IDOL TIME. Chippewa Falls native CJ Rislove auditions on the latest episode of American Idol, which will air Sunday, March 3. (Photo via Disney/Eric McCandless)

UPDATE: CJ Rislove impressed the judges during his March 3 appearance on American Idol, earning a “golden ticket” to move to the next stage of the competition in Hollywood. 

Rislove told the show’s celebrity judges that he’s visited 32 states in his converted bus, “The Jazz Wagon,” than proceeded to wow them with a song he’d written just the day before. Judge Katy Perry compared his singer-songwriter chops to Elton John and Billy Joel, while Luke Bryan declared, “I think he’ll be in a damn tour bus instead of a school bus at some point.” 

Added Lionel Richie: “You have a pure, clear conversation with the universe.”

The segment concluded with  Rislove giving the judges a tour of his bus before getting his golden ticket. You can watch it right here:

A traveling troubadour from Chippewa Falls will be making his national TV debut on American Idol this weekend.

CJ Rislove – who was a standout musician during his youthful days in Chippewa Falls – will be show competing on an episode that will air at 7pm Sunday, March 3, on ABC (that’s WQOW TV 18 in the Chippewa Valley).

Rislove, a 23-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist, has been touring the nation for the past two years in a converted bus complete with a recording studio and a kitchen. If promo photos from ABC are to be believed, both come in handy: He’s seen carrying a plate of cookies into his big audition with hosts Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie.

Chippewa Falls native CJ Rislove, second from left, poses with American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan in front of his bus, dubbed the Jazz Wagon. (Photo via (Disney/Eric McCandless)

According to WQOW News 18:

Rislove said he's always been a fan of American Idol, and has loved the opportunity to perform his original compositions.

"Living in a bus for a lot of people is like, 'Oh really, you do that? That's a little crazy,' but they loved it the whole time," Rislove said. "They were like, 'This is awesome,' just encouraging me, so I drove right up to the audition area, I guess I won't spoil much, but it was just a huge blast."

Rislove describes his piano and singing as a bit of Billy Joel and a bit of Elton John. His current project is writing and creating one song a day which he then releases on streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.

Whatever the outcome of Rislove’s big audition, you can bet he’ll continue to post new music on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.