Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Chris Tungseth, 27, of Fergus Falls, Minn., performed “Lonely Road,” an orginal song and a tribute to his late father. It’s a very, very good song, and Chris delivered it with tons of emotion as family members looked on. Carrie Underwood says she loves his voice, that it’s masculine and soft at the same time. Luke Bryan says he has Chris Stapleton vibes. He sails on to the next round. Luke says he thinks he’ll do really well on the show.

Here’s more about Chris:

* On the show, he identified himself as a roofer. But in announcing his Idol audition in January, Chris wrote “the side quest was always the main quest.”

* He grew up in a musical household. His mother Cathy played piano, taught piano and sang. His father Mark was an opera singer, worship leader and pastor.

* But his parents struggled with health issues. His mother was diagnosed with multiple scleroris when Chris was 10. Twelve years later, his dad was diagnosed with leukemia.

* His dad succumbed to the disease in May 2023 at age 65. “Dad was gravity to us,” Chris told Idol. “He was the strongest person I ever met.”

* Through it all, Chris told his hometown newspaper, The Daily Journal, that he would turn to music to help him cope.

* “Music was something I would fall back on,” he told the site. “It was a safe place for me.”

* But music wasn’t something he was actively pursuing, though he worked and frequently performed at Outstate Brewery in Fergus Falls.

* Chris was a basketball standout at Hillcrest Academy, where he eclipsed 1,000 points scored and sometimes sang the national anthem before games. He then attended and graduated from Minnesota State Community and Technical College.

* He and his siblings grew up watching Idol. But Chris told the Daily Journal that, while he wanted to audition for the show, he never thought he actually would.

* A friend took matters into her own hands, submitting an audition tape on his behalf. So in June, he wound up traveling to Nashville during CMA Fest and auditioning for Idol producers.

* In an interview with Twin Cities Live, Chris said it’s difficult to describe the way he felt as his audition with the judges unfolded. He siad it was mixture of excitement, joy, confusion and shock.

* “This is all new to me,” he said. “I’ve never been on TV. I don’t love cameras. I’m not good at that stuff. I’m just a kid from small, rural Minnesota.” One who’s Hollywood Week bound on Idol. And likely to go further than that.

Chris on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube

@christungseth found a fun little emo chord progression from @patfromlastyear so i wrote a sad song. #foryou #phoebebridgerstok #originalmusic #ReTokforNature #jakescottmusic #jeremyzucker #nourisheveryyou #fyp #musictok ♬ original sound – chris paul