Jacob Lusk (born June 23, 1987) is an American singer from Compton, California, who finished in fifth place on the tenth season of American Idol.
Early life[]
Lusk was born in 1987 to Anglia and Gregory Lusk, and is from Compton, California. His father worked as a music producer, but he died when Lusk was twelve. Lusk began singing when he was four years old, and performed at his church from the age of five. He attended United Faith Community School in Long Beach, California, and was the lead singer in the school choir, plays and programs.
He is a minister of music at his church. Prior to American Idol, he worked as a spa concierge. In 2007, he joined a gospel group called InNate Praise formed by the late hip-hop singer Nate Dogg, and he performed with the group at churches around Los Angeles County.
He was arrested in November 2010 for missing a court hearing after being cited for riding on an L.A. metro train without buying a ticket, and spent three days in jail. He was also initially sentenced to two years probation but was reprieved after pleading to the judge that the sentence would jeopardize his chance of appearing on American Idol.
American Idol[]
Overview[]
Lusk auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in Los Angeles, California. Lusk was first shown in the group stage of the competition where he performed with fellow finalist Naima Adedapo, Vegas Contestant Sophia Shorai, and Matthew Nuss, and Da'Quela Payne. all advanced to the top 102.
During his time on the show, Lusk was frequently accused of displaying a bad attitude, or "stank" attitude as his critics such as TVLine.com's Michael Slezak referred to it as. Lusk was also accused of both oversinging and being too over the top in his performances. Many even accused the anti-Idol website Vote For The Worst for encouraging people to vote for Lusk to keep him on the show longer then what many had predicted. Several claim that the support from the site may have resulted in Lusk placing where he did on the show.
Despite all of that, Lusk did receive high praise from Randy Jackson for his performance of "God Bless the Child" during the Hollywood rounds as the best ever seen on Idol. He was one of the top five males in the semi-final round, and therefore advanced to the Top 13. Lusk was eliminated on May 5, 2011, finishing in fifth place. During the finale, he performed with Kirk Franklin and Gladys Knight.
Post-Idol[]
Lusk and the rest of the top 11 took part in the 2011 American Idols Live Tour, which began in West Valley City, Utah, on July 6, 2011, and ended in Manila, Philippines on September 20, 2011. He performed on Live with Regis and Kelly on May 9, 2011, and on the Today show on May 10, 2011.