Justin Koolik of American Idol Season 24
Idol returns to ABC on Monday, Jan. 26 with the judging trio of Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood.
Here’s more about Justin:
* He’s a 22-year-old musician from Boca Raton, Fla., who is now based in Nashville.
* In his Spotify bio, Justin describes himself as a folk-pop artist. And, yep, you guessed it: That means he has music on steaming sites, including “Less and Less,” a five-song EP he dropped in November. Justin calls it “my most vulnerable music to date.” “Where You” from that EP is brilliant. And he’s since released an excellent single called “Aspen Trees.”
* Performing music isn’t the future Justin always envisioned for himself. He attended Vanderbilt University, where he studied finance.
* “Sometimes I can’t believe I’m actually living in Nashville making music,” Justin wrote on Spotify when his EP was released. “This time last year, I thought I’d be living in New York City, working in a tall building. Some things just don’t make sense, but, oh well!”
* Justin’s older brother Brett followed a similar path, studying biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt before heading to Los Angeles to work as a music producer.
* Brett has been lead producer on most of Justin’s music. “Walking away from a finance job after college to pursue music full-time has taken me on an emotional rollercoaster,” Justin writes on Instagram.
* He adds: “But what has made it all worth it is being able to work with my brother. Working with him is so special – I wouldn’t trade it for the world. There is a different energy in the room working with family.”
* In an interview with WLRN in South Florida, Justin said he turned to music in high school. Diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, he underwent four surgeries and spent his sophomore year in the hospital. The experience inspired a song called “Love Remains.” You can check it out below.
* Justin returned to Boca Raton for a hometown show just before Christmas. It wound up being his first sold-out show. “What a way to end 2025,” he wrote on social media.
Justin on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube
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