American Idol judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie were emotionally moved by Jesse Findling, who delivered a memorable performance despite having a stutter.
In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip from the Monday, January 26, premiere, Findling shared how his passion for singing began, saying, “I am 19 years old. I’m a college student right now, but I’ve been singing ever since I was little with my brother and sister. We would just sing with each other, and since then, I did choirs in school.”
Findling explained that singing helped with his speech disorder.
“I have had a stutter ever since I was little. It’s something that I’ve struggled with since elementary school. That was something embarrassing for me — something that I really had a hard time with,” he recalled. “I wouldn’t raise my hand in school and it was just something that made me feel alone.”
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Findling felt he “had to hide” his stutter from other students. “It was definitely hard. Singing has always felt freeing for me because when I sing, I don’t stutter,” he said. “When I sing, it is a way for me to express myself in a way where I don’t have to worry about being embarrassed at what people would think or that somebody would laugh.”
Before performing on American Idol, Findling noted that his passion was “an outlet” for him. He chose “In the Stars” by Benson Boone.
“Walking out with a golden ticket would mean that everything that I’ve struggled with in the past has all led me here. I can do whatever I want if I work hard,” he explained. “I’ve come a long way with it and it doesn’t hold me back. Me and my brother sing with each other, and he also has a stutter, so it’s really special when we sing together.”
Findling continued: “It is crazy to see how far he’s come. It’s insane. I want to be a role model for him because I knew how hard it was for me in school. [‘In the Stars’] is the song me and my brother always sing together. I am going to be thinking of him only singing it.”
After an emotional performance, Findling received support from every judge.
“I don’t think I blinked one time. You’re a real singer,” Bryan, 49, told Findling. “I’m really proud of you. I love this show. I love this show because we get to meet kids like you.”
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Underwood, 42, was also affected by Findling’s performance, adding, “Your voice is beautiful. You have a beautiful tone. We could understand everything you were singing and you were in the song emotionally, which just took us right there with you.”
Richie, 76, meanwhile, applauded Findling. “Problem? What problem? You don’t have a problem,” he noted. “The only thing wrong with you is you have to figure out how you’re gonna navigate this career.”
Findling was joined by his family, who got to see him receive a golden ticket.
“When I was singing that song, I was thinking of younger me, who wouldn’t speak in class, who was scared of what people thought of him and the fact that I got this is just proof that everything’s working out how it should,” he shared in a confessional. “I’m going to Hollywood Week.”
American Idol returns Monday, January 26, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
