At the end of Wednesday’s episode of American Idol, we heard Jennifer Lopez say she was most impressed with the young singer with “the Justin Bieber haircut.”
She was talking about Isaac Cole McNanny of Emlenton, Pa.
And there’s plenty of reasons to be impressed.
Though he was just 15 when he auditioned, Isaac already recorded an album called “County Boy” back in 2012 and an impressive five-track EP called “Just a Kid” in 2014.
Since folks have so much trouble pronouncing his last name, Isaac explained to the judges that he performs simply as Isaac Cole.
He’d prepared two songs for his audition, one a cappella and one with guitar. To the judges’ amusement, Isaac wound up singing the a cappella song — Lee Brice’s “Love Like Crazy” — while playing guitar.
But, hey, it worked. Especially after Isaac assured them that he’s “a fast learner.” He breezed to Hollywood with three “yes” votes and a piece of advice from Harry Connick Jr. — to lose the twang when he sings since he doesn’t talk that way.
According to his website, Isaac has been singing since age 4 when he performed Josh Turner’s “Long Black Train” in his church. By age 6, he was learning to play the guitar.
Though he hails from rural western Pennsylvania, the album and EP were recorded in Nashville with the assistant of Christian country singer Tommy Brandt. And in 2014, Isaac was named Best New Artist at the Inspirational Country Music Awards.
Isaac told his hometown newspaper, he initially planned to wait until he was 16 to audition for Idol. Then he found out Season 15 would be the show’s last.
As for Jennifer’s comment about his hair …
“They just loved my hair,” he told the newspaper. “They nicknamed me the country Bieber.”
You can also follow “the country Bieber” on his Facebook page. On Twitter, he’s @IsaacColeMusic.
Now here are a couple of tracks from that 2014 EP.
“Cowboy Boots in Heaven”
“I’m Just a Kid”
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