It’s the encore of a lifetime.
Jesse Findling, a 20-year-old Long Island man who captured the nation’s heart by defying a lifelong stutterto soar his way to the top 12 of “American Idol,” has enjoyed a life-changing hero’s welcome since returning home.
“It wasn’t just about singing for me,” the Massapequa Park sensation told The Post minutes before belting out the National Anthemat the NHL Islanders’ season finale last week – his largest-ever live crowd.
“Doing things like this, I feel like I would have never done before …I definitely feel less shy now than I was. I’m really grateful that the show allowed me to kind of open up in that way,” he said.
The biology student with a near 4.0 at Binghamton University said he was humbled as UBS Arena roared when he sang the “Star Spangled Banner” to perfection.
It was a full-circle moment for the talented vocalist to be face-to-face with the core of his supporters who have been voting for him since the season’s early episodes.
“When I’ve been out, people stop me and say hi and things like that, which makes me super happy,” said Findling, who was recruited by the show after a talent scout saw a video of him singing.
“Just knowing that everybody [on Long Island] was watching and supporting me feels great. So it’s been a really warm welcome back at home.”
Findling’s dad Scott said he knew Jesse was a natural since he was singing with a chorus in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as a little boy.
“He never really had professional training,” said Scott, who added that Ryan Seacrest remarked to the family about how Jesse can engage so well with an audience.
Music was always on in the Findling home, and the family loved attending concerts together to see their beloved Benson Boone and summertime acts at nearby Jones Beach.
Jesse would constantly sing in the car with his sister, Samantha, a 22-year-old nurse.
“We always tell her she should have tried out for ‘American Idol’ as well,” their dad said.
Jesse manifested his big moment as a tween, when he competed and stole the show at Berner Middle School’s “Berner Idol” contest.
“When I hear him sing and do some of those things, I’m like, I don’t even know how he does that,” Scott said.
Both Jesse’s spectacular voice and backstory of using music to fight a lifelong speech impediment immediately won over TV judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
The band The Fray recognized Findling for his fabulous rendition of “You Found Me” on the show,and he crushed Boone’s “In The Stars” during a Nashville audition to get a coveted golden ticket.
The latter was a song that Jesse would often sing with his 10th-grade brother Jack, who is also battling a slight stutter.
Nassau County’s superstar visited his brother’s class at Massapequa High School and put on a show for Jack and his peers before flying to Hawaii for a round of “American Idol.”
“To be able to sing some songs for them after how they were supporting me — that was super special,” Jesse said.
“Knowing that people watch and feel inspired is great, and I’ve had a lot of people message me,” he added.
“To be able to represent the stuttering community, I’m really grateful.”
The young man planned to sing Long Island native Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” if he had made it to the next round.
“It just felt like the right song,” said Findling, who grew up about 15 minutes away from where Joel lived in Hicksville before hitting it big.
Now Jesse, who made lifelong friends with the other contestants, sees a path toward a music career well beyond posting cover videos to social media.
His father and mom Joy already can’t shop at Uncle Giuseppe’s or take a walk in the Massapequa Preserve without someone raving about Jesse’s skills and bright demeanor.
If their son has his way, his time in the limelight will only soar.
“It’s … time to really start working right after the show, because you want to keep the momentum,” said Jesse, who took his junior spring semester off for “American Idol.”
“I definitely want to start learning guitar and writing my own songs, and that’s the goal – to make my own music.”
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