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Jack Blocker
American singer and musician (born 1998) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
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Early life and career
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]
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American Idol
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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 in order 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
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Notes
- 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
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