Leming working on debut album

LOS ANGELES, May 27 (UPI) -- Josiah Leming, a would-be "American Idol" contestant from Tennessee, reportedly has landed a record deal with Warner Bros.

Leming, 19, was living in his car when he auditioned for the singing competition show with an original tune.

Although he didn't make the cut for the top 24 contestants last season, his MySpace page, which features his music, has since gotten 2 million hits. He also was invited to appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

USA Today said that his most recent success is bittersweet, however.

Leming, who began work on his debut album for Warner Bros. last week, is hoping the CD comes out before his mother Sharon succumbs to terminal cancer.

"It's a difficult balance between moving forward with my career here in Los Angeles, which makes my mom really happy, and trying to be with her as much as I can," Leming told USA Today. "I want her to be here when the album comes out."

With the advance he got for the album, Leming bought a truck for his father, a construction worker who quit his job to care for his wife. Leming also rented a house for a week so his family could enjoy a trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks, the newspaper said.