Cleveland’s Vincent Fondale Competes On “American Idol”

Twenty-one years ago, a five-year-old Vincent Fondale stepped onstage and grabbed the microphone to sing with his father’s band Cleveland Nostalgia.

“We’re gonna bring a guest singer up right now. All 5 years old, right?” an announcer said in a home video that Fondale shared to social media. “In about 2025, American Idol contestant, probably winner: Ladies and gentlemen, Vinnie Vincent Fondale.”

“It was one year off,” Fondale notes about the prediction, “but close enough.”

Fondale, now 26, is indeed competing on American Idol’s 24th season after a successful audition on Monday, Feb. 9. The vocalist belted out an original song, “The Sound Of Giving Up,” alongside his band Recess, in front of the show's judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

The performance especially wowed pop star Underwood. 

“I am really excited about you,” Underwood said following the song. “You have this beautiful voice. I have no words.”

Meanwhile, country star Bryan was less impressed.

“I’m a little on the other side of the fence,” Bryan said. “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, like, emotions out, right now."

R&B singer Richie gave props to Fondale’s powerful vocals.

“You sound like an old seasoned guy with that voice,” Richie said. “You know where you’re going with that bad boy. It’s a 'yes' from me.”

“I was really nervous walking in and seeing a sparkle in the judges’ eyes,” Fondale recalls of the audition experience. “I’m looking at stars right now, and they’re watching me, and then everything around me just didn’t matter. I was just focused on doing what I needed to do.”

Fondale, brother and keyboardist Anthony Fondale and longtime guitarist Alex Raz have been performing as Recess for the past 18 years. The band started out learning rock covers before shifting gears into synth-pop territory after Fondale saw OneRepublic's fateful 2014 Native tour stop at Blossom Music Center, featuring opening acts American Authors and The Script.

By day, Fondale works in concrete with his father and brother — echoing his strongest collaborations in the music world.

“My dad, my brother and I have been doing music for so long, and then we’re also all doing concrete together too. It’s nice to be working with familiar faces during the day,” Fondale says, “but man, is it backbreaking.

“I guess it's kind of built up some resilience for us,” he adds, connecting the work to Recess’s musical work ethic. “We just don't give up.”

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Since Fondale's audition aired on American Idol, Recess has enjoyed a new spotlight. Fondale says he has seen plenty of fans, both new and old, reaching out and celebrating his performance on social media.

“It’s a good thing to see a lot of notifications, because that means what you’re doing is impacting people,” he says. “It's been a little anxiety-driven, but a very pleasant experience.”

American Idol will continue to air on ABC with another audition episode on Monday, Feb. 16, before moving into Hollywood Week on Monday, Feb. 23.

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