He had never sung on a stage before. He worked long shifts at a dementia care facility in Maryland. And when he finally stepped in front of the American Idol 2026 judges, he left all three of them speechless. Brooks Rosser has quickly become the most compelling contestant on Season 24 — a young man with a one-of-a-kind voice and a backstory that is impossible not to root for.
With the Top 20 round now underway and America actively voting, Brooks is not just surviving the competition — he is thriving at its center.
👉 Keep reading to get the full story on Brooks Rosser before tonight’s episode, and find out exactly how you can vote.
Who Is Brooks Rosser? The Man Behind the Voice
Brooks Rosser is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter and guitarist from Bel Air, Maryland. Before he ever set foot in front of the American Idol judges, he had practically zero experience performing in front of an audience. He had played guitar at a couple of small, informal gigs, but singing publicly — truly singing — was something he had never done.
By day, Brooks works as a dementia care medication technician at an assisted living facility in Forest Hill, Maryland. He has described the job as deeply meaningful, and it is directly connected to how he discovered music in the first place. He began singing with his grandmother while she was battling illness, a practice he says helped her regain words she had lost and helped him find a voice he didn’t know he had.
But even before that, Brooks had a different dream entirely — one that was shattered in a single moment.
As a freshman in high school, he was playing soccer, a sport he had devoted himself to since he was six years old with professional ambitions. During a free kick, he planted his foot, heard something give way, and suddenly couldn’t feel his legs. He had broken his back. That injury ended his soccer career and forced him to build a completely new life. Music became that life.
The Audition That Made Lionel Richie Say He’d Never Heard Anything Like It
When Brooks walked into the Season 24 audition room, judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood had no idea what was coming. He performed “Your Place At My Place” by Joshua Slone, and the reaction from all three was immediate and unambiguous.
Luke Bryan compared listening to Brooks to listening to Van Morrison. Lionel Richie went further, telling Brooks directly that he had never heard another voice like his — ever. Even Thunderstorm Artis, the Season 23 top-five finalist who was present in the room, said he was completely obsessed with the performance.
Carrie Underwood, known for high standards and honest feedback, called Brooks a unicorn. When Richie asked him to follow up with a second song, Brooks launched into Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and the judges reacted with pure delight.
All three gave an enthusiastic, unanimous yes.
After receiving his Golden Ticket, Brooks told the cameras that he had always been shy and insecure, and that hearing those words from judges of that caliber genuinely meant everything to him.
Hollywood Week: A First-Timer Stuns Nashville
American Idol Season 24 introduced a new format for Hollywood Week, relocating the competition to Nashville and branding it the “Music City Takeover.” For Brooks, it was only his second time ever performing in front of anyone outside of his family and friends.
He sang “Drowning” by Sam Barber during that round, and Luke Bryan responded with words that stopped the room. He told Brooks that the voice he was hearing would one day become instantly recognizable to millions of people, and that being among the first ears to hear it was something special.
That performance earned Brooks a spot in the Golden Room and pushed him through to the Top 30.
The Ohana Round in Hawaii: A Platinum Ticket and a Standing Ovation
For the first time in American Idol history, Season 24 introduced a brand-new elimination round called the Ohana Round, filmed at Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii. The Top 30 contestants performed in front of the judges, a panel of music industry tastemakers, their fellow contestants, and their families — a uniquely emotional setting.
Brooks chose to perform “Everywhere, Everything” by Noah Kahan. Before he began, he addressed the audience — including his own mother and sister — with a simple, heartfelt line: family is everywhere, and they mean everything.
What followed was a performance that stopped the room. One of the industry experts whispered that it was one of the most unique voices she had heard in her entire life. The entire panel of industry professionals rose to their feet. The judges followed.
Carrie Underwood, visibly moved, told Brooks afterward: “Every time you open your mouth and sing, I want more.”
When the voting results for the Platinum Tickets were announced, the family members in attendance had chosen Brooks Rosser. He looked genuinely shocked. He held his ticket alongside Jordan McCullough, chosen by the other contestants, and Kyndal Inskeep, chosen by the industry experts — three platinum ticket holders heading into the Top 20 with a leg up on every other singer in the competition.
Top 20 Performances: Brooks Steps Into the Live Era
The Top 20 round marks the first time in Season 24 that viewers have had a say in who stays and who goes. The competition now runs across two episodes — March 16 and March 23 — with voting open during each broadcast.
Brooks performed in the March 16 episode alongside nine other Top 20 contestants. Superstar mentors Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley are guiding the singers through this high-pressure round, with the judges continuing to evaluate every performance.
The second voting window is open tonight, March 23, during the live broadcast on ABC. It closes at 4 a.m. MDT on March 24. Viewers can submit up to 10 votes per voting method, per contestant, through the American Idol website at americanidol.com, by text, or through social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok — the American Idol app has been retired this season.
The Top 14 will be announced on March 30, when the live shows officially begin.
Why the Entire Country Is Paying Attention to Brooks
What makes Brooks Rosser different from nearly every other contestant in recent American Idol memory is not just his voice — although the voice alone is extraordinary. It is the complete picture of who he is that resonates with viewers so deeply.
He is a caregiver. He is a former athlete who had to rebuild his identity from the ground up after a devastating injury. He is someone who found music not on a stage or in a recording studio, but in the quiet hallways of an assisted living facility, singing with a grandmother who needed him. He never chased fame. Fame found him, completely unexpectedly, because he had something real to say and a voice capable of saying it in a way no one else can.
Luke Bryan put it well during Hollywood Week when he told Brooks that being among the first people to hear his voice was a privilege. That sentiment has resonated with the audience. Social media clips of Brooks performing have racked up hundreds of thousands of views, and fan communities have rallied around him as a legitimate frontrunner.
Whether he ultimately wins the title or not, the music world has already taken notice. That kind of attention is not something Season 24 has generated for every Top 20 contestant — and it speaks to just how special Brooks Rosser is.
What Happens Next on American Idol Season 24
Tonight’s episode, airing March 23, features the second group of Top 20 performers, with musical guest Skip Marley performing live. After this episode, the full Top 20 will have been heard, votes from both nights will be tallied, and the results show on March 30 will reveal which 14 singers move forward into the live competition rounds.
The full Top 20 roster is strong. Brooks shares the stage with Philmon Lee, Madison Moon, Braden Rumfelt, Jake Thistle, Jesse Findling, Ruby Rae, Genevieve Heyward, Lucas Leon, Hannah Harper, Chris Tungseth, Julián Kalel, Rae Boyd, Daniel Stallworth, Abayomi, Kutter Bradley, Makiyah Mustiful, Keyla Richardson, Jordan McCullough, and Kyndal Inskeep.
Every vote matters. For a contestant who never sang publicly before this competition, who once lay on a soccer field unable to feel his legs, who spent years quietly caring for people who needed him — this is the moment that changes everything.
👉 Vote now at americanidol.com and let your voice be heard for the artists who deserve to keep going.
Drop a comment below and tell us — is Brooks Rosser your pick to win American Idol 2026, or is someone else catching your attention this season? The conversation is just getting started.