BALTIMORE — Dimitrius Graham hadn't seen his mom for about a year when he decided to surprise at her Windsor Mill home.
At the time, his family was preparing to watch Graham's performance in Hollywood on American Idol.
He briefly talked to her outside before knocking on the door.
Everyone in the apartment complex must have heard Lorraine Ricks's scream of excitement. Tears soon followed.
"This is what you call the tightest hug in the world if you all can feel this love," Graham said.
The love was evident. Surrounded by his immediate family and young nieces and nephews, Dimitrius got to catch up with everyone before they saw him take the stage.
"I always knew that he would be successful at anything he tried to do and he was determined to be on American Idol a long time ago and he never gave up that dream. So he never gave up, I never gave up, so I knew he was going to be there," said Ricks, Graham's mother.
Graham grew up singing. Everywhere he went, and at all hours of the day, his family remembers him singing along to something.
"When he was hungry he sang. He had a song about oodles of noodles. He would sing about the ice cream from the ice cream man," Ricks said.
Outside of his home, he would sing for his church and with his sisters around the community.
"Mom used to take us to the shelter. Oh my goodness, we were like the mini choir every year for the women's shelter downtown," Latoyia Califf, Graham's sister.
His dream remains unchanged
"I honestly just want to share my gift with the world," said Graham.
He's now been given that shot.
Graham made it past the group auditions. He'll now move onto the next round in the show.
