The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

received more than four million hits. Within a month, that
number had exceeded eight million.
William began receiving e-mails from people thanking
him for his courage and example, which made the young
man wonder if there was a career hiding somewhere in all
this fame. That was around the time he was offered his first
record contract.
At the time of his audition, William was a civil
engineering student at the University of California,
Berkeley. After his performance on American Idol, he won
the hearts of fans everywhere, as well as the attention of the
media. Koch Entertainment offered him a deal that resulted
in his first album, Inspiration, a collection of cover songs
that sold more than two hundred thousand copies, followed
by two other less successful records.
In 2004, William left college to pursue a career in music,
making appearances on the shows of David Letterman,
Ellen DeGeneres, and Howard Stern. He even returned for a
guest performance on American Idol, the same show from
which he was rejected only months before. It was, in a way,
poetic justice. He had turned defeat into triumph and spent
the next few years performing all over the world, living off
the fame won by a viral video on YouTube.
In spite of its success, the career of William Hung was
controversial. Some criticized his fame, saying it reinforced
Asian stereotypes and promoted racism, as he was thought
to have no real musical talent. Others rooted for him. They
loved his tenacity. None of the critiques seemed to bother