“Concrete work may not be where you’re going to end up with this thing,” Richie gushed.
Vincent Fondale; Photo Courtesy of American Idol via ABC
When Vincent Fondale stepped onto the American Idol set to perform an original song during Season 24 auditions, he had Luke Bryan raising his eyebrows. But that didn’t necessarily mean it was a good thing. The 26-year-old singer and concrete worker, who fronts the band Recess, delivered a stirring rendition of his group’s original track, “The Sound of Giving Up.”
But the performance didn’t earn him a “yes” from the country judge. However, he did win over fellow judges Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie, who sent him onto the next phase of the singing competition.
Before launching into his original song, Fondale said his band wrote it in 2019. We felt like we were going to break up, and instead of breaking up, we just came out with this song.”
Bryan couldn’t resist joking, “Lionel and I thought we were going to break up in 2019.”
That lighthearted moment set the tone for an audition that would quickly turn serious.
Dressed in a leather jacket and backed by his two bandmates—one on guitar and the other on piano—Fondale immediately commanded attention. From the first note, his high falsetto and strong vocal control stood out, cutting through the instrumentation with clarity and emotion.
Fondale’s voice carried both power and delicacy, as he effortlessly transitioned between tender moments and soaring high notes.
“How come you look so close like you’re right in front of me? And if they see the time as an illusion, why can’t you see it on the face? How come you look so close, but you feel so far away?” he sang, before belting out a note that drew audible reactions from the panel.
Throughout the performance, Richie, Underwood, and Bryan exchanged looks, appearing impressed by the unexpected quality of Fondale’s sound, expressions that brought confusion afterward.
“I’m really excited about you. You have this beautiful voice. I have no words,” Underwood said, visibly moved, before Bryan admitted he was “a little on the other side of the fence.”
“Are you serious?” a surprised Underwood asked. Offering constructive feedback, Bryan told Fondale, “You’ve got big notes, but I thought when you’re doing the tender stuff, it’s almost not really connecting with me all the way. It’s just not reaching in me and pulling emotions out right now.”
Despite the critique, Richie weighed in with praise, saying, “Concrete work may not be where you’re going to end up with this thing. If you sound like an old, seasoned guy with that voice, you kind of know where you’re going with that bad boy. It’s a yes for me.”
Bryan, who had nicknamed Fondale “Concrete Boy,” joked, “Can see the headlines now… Carrie and Luke are at odds,” before ultimately giving a “No.”
Underwood, however, stated firmly, “It’s a yes for me.”
She then personally handed Fondale his golden ticket, with Bryan declaring, “The Concrete Boy looks like he has cemented himself into Hollywood week.”
Reflecting on the audition afterward, Fondale admitted, “Seeing Carrie and Luke at odds was very stunning. I’m just glad [that] Carrie was on my side, and I was able to move through.”
With his powerful vocals and undeniable stage presence, Fondale now advances to Hollywood, ready to make his mark on the competition. Fans can continue to follow his journey and all the drama of American Idol on Monday nights on ABC.