American Idol contestant says Katy Perry's kiss 'made him uncomfortable'

A 20-year-old singer kissed by Katy Perry during his American Idol audition has said the experience left him "uncomfortable" - because it was his first kiss.

Benjamin Glaze, who was 19 at the time, told Perry and her fellow judges he had never kissed a girl.

The singer beckoned him over for a kiss on the cheek, but then kissed his lips.

Glaze, from Oklahoma, has stressed that he does not think Perry sexually harassed him.

She has faced a backlash since the incident was broadcast earlier this week as part of the series premiere, with some pointing out there would have been an outcry if a male judge had kissed a woman in the same way.

Glaze, a cashier, looked visibly shocked by the incident and fell to the ground, while 33-year-old Perry high-fived Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan saying: "Yeah, I got him."

The audition continued with Glaze saying: "I kind of wasn't expecting that" before he sang Nick Jonas's Levels - which ultimately, the judges decided was not good enough for him to progress to the next round.

"I really enjoyed meeting you today," Perry - known for hits like I Kissed a Girl - told Glaze. "You gave my heart a flutter. I think you're really sweet."

Glaze later told The New York Times he had wanted to save his first kiss for his first relationship.

"I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately," he said. "I wanted my first kiss to be special."

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But writing on Facebook on Wednesday, Glaze said he was "not complaining about the kiss from Katy Perry at all".

He said: "I am very honoured and thankful to have been a part of American Idol... I do wish I would have performed better in the moment.

"I should have picked another song to sing and calmed myself down regardless of the kiss. I should have been able to perform under pressure.

"I do not think I was sexually harassed by Katy Perry and I am thankful for the judges' comments and critiques. I was uncomfortable in a sense of how I have never been kissed before and was not expecting it."

Glaze added that he did not think his views had been "appropriately communicated through the media".