David Lindquist

IndyStar

Update: Greenwood musician Jon Klaasen advanced to the Top 51 of "American Idol" hopefuls on Wednesday night. His next chance to move forward in the competition comes with Thursday's "showcase" round, scheduled to air at 8 p.m. on WXIN-59.

"American Idol" estimates that 75,000 singers auditioned for the 15th and final season of the televised talent search.

Jon Klaasen, an 18-year-old from Greenwood, is one of 80 vocalists still in contention for the "Idol" crown.

"It's an iconic show," Klaasen said. "The fact that it's the end of it is almost sad, but you know they've had a great run. So it's just kind of a cool experience."

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Klaasen made it to the Hollywood portion of the "Idol" competition and he advanced through the group performance round. Tonight's episode, airing at 8 p.m. on WXIN-59, showcases the solo round from Hollywood.

There's no guarantee Klaasen will be seen during the show.

"Idol" isn't Klaasen's first experience with a televised talent search. During a 2-1/2-year stint of pursuing music and acting opportunities in Los Angeles, Klaasen appeared on "The X Factor" in 2013.

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"On 'The X-Factor,' I was with a group the whole time," he said. "I auditioned in a group, was pulled out of that group and put in another group. I'm doing 'American Idol' solo. That's the biggest change."

Klaasen moved back to Indiana, but he didn't audition for "American Idol" during the show's bus tour stop on Georgia Street last June.

He said a casting director invited him to try out in Philadelphia, where he sang Shawn Mendes' "Something Big" and the Vamps' "Somebody to You" for "Idol" panelists Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr.

Despite Connick's comment that Klaasen may be better suited for studio work than live performance, Lopez and Urban delivered "yes" votes needed for passage to Hollywood.

The son of Bob and Karen Klaasen, Jon is a home-schooled senior after previously attending Center Grove High School. His younger brother, Joey, plays basketball at Center Grove.

Klaasen said he learned to play tunes by AC/DC and Metallica on an electric guitar at age 9.

"When I got my first guitar, it really made the whole music thing skyrocket," he said.

Klaasen, who's built a Twitter following of more than 26,000, released a single titled "Holding Me Back" on Jan. 29. The song is available for purchase at iTunes.

"I love writing music," he said. "I love doing things on the spot. I feel like it comes fairly natural. That's a big part of who I am as an artist."

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.