Born: Oct. 23, 1998 – Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Musical Influences: Brandy, Taylor Moore
How He Consumes Music: Apple Music, YouTube
First Idol Experience: Watching season 10 at his best friend’s house
Favorite Alums: Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery, Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Ruben Studdard
When Jordan McCullough was four years old, he heard his church choir sing and noticed the microphone and knew what he wanted to do with his life. “The first song I sang was ‘Falling in Love with Jesus’ and they had to have a step stool for me to stand on, because I was too short. You couldn’t see me over the banister. I was there to sing my little solo.”
Growing up, the Tennessee native heard music from the best of two worlds. “My dad introduced me to a lot of country music. George Strait and Randy Travis were staples in the house. And my mom listened to a lot of R&B groups, like SWV, Xscape and Boyz II Men.”
He continued to sing in church but there was also a demand for his vocals elsewhere. “I remember getting pulled out of middle school to sing at funerals. I probably sang at over 250 funerals in my life and I didn’t know any of the (deceased). But people would say, ‘We want the kid to come sing for my grandmother’s funeral’ and I would say, ‘Okay, I’ll be there.’”
As far as a career path, McCullough says, “I always hoped that it would be music, but I jumped into my skill set of administration, because I was insecure about chasing the dream. I knew I could do paperwork. I didn’t know if I could be a singer, but I thought it had to work out.”
This season is not McCullough’s first chance to compete on American Idol. “The opportunity presented itself a few years ago and I said no, because I didn’t think that the show wanted a singer like me, a male with a big voice. You see that a lot of times with women who have big voices and can belt it out. I never thought that translated for guys, and so I said, ‘You don’t want me,’ and I counted myself out. This year, it happened again.” Inspired by season 23’s emphasis on songs of faith, he felt more appreciated. “So I came in with a song of faith and it led me to the top 14.”
Like the other contestants, McCullough’s Idol journey began long before he was seen on television screens, with the audition process. What has he learned during his time with the show? “That I’m enough. I have a strategy and I do a lot of research when it comes to picking songs. People fell in love (with me) because I just sit there and sing, not because I was dancing, doing backflips and everything else. I can’t. I have stage presence, because I was enough. That’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned and it has given me the confidence to go forward.”
Winning the show would mean confirmation, McCullough acknowledges. “I was very insecure chasing the dream and I decided to go by faith and winning the show would mean I took the right step. Professionally it would open the door for me and my big voice, to make room in the industry for things that I don’t see, things that I don’t hear.”
Looking ahead, McCullough sees touring in his future. “Getting to be with people, fans, giving them hope, singing with them, having fun with them, meeting them where they are. A lot of people tune in (to Idol) on Monday nights, but I want to go and extend that, where people feel a further connection.”
