Jakob Stobaugh turned a TikTok moment into a life-changing opportunity on American Idol, earning a golden ticket to Hollywood Week. Luke Bryan discovered the 25-year-old retail sales manager and aspiring singer from San Antonio, Texas, while scrolling on TikTok, capturing his attention with his country vocals, prompting an invitation to audition on Idol.
“I had somebody message me, and they were like, ‘Hey, come on in,’” he explained of how he got onto Idol. Bryan then revealed to the contestant, “Well, I might of seen you on TikTok.”
Bryan, a frequent TikTok user during his downtime, discovered Jakob Stobaugh on the social media platform, leading producers to invite him to audition in front of Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan. Stobaugh is the third contestant that Bryan found on TikTok, and the first two did not earn a golden ticket, so the “Word On The Street” singer was especially hopeful this audition would finally change his track record.
“I remember swearing off TikTok, and now I’m a TikToker. I’m addicted to TikTok. I’ll just go and say it if anybody wants to intervene, and now I’m actually scrolling, finding talent that somehow makes it in front of us judges,” Bryan explained, before he added, “Obviously I’m learning that TikTok has filters on it that make you sound amazing… I must say, currently I’m zero for two on TikTok referrals.”
That is until Jakob Stobaugh entered the audition room.
Wearing a light blue button-up shirt and jeans, the contestant from the Lone Star State auditioned with an impressive cover of “You Should Probably Leave” by Chris Stapleton. “You Should Probably Leave,” co-written by Stapleton alongside Ashley Gorley and Chris DuBois, appears as the third single from Stapleton’s fourth studio album, Starting Over.
“‘Cause I know you and you know me/ but we both know where this is gonna lead/ You want me to say that I want you to stay/ so you should probably leave/ Yeah, you should probably leave,” Stobaugh belted out, allowing his gritty vocals to shine.
Following his incredible performance, Luke Bryan leaped out of his chair behind the judges panel. “Think I’m going to be okay. I think I ended the slump, Lionel!”
“Yes sir, I think you did!” Richie responded. “What cha think Carrie?” Bryan asked the “Before He Cheats” hitmaker, to which she quickly voted “yes.” Bryan then shouted, “I’m one for three!”
“You did it!” Richie chimed in to Bryan’s response of “finally.” Underwood then shouted, “And you totally redeemed yourself!”
Richie and Bryan also agreed and issued Stobaugh a golden ticket to Hollywood Week, taking place in Music City this year.
After scoring his golden ticket to Hollywood Week, Jakob Stobaugh showcased his gratitude for Luke Bryan discovering him on TikTok. “Thank you guys so much, Mr. Luke Bryan, thank you so much for getting me here after seeing my TikTok,” Stobaugh said graciously. “I was told that I saved Luke Bryan’s career.”
According to MySanAntonio.com, Jakob Stobaugh has been performing since he was 12 or 13 years old; however, he has been singing his entire life. He works as a retail sales manager at Bracken Guns, a disabled veteran-owned gun shop, and is also part of a duo called Jake N Rey. He told the outlet that when he got the news that he made it to audition in front of the Idol judges, he was “ecstatic,” and admitted it was “probably the most excited I’ve been in 10 years … first time I’ve cried over news, like, probably ever.”
New episodes of American Idol air every Monday at 8/7c on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
