Jake Thistle is out of American Idol — but NJ isn’t done watching

Jake Thistle made it further than most people expected -- and further than the oddsmakers predicted. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Paramus made it all the way to the American Idol Top 14 before being eliminated tonight alongside Julian Kalel, with the results announced at the top of the show before either of them even got to take the stage.

It was an abrupt ending for a kid who had been one of New Jersey's loudest rooting interests all season.

Thistle had been building momentum since Hollywood Week, earning praise from judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie at nearly every turn. When he performed during the Songs of Faith live show, Underwood told him flat out: "Your space is just so professional. I felt like I was at your show. It just flows out of you like nothing. It makes me jealous." Bryan called him a "seasoned entertainer" who "made it his moment." Richie told him to make sure he knocked people out -- which, from Lionel Richie, is about as close to a standing ovation as you get without leaving your chair.

The judges clearly saw something in him. In the end, the votes just weren't there.

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A songwriter who sang his way to the Top 14

What made Thistle stand out from the beginning was something he was pretty upfront about. He never positioned himself as a pure vocal powerhouse competing for biggest voice in the room. He came in as a songwriter who could perform -- and that combination gave him a stage presence that felt lived-in and real in a competition that can sometimes feel anything but.

He proved the point early. When the Top 20 performed in Hawaii, he took the stage with his own original song, "Sleep On Me." That is not a safe choice on a show where contestants typically lean on familiar covers to win votes. It was a confident move, and it worked well enough to get him to the live rounds.

He also got a small piece of American Idol history along the way. When the show's voting system crashed after the first live episode -- the first time in the show's history that eliminations had to be postponed -- Thistle took it in pure Jersey stride. "It's an honor to be a part of a program that's so popular it broke the voting," he said afterward. "That's an amazing problem to have."

What's next

Thistle posted on Facebook after his elimination and the message was exactly what you would expect from someone who knew what he came for.

"What a ride! Had such an incredible experience on American Idol meeting so many amazing folks and learning a ton. Super grateful for the opportunity to share my music with such a large audience, and it was an honor to be a part of a season with such a special group. I've always considered myself more of a songwriter than a singer, so I'm just so happy to have gotten to hang around with everyone as long as I was able to. See you guys on the road soon, there's plenty more to come."

That last line is the one worth paying attention to. He came into this thing as a songwriter. He is leaving it with a national audience that now knows his name. For a 21-year-old kid from Paramus, that is not a bad week's work.

New Jersey was watching, Jake. We still are.