first growing up in Egypt. The church would help expose him to types of traditional and group singing that would help carry him to his time on the stage.
Ebid found his passion for music almost 11 years ago during his first ever performance, “Shrek the Musical,” at Gale Ranch Middle School, where he played Shrek. “Shrek the Musical” acted as a seed of curiosity that planted the wonder of stage for him to grow his passion for theater and specifically singing.
“What’s cool about theatrical singing is that because of this repetition, it kind of engraves healthy habits into you as a singer. So when you transfer into mainstream singing, you take that into account every time you sing: your health, your breathing, all this stuff that would make you a great singer,” Ebid concluded.
During his time at DV, Ebid played a part in every single musical and Evening of Theatre.
“This stage is my home, it was for four years, so it means a lot being back,” Ebid said.
Ebid was an active part of DV’s choir, being a part of it for all four years of his high school experience. Ebid would first be exposed to R&B, pop and general mainstream music when he and his family lived in Abu Dhabi and United Arab Emirates for a few years before moving to the U.S.
Reflecting on him coming back after 6 years to perform at DV, Ebid feels like his music hasn’t exactly changed.
“Funny enough, when I sent my new single to my choir teacher, she was like, ‘This sounds exactly like you, it’s got your name written all over every note.’ It’s because it’s my personality being embodied in the music,” Ebid said. “I think in the last six years, after graduating from Dougherty, I haven’t changed as much as I found myself…It was just a time of discovery, I was a completely different person when I was here in the sense of growth and maturity. But I still feel like my essence, that I kind of cherished here and nurtured here, has never changed.”
Ebid felt that he wasn’t what a “traditional wildcat” was in terms of academics, at least not towards the end of his time in high school. He started to put more into his passion, which was theater, music, and performing.
“If you’ve got a passion, you know, just see where it takes you, you’re never too young to start something,” Ebid said.
After graduating from DV, Ebid got accepted to the University of the Pacific, Stockton at the conservatory with a full ride in Classical Music. But in order to also satisfy his family’s expectations, he would also start his track in pre-med. However, it never exactly sat right with him, ultimately leading Ebid to change his trajectory during his senior year.
“I was like ‘Mom, I’m going to put pre-med on the side. God is opening a lot of doors. I’m going to finish my music degree and just see,’” Ebid added.
Ebid started to question where to go with his music career, with his degree being in classical music; he found it hard, even while loving it, to pursue it. He started to look at programs and getting his master’s degree, trying to find somewhere or someone who helped nurture newer artists. He would eventually come across the Berklee College of Music where he attended a one year master’s program in Valencia, Spain.
“So I just graduated in July, and that’s where an artist, his name is Jim Brickman, saw me perform and told me he’d like to send a recording of mine to American Idol, because he knows the senior crafting director. That’s how I made it onto the show. It was really just the stories aligned in the best way,” Ebid said.
Ebid had always been a big fan of American Idol, watching blooper reels on his phone with his friends in the choir room. At first, he put singing competitions out of his head, trying to mainly focus on making his own original music. But then he got the call.
“I really had to stay grounded and just think of it as just another opportunity, like any other audition that I’m going to go sing for. So there was a constant reminder of ‘hey, whatever the result is, it’s just another opportunity. It’s just another door that I’m gonna knock on. Hopefully it opens. If it doesn’t, we’re moving on to the next door.’ Luckily, it all worked out, and the judges loved my audition,” Ebid said.
Ebid is now among the top 24 contestants for American Idol after securing his Platinum Ticket, with his cover of “Try a Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding leaving a lasting impression on the judges.
“Keep your eye on the target, and you live in the moment, not let the distractions cloud your judgment…If you aim high, you can fall a little bit short, but you land in a higher spot,” Ebid said.
