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Jack Blocker
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Jack Forest Blocker (born June 8, 1998)[1] is an American alternative pop/rock singer-songwriter and musician known for being a season 22 American Idol finalist from Dallas County, Texas. He was the first contestant to initially receive a majority of two "no" votes from the judges (before Lionel Richie reversed his decision)[2] to subsequently reach the finals.
Early life and career
[edit]Blocker was born on June 8, 1998 in Richardson, Texas to Truman and Caryn Blocker.[3] He has three sisters. Growing up in Dallas, his parents described him as a shy but adventurous child, who was equally interested in athletics and art.[3] He was inspired to pursue music from listening to country artists and worship songs. He went to high school at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas,[3] where he met his future wife, Georgia. He is a self-taught guitarist who learned how to play from watching YouTube instructional videos.[1]
Prior to American Idol, Blocker was in a pop band called Rightfield,[1] which he formed while attending the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.[1] He majored in communications.[1] In 2022, he, his wife, and his bandmate Reed Hoelscher, moved to Nashville to pursue music as a full-time career. While Blocker continued recording with his band, simultaneously he became a solo artist and began writing songs. He describes the move as a "culture shock".[1]
American Idol
[edit]Blocker auditioned in Nashville with his original song, "I Was Wrong". Luke Bryan voted "yes", but Katy Perry voted "no" citing that the faces he pulled while singing were distracting.[4] Lionel Richie was on the fence, but decided to vote "no".[3] After Blocker left the room, he questioned his decision, while the crew lambasted the judges.[2] Richie took a vote and the entire crew plus Ryan Seacrest voted to bring Blocker back in for a "yes", after which they gave him a golden ticket to Hollywood.[2]
In Hollywood, Blocker practiced singing in the mirror to subdue his facial contortions that initially turned off Perry. He sang "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams Sr. and advanced onto the next round.[5] After singing "You Should've Seen the Other Guy" by Nathaniel Rateliff,[5] the judges brought a portion of the crew out to announce along with them that he made the Top 24.
For his Top 24 performance at Disney's Aulani resort in Hawaii, Blocker sang "Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves and was lauded by the judges (which included guest mentor Jelly Roll).[6] Richie declared Blocker was "a storyteller's storyteller".[6] Blocker advanced to the Top 20 and subsequently the Top 14, singing "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" by Jim Croce for the voting round and "Feeling Whitney" by Post Malone as his "victory song".[7]
Blocker earned unanimous praise from the judges for his Top 14 performance of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".[5] He continued to earn plaudits for his Top 12 and Top 10 performances of "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd and "Believe" by Cher,[2] respectively. Perry praised Blocker for "taking a dance song that is so Cher and making it Jack Blocker".[8] For his solo performance on the Judges' Contest night (Top 8), Blocker performed without his guitar for the first time. He sang "Always on My Mind", which was chosen for him by Perry, and was lauded by all three judges. He and Emmy Russell (Loretta Lynn's granddaughter) also sang a duet of "Hello" as a tribute to Richie.[8]
He continued to garner further acclamation from the judges in the successive weeks. He sang "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard and "One and Only" by Adele in the Top 7.[7] The following week in the Top 5, he was lauded for his performances of "Nobody's Fool" by Brad Paisley and "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.[7] After these performances, he was announced as part of the Final 3 alongside Abi Carter and Will Moseley. In the finale, he sang "I'll Be There for You" by Bon Jovi and "All My Ex's Live in Texas" by George Strait. Following these performances, Blocker was eliminated in third place.[7] (Carter was eventually declared the winner of season 22.) After his elimination, Blocker also performed a duet with Perry on her song "What Makes a Woman", in which she allowed him to write his own verse.[6] His self-penned single "All of Yours (To Give All of Mine)", which he was unable to perform due to being eliminated prior to the final round, was released on May 17, 2024.[9]
Performances and results
[edit]| American Idol season 22 performances and results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order number | Result |
| Auditions Episode No. 1 | N/A | "I Was Wrong" | Jack Blocker | N/A | Saved[a] |
| Hollywood Round | "Your Cheatin' Heart" | Hank Williams | Advanced | ||
| Showstoppers/Green Mile | "You Should've Seen the Other Guy" | Nathaniel Rateliff | |||
| Top 24 – Monday, Part 2 (April 8) |
Contestant's Choice | "Rainbow" | Kacey Musgraves | 8 | |
| Top 20 (April 14 – Voting) |
"You Don't Mess Around with Jim" | Jim Croce | 1 | ||
| Top 20 (April 15 – Results) |
Victory/WildCard Songs | "Feeling Whitney" | Post Malone | 4 | |
| Top 14 (April 21) | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame | "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" | Bob Dylan | 9 | |
| Top 12 (April 22) | Billboard No. 1 Hits | "Blinding Lights" | The Weeknd | 6 | |
| Top 10 (April 28) | Year you Were Born | "Believe" | Cher | 2 | |
| Top 8 (April 29) | Judges' Song Contest | "Hello" (w/ Emmy Russell) |
Lionel Richie | 3 | |
| "Always on My Mind" (selected by Katy Perry) |
Gwen McCrae | 5 | |||
| Top 7 (May 5) | Dance Songs / Adele | "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)" | Little Richard | 1 | |
| "One and Only" | Adele | 9 | |||
| Top 5 (May 12) | Disney Night | "Nobody's Fool" (from Cars 2) |
Brad Paisley | 4 | |
| "Space Oddity" (from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) |
David Bowie | 9 | |||
| Top 3 – Grand Finale (May 18) |
Bon Jovi / Hometown Dedication / Winner's Single |
"I'll Be There for You" | Bon Jovi | 2 | 3rd place |
| "All My Ex's Live in Texas" | George Strait | 5 | |||
Notes
[edit]- ^ Initially, Luke Bryan voted yes, while Katy Perry and Lionel Richie voted no. However, upon a revote, Richie's vote became a "yes", thereby becoming the majority vote and sending Blocker to Hollywood.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Bronson, Fred (April 22, 2024). "Meet 2024's American Idol Top 10 Contestants: Up close and personal with the top singers of season 22". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. OCLC 732913734. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
…the band he had in college, Rightfield. They played gigs while attending the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where Blocker majored in communications.
- ^ a b c d Cohn, Paulette (April 29, 2024). "Jack Blocker Is the American Idol Who Made Katy Perry Apologize". AOL News. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
With the crew's backing—something that had never happened before, Lionel changed his vote and ever since Hollywood Week, Katy and Lionel have been apologizing to Jack, who so far has made it to the Top 8.
- ^ a b c d e Panicker, Jobin (February 25, 2024). "Richardson native takes American Idol stage". WFAA. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
'He walked all the way back. They were taking off his mic. It was over,' his father said. That is, until the production crew chimed in and called for a re-vote.
- ^ Palinkas, Lorianne (May 15, 2024). "10 Reasons Jack Blocker Will Win American Idol Season 22 (The Proof)". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
Katy told him that he had a 'good-sounding voice', but he had some bad habits with the way that he was delivering the song.
- ^ a b c Edwards, Clayton (April 22, 2024). "American Idol's Jack Blocker Proves He's a Star With Breathtaking Cover of a Bob Dylan Classic". American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
He sat on a stool with his acoustic guitar and played "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" for the audience. He made the decades-old song his own…
- ^ a b c Callahan, Erinn (June 19, 2024). "Jack Blocker Unleashes a Tyler Childers Cover That Has Fans Rethinking the American Idol Results". American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
Even when the words aren't his own, the song always becomes uniquely Jack Blocker.
- ^ a b c d Dixon, Marcus James (May 19, 2024). "American Idol outrage: Jack Blocker eliminated in 3rd place during finale night". GoldDerby. Retrieved June 11, 2025 – via Y! Entertainment.
Ultimately, after millions of votes were cast, host Ryan Seacrest announced that the person eliminated in third place was Jack Blocker,
- ^ a b Callahan, Erinn (April 29, 2024). "American Idol's Jack Blocker Smashes Willie Nelson Cover on the Red Headed Stranger's Birthday". American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
An astonished Richie called Blocker 'Mr. Magic Man'. He praised him for continually reinventing himself while still managing to carve out his own unique sound.
- ^ Palinkas, Lorianne (October 22, 2024). "What Happened To Jack Blocker After American Idol Season 22?". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
Jack, a 25-year-old graphic designer from Dallas, Texas, auditioned for the judges—Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan—with his original song, "I Was Wrong".