North Jersey's Jake Thistle Reveals Song He'll Sing On 'American Idol' Monday

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Jake Thistle was three years old and living in Paramus when a Super Bowl halftime show made him want to be a musician, he said.

UPDATE: Thistle Learns His Fate. See Our TV Recap.

His parents let him stay up late to watch TV on that fateful Sunday in 2008, perhaps to instill an interest in sports, says the singer — who'll appear on TV's "American Idol" Monday night.

Their attempt didn't work.

Instead, he was inspired by the music.

The performer? The late Tom Petty.

"For whatever reason, it just entirely mesmerized me," he recalled in an interview with Patch on Wednesday.

Now, the 21-year-old recent Rutgers graduate will play music on TV for the first time, appearing on the ABC program.

He'll appear before judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan, hoping to head to the next round of stardom.

Thistle couldn't say in his interview whether he proceeds to the next round, but he was able to reveal which song he picked for the audition.

It's "Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith, the British supergroup that included Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech.

Thistle graduated from Paramus High School in 2022, released two singles in 2023, performed around the country, and graduated from Rutgers last month. Now he'll get what may be his big break.

Thistle's music blends classic rock with modern pop.

He started playing gigs a few weeks before his 10th birthday when a family friend suggested he try out an open mic at Mama’s Café Baci in Hackettstown.

"It really snowballed from there," he said.

He continued in the public schools in Paramus, he said, where he had an "incredible time because Paramus has such a great music program throughout the schools. My parents didn’t know that when they moved here. It was a great environment for fostering what I wanted to do."

While studying at Rutgers, Thistle kept playing shows, and especially enjoyed performing in Asbury Park. But "Idol" will bring his biggest audience yet, he said.

"The thing about New Jersey for me is," he said, "Honestly, out of everywhere I could be from, this is the place I'd want to be from. It's such a great place creatively. There's so much talent that comes out of New Jersey, so many people to look up to...it's a master class in songwriting."

Thistle, an only child, says his parents still live in Paramus, and he hopes to move back to the area from New Brunswick eventually.

For now, he said, "I’d really appreciate it for people tune in to that part of my journey. I’m trying to hang around as long as possible in the scene. I'm hoping this is a good introduction for me to a larger audience. I'm really excited to see what happens."

"American Idol" airs at 8 p.m. this Monday on ABC, and streams on Hulu the next day.