   william james hung (born january 13, 1983), also known as hung hing cheong, is a hong kong-born american singer who gained fame in early 2004 as a result of his off-key audition performance of ricky martin's hit song "she bangs" on the third season of the television series american idol. at the time of his audition, hung was a civil engineering student at uc berkeley. after his spirited audition to be the next american idol inadvertently won the support of many fans, hung voluntarily left college to pursue a music career. he became popular enough to perform on many popular shows, and even secured a record contract with koch entertainment in 2004, releasing three albums on the label. his recording career was marked by constant negative critical reaction, and his fame became the subject of much controversy as both he and his fans were accused of promoting and endorsing racial stereotypes against asians, as he was perceived to lack musical talent and be celebrated only for embodying these stereotypes. in spite of the criticism and the implications of his success, he only showed signs of thoroughly enjoying his celebrity, believing he was living his dream. he brought his own career as a musician to an end when in 2011 he accepted a job opportunity as a technical crime analyst, and decided to pursue law enforcement instead of music. since then, hung has reflected positively on his pop music career. ==early life== originally from sha tin, hong kong, hung moved to camden, new jersey in 1993 and graduated from the john h. francis polytechnic high school in los angeles. he was a student at university of california, berkeley, and later dropped out to pursue his music career. ==career== ===initial fame=== while studying civil engineering at the university of california, berkeley, hung auditioned for the third season of american idol in san francisco in september 2003. he was the final auditioner on the january 15, 2004, installment, the coup de grÃ¢ce of an hour-long episode that showcased other would-be pop stars, mostly lacking in talent. "i want to make music my living," said hung, before he started singing and dancing to ricky martin's 
1983_births American_Idol_participants American_Internet_celebrities American_male_singers American_people_of_Hong_Kong_descent Artistic_incompetence E1_Music_artists Hong_Kong_emigrants_to_the_United_States Living_people Male_actors_from_Los_Angeles,_California People_from_Camden,_New_Jersey