Will Noah Thompson be ‘American Idol’s Newest Country Star?
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
American Idol Season 20 star Noah Thompson has made it into the Top 10. The 20-year-old country singer has shown that he’s not afraid to take risks when choosing songs from various genres. Noah has also been open about his struggles with self-confidence as a singer.
Noah Thompson’s Friend Convinced Him to Audition
Before his audition, Noah was working as a construction worker in Louisa, Kentucky. His friend and co-worker Arthur signed Noah up for the show, calling him “gifted.” The judges brought Arthur into the audition room when they gave Noah his Golden Ticket.
Noah said he’s dreamed of making it big as a musician since he was a kid, but he felt like he didn’t have many opportunities growing up in a small town. He added that he’s struggled with confidence, saying, “I’ve just never believed in myself.”
The singer told Billboard that his musical influences include Ryan Adams, Neil Young, and Chris Stapleton. He was also inspired by his father, who was in a band when Noah was growing up. In high school, he was pushed by his classmates to sing in the choir and talent shows.
“I appreciate the people that forced me to do it because they pulled me out of my shell a little bit,” Noah said, adding of his Idol experience, “I’ve learned that I don’t sound as bad as I thought I did. It’s going a little better than I thought it would go, for sure. I truly didn’t believe I would get a golden ticket.”
SEE ALSO: PAULA ABDUL, RANDY JACKSON WILL RETURN TO ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ NEXT WEEK
Noah Loves Being a Father
Noah has a baby son named Walker. Before his Top 20 performance, he could be seen singing to his son over FaceTime. Judge Katy Perry got choked up over the sweet moment, telling Noah that she misses her baby, too.
“It’s crazy. It wasn’t expected at the age that I am,” Noah told Billboard about becoming a father. “It completely changed my life. He’s all I think about. He became my life, man. That’s what all this is for.”
Noah has made some unexpected song choices in his time on the show, performing everything from “Stay” by Rihanna to “Falling” by Harry Styles. He’s also not afraid to change his songs during rehearsal if something isn’t working. This past week, he chose to sing a John Mayer song he had never heard before in the Judge’s Song Contest.
We’ll see Noah perform again in the Top 10 during Sunday’s Disney Night on ABC.
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