There was one Adele deep cut, “Love in the Dark”, that 19-year-old Jesse Findling had always dreamed of singing on American Idol. He got his chance to do that on March 3, 2026, but the New York college student was feeling the pressure big time on his “high stakes” follow-up performance on Idol 2026. Jesse brought his A-game, though, and when fans heard his emotional performance, many said the talented teen is the frontrunner to win the whole season.
Adele’s studio version of “Love in the Dark” was already quite a simple arrangement, but Jesse stripped it back even further, singing over a lone piano part. This turned out to be the right move, as it let him really touch your heart with his heartfelt performance. The judges were clearly impressed, with an amazed Luke Bryan saying to Carrie Underwood, “look at that control!” The Music Man has to say that Jesse definitely stepped up to the plate on his sophomore Idol appearance!
Jesse’s American Idol audition was the most viral performance of the season so far, drawing four million views on YouTube. His Hollywood Week performance singing Adele also got a warm reception, with fans adding comments such as “This was instantly emotional, great cry in his vocal, rounded tone with such a pointed height and fearless going into that falsetto. Moving performance” and “That guy can sing! He’s definitely a frontrunner to win this competition!”
Jesse gave his viral audition earlier in the season on Benson Boone’s early hit “In the Stars.” The Long Island student won the judges over with his signature solo piano arrangement style and the way he wore his heart on his sleeve with his performance. Jesse’s personal story of overcoming his childhood stutter to become a successful singer also won the hearts of many viewers around the world.
The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that Jesse has now made three appearances on American Idol. His most recent appearance on the show was on March 17, where he sang The Fray’s “You Found Me.” Jesse began the song with a solo piano intro, but then kicked into a full band arrangement, which is the first time we’ve heard such a performance from him. Jesse’s initial audition performance had as many views as just about all the other auditions that week put together. He definitely became the early favorite in the competition after achieving that kind of popularity. Jesse has some strong competition this season, though, with Hannah Harper also becoming a viral fan favorite with her audition on her original song “String Cheese.” The country singer has also proved to be very popular with fans on her subsequent appearances.