North Jersey's Jake Thistle Reveals Song He'll Sing On 'American Idol' Monday

The 21-year-old recent Rutgers graduate will perform "Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith on the ABC show.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Jake Thistle, a 21-year-old musician from Paramus, New Jersey, will appear on the TV show "American Idol" on Monday night. Thistle, who recently graduated from Rutgers University, will perform the song "Can't Find My Way Home" by the British supergroup Blind Faith in his audition for the show's judges.

Why it matters

Thistle's appearance on "American Idol" represents a major opportunity for the young musician to gain exposure and potentially launch his music career to a national audience. As a recent graduate from Rutgers, this could be a breakthrough moment for Thistle, who has been performing locally in New Jersey since he was 10 years old.

The details

Thistle was inspired to pursue music after watching a Super Bowl halftime show featuring the late Tom Petty when he was just 3 years old. He started playing gigs around New Jersey, including an open mic at Mama's Café Baci in Hackettstown, when he was just shy of his 10th birthday. Thistle has released two singles and performed around the country, and he is now hoping that his "American Idol" audition will help him reach a larger audience.

  • Thistle will appear on "American Idol" on Monday, February 16, 2026.
  • Thistle graduated from Rutgers University last month.

The players

Jake Thistle

A 21-year-old musician from Paramus, New Jersey, who recently graduated from Rutgers University and will be appearing on "American Idol".

Tom Petty

The late musician whose Super Bowl halftime show performance inspired Thistle to pursue music when he was 3 years old.

Blind Faith

The British supergroup that included Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech, whose song "Can't Find My Way Home" Thistle will perform on "American Idol".

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What they’re saying

“For whatever reason, it just entirely mesmerized me.”

— Jake Thistle (Patch)

“The thing about New Jersey for me is, honestly, out of everywhere I could be from, this is the place I'd want to be from. It's such a great place creatively. There's so much talent that comes out of New Jersey, so many people to look up to...it's a master class in songwriting.”

— Jake Thistle (Patch)

What’s next

Thistle could not reveal in his interview whether he proceeds to the next round of "American Idol" after his audition.

The takeaway

Thistle's appearance on "American Idol" represents a significant opportunity for the young musician from Paramus, New Jersey, to showcase his talents and potentially launch his music career to a national audience. His journey on the show will be closely watched by his local community and fans.