Jayson Arendt, a 24-year-old Banana Ball League player on the Texas Tailgaters and aspiring singer from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, didn’t make the American Idol Top 30 after a cover of a legendary Blake Shelton track fell short. Still, he’s proud of how far he’s come in the competition and is already teasing what’s next for him.
Arendt took the stage wearing a black T-shirt beneath a brown vest, paired with jeans and a hat, delivering an impressive rendition of Shelton’s classic “Austin” in front of the star-studded panel of Idol judges, Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan.
Strumming his acoustic guitar and backed by the Idol band, Arendt brought his own energy and style to the beloved country hit.
“If you’re callin’ ’bout the car I sold it/ If this is Tuesday night I’m bowling/ If you’ve got somethin’ to sell/ You’re wastin’ your time, I’m not buyin’/ If it’s anybody else, wait for the tone/ You know what to do/ And P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you,” Arendt sang on the chorus of the iconic Shelton track.
Following his performance, Luke Bryan offered Arendt some vocal advice, noting that he could enunciate the lyrics more clearly to shine even brighter in the future. “On those choruses, make sure you enunciate through them on those big notes,” Bryan told Arendt.
Carrie Underwood added, “The devil’s in the details.”
Bryan then revealed to Jayson Arendt that his time on the show has come to an end, telling the Idol hopeful, “Jayson, this is the end of your American Idol journey.”
After his fate on the popular singing competition show was unveiled, Arendt spoke with Idol producers. Although he didn’t advance to the Top 30, Arendt reflected on the journey with pride. The experience gave him the chance to perform for some of the biggest names in country music and show off his musical talents on a national stage.
“I think my buddies would be more than proud of me. I gave you everything I had. That’s all I can do,” Arendt shared with Idol producers.
Despite being eliminated from the American Idol competition, Jayson Arendt isn’t giving up on his musical dreams and it seems he has big things planned. Arendt took to social media hours before Idol aired to let his followers know that he has some exciting announcements this week and is returning to the studio to record new music.
“Getting on here to let you know that this is going to be a big week. So y’all need to stay tuned on socials. We’ve got some new music we’re going to cut this week. We got a big announcement coming on Wednesday (Mar. 4). So stay tuned this week and stay up-to-date with what’s coming because you won’t want to miss it,” Arendt teased in a social media video.
American Idol airs every Monday at 8/7c on ABC, and is available to stream next day on Hulu.
