Last year, this guy from Los Angeles advanced to Hollywood on American Idol under the name Phillip Brooks.
This year, after auditioning in San Diego, he was Hollywood-bound under his stage name, River St. James.
“It’s just a name I like,” says the guy who made it all the way to the Vegas round a year ago. “It came to me at like 4 in the morning when I should have been sleeping.”
On Facebook, his music is classified as Brit-pop. And he says he first performed for an audience when he was about 10, singing “Some Girls” in the play “Once Upon This Island.”
But he started singing much younger than that.
“My mom still tells me stories about how when I was about 5, I’d be at baseball practice and, instead of swinging the bat, I’d turn it upside down and start singing,” he told Idol during last year’s golden ticket interview.
He says he sees Idol as a perfect opportunity to jump start his career, and if you’d like to check out three of his originals, head to his Facebook page.
As for why he could become the next Idol, this personable young man doesn’t hesitate to answer.
“I have the perfect mix of style, swagger, skill and likeability,” he says, without coming off as too cocky. “I’m not anything that I don’t say I am. I’m just a kid who likes to play music.”
Here are a couple cover tunes from the kid who likes to play music.
“Nothing Can Change This Love”
“Cosmic Love”
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