Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Jake Tankersley, 31, Claremore, Okla., “”Something in the Orange”: His deep voice enticed quick chair turns from Gwen Stefani and Michael Buble. Reba turned too, only to learn she’d been blocked by Gwen. Michael Buble then turned, giving Jake the first four-chair turn of Season 26. Snoop encouraged him to “shake up the world” by joining his team. Gwen complimented Jake on his low, gravely voice. Michael noted that he co-wrote one of Blake Shelton’s hit songs. Jake opted to join Team Snoop Dogg.

Here’s more about Jake.

* He’s an Oklahoma country artist, born in Sand Springs and now living in Claremore with his wife and children.

* And he’s a country artist who’s already released music, including an 18 song(!) album called “The Little Things” in 2019.

* Three songs from that album — “Money Man,” “Hunt and Fish” and “My Dad’s Truck” — have more than 100,000 streams on Spotify.

* He’s released about a half dozen singles since. The latest — “Marilyn Monroe (Good as Gold)” — came out in the summer of 2023. As in “she’s my Marilyn Monroe.” Check out the music video below.

* In his website bio, Jake says he developed a love for music at a young age, especially the music of Johnny Cash, Elvis Prsley, George Jones and Roger Miller.

* By high school, he was playing guitar, singing and writing his own music. According to a press released for a 2022 single, he recorded one of his early songs while still in high school.

* That song, “See You Soon,” was written as a tribute to two 15-year-old classmates who had died in an automobile accident. It raised $7,000 for the girls’ families.

* Jake also auditioned for American Idol Season 15 back in 2016, earning a golden ticket with his perforance of “Danny’s Song.” He was using the stage name Jake Dillon at the time.

* At the time, he was a plumber’s apprentice who worked part-time at his church. He’s now worship pastor at Cedar Point Church in Oklahoma.

* And among the gigs he’s enjoyed over the years — opening for the Swon Brothers, finalists on The Voice Season 2 — back in 2021.

* Says Jake in a press release for one of his songs: ““Country music is just one of those things with truth in the songs. It’s just life in general, and it’s something that’s always been a love of mine.”

Jake on social media
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