| Jeff Gutt | |
| |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Names | Jeffrey Adam Gutt |
| Age(s) | 39 |
| Hometown | Detroit, Michigan |
| Category | Over 25s |
| Mentor | Kelly Rowland |
| Elimination Information | |
| Place | Runner-up |
Jeffrey Adam Gutt (born May 2, 1976) is an American rock singer from Detriot, Michigan who finished as the runner-up on season 3 of the X Factor USA. He was a part of the over 25s catagory, mentored by Kelly Rowland. He is now the lead singer of the band Stone Temple Pilots.
Background
Jeff, a single dad of a young son, originally gained notice when he auditioned for season 2. He wowed the judges with his rendition of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, earning four yeses. However, he was cut in bootcamp, something Simon Cowell later admitted in an interview that he regretted doing.
Before trying out for the show, Jeff had previously been the lead singer of a band called Dry Cell as well as a few other bands. He cites Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Bob Dylan as a couple of his musical influences.
The X Factor
Jeff decided to give the show another try in 2013. He first sang "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith at his audition, but the judges objected. He then was given another chance so he sang "Creep" by Radiohead, which proved to be more impressive. Jeff made it to the next round where he made the top 40 and got Kelly Rowland as his mentor.
Four Chair Challenge
In this phase of the competition, Jeff took on the popular Christian hymn "Amazing Grace" and added a bit of a rock twist to it. Despite it not being his best performance according to the judges except Kelly Rowland, Jeff made it to the live shows.
Live shows
For the first live show, Jeff took on the Pink hit, "Try", which got the crowd excited. Simon Cowell called his performance "bloody brilliant", and Kelly Rowland told him how proud she was of him. The performance earned Jeff a spot in the top 12.
For Motown Night, Jeff sang the Lionel Richie classic "Say You Say Me". Despite the song not being in his genre, Jeff's performance of it got him praise from the judges. Paulina Rubio loved it, and Simon Cowell called it "the best performance of the night". Jeff's mentor Kelly Rowland was even in tears because of her being so proud of him. However, due to a graphics error that nullified the votes, he had to sing another song for the re-vote show. That song was "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins.
For 80s Night, Jeff took on the Cutting Crew hit "(I Just Died) in Your Arms Tonight". Despite receiving praise from the judges, Simon Cowell did suggest to Jeff that he try something outside of his comfort zone so that he could stand out a little more and be more original.
For British Invasion Night, Jeff sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Considered one of that band's greatest songs and depsite his own fears over singing it, Jeff gave it his all and got praise from the judges including a standing ovation from his mentor Kelly Rowland.
On Big Band night, Jeff dedicated his version of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good", previously covered on the show by season 1 winner Melanie Amaro and season 2 runner-up Carly Rose Soneclar, to his father. Despite the song not being in his genre, Jeff gave it his all. It earned him massive applause from the crowd and praise from the judges. He then went up against the other 7 acts in a face-off.
For Divas/Unplugged night, Jeff did well. His "diva" song was "Without You" first done by Badfinger, made famous by Harry Nilsson, and later covered by Mariah Carey. The song, which charted in the top 5 on the iTunes rock chart, earned Jeff praise. His "unplugged" song was "Daniel" by Elton John, which Jeff dedicated to his brother. That song earned him praise as well and even charted in the top 10 on the iTunes rock chart.
For the semi finals, the public chose Jeff's season 2 audition song, "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, and then he sang "Demons" by Imagine Dragons. Both performances earned Jeff massive praise, and "Hallelujah" even hit number 6 on iTunes. Both songs secured Jeff's place in the finals.
For the finals, Jeff took on "Dream On" by Aerosmith as well as his audition song, "Creep" by Radiohead. He got to sing "Iris" with Goo Goo Dolls lead singer John Rzeznik, who had had a hit with the song in 1998.
Jeff finished 2nd to Alex & Sierra on December 19, 2013.
Post X Factor
Since his time on the show, Jeff has mainly been busy working on his music and performing at various gigs with his new band. He also launched a fundraising campaign via indiegogo.com to raise money so that he could make his first EP. He managed to surpass his goal of $50,000 by raising $90,101. He released a Christmas single, "A Detriot Christmas", in December 2014, just in time for the holliday season. He also announced on May 29, 2015 that he had formed a new band called Rival City Heights. In November 2016, Jeff was announced as the new lead singer for the '90s rock band Stone Temple Pilots.
Trivia
- His celebrity crush is actress Charlize Theron.
- He admits that he can cook.
- He is a fan of the NFL's Detroit Lions.
- His season 2 roommate, Will Champlin, later finished 3rd on season 5 of NBC's The Voice.
