Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Mike Steele, 28, of Mississippi, performed “For Tonight” by Giveon: He demonstrated a superb tone on the first few notes. Within a couple of lines, both Adam Levine and John Legend were facing in his direction. A high note prompted Kelly to turn as well. He completed a silky smooth cover of the Giveon hit. Kelly said she was shocked that his singing voice and deep talking voice don’t match. John complimented him on the cool choices he made during the performance and the richness and depth of his baritone voice. Adam echoed that praise.

Here’s more about Mike:

* He’s a Mississippi-base singer, model and actor. He’s a native of Tutwiler, Miss., and lives in Senatobia, Miss.

* He’s a graduate of West Tallahatchie High School and attend Mississippi Valley State University where he sings with the university choir, known as The Valley Singers.

* Mike released a two-song project called “While in L.A.” last year at about this time. It includes the songs “LOVE” and “Get It Right.”

* There’s a music video for “Get It Right” that features one of Mike’s two children and his son’s mother. You can check it out below.

* Mike appears to have gotten his start in church, singing worship and gospel music. In 2024, he won Secular Artist of thee Year in the Mississippi Merit Awards. And in 2025, he was nominated as Male Artist of the Year in the Golden Triangle Music Awards, designed to honor independent artists.

* Mike has more than 140,000 followers and more than 2.8 million likes on his TikTok where he’s gone viral at least twice.

* A video of Mike and two buddies singing “Mary Did You Know” has been viewed more than 1.3 million times. A video of Mike covering the blues song “Last Two Dollars” has more than 425,000 views.

* In 2024, Mike auditioned for Season 22 of American Idol. He earned a golden ticket, but his audition didn’t air. He was eliminated during Hollywood Week. His airtime was limited to a few seconds where he learned Lionel Richie’s “street name” from his youth.

* Mike wrote on social media that he was still grateful for the experience, adding “this is not the last the world has seen of Mike Steele. God I still trust you, and I know that there is still something out there so much greater in store for me.”

Michael on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube