Who is John Park?

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Idol contestant John Park, the cappella singer from Chicago, was cut Thursday night. He said his Idol highlights included his moment with Shania Twain, and also working with the band and getting to know his fellow contestants.

Getting unanimous kudos from "American Idol" judges and making it to Hollywood as one of 24 semifinalists shouldn't surprise anyone who knows anything about Chicago's John Park.

The 21-year-old college student, whose style mixes soul, R&B and blues, was already singing in a vocal group called Purple Haze (the group recently released an album.) He also sang in his seventh-grade choir, took singing lessons for two years in high school, and performed in a high school a cappella group called Ow!, according to his Web site and the Chicago Tribune .

Park is an "Idol" contestant who make it clear from his first audition note that there's something special about him. At his tryout, Park sang "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" before judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Shania Twain. He won unanimous support to move on to Hollywood.

He told the Tribune that his main challenge in the competition is finding the right song to perform.

"Because I didn't grow up listening to a wide variety of music, I kind of have a limited repertoire," he told the newspaper . "Picking the right song and making it my own – that's the hardest part."

His biggest personal challenge as a contestant?

"They've blocked our social networking sites – we have official 'Idol' ones we can update once a week," he told the Tribune . "Communicating with people has been a little more difficult because Facebook and Twitter – that was how I communicated with my friends."

In his spare time, Park said on his Web site that he enjoys watching and playing basketball. He also likes to eat: "I love meat," he said on the site .

If things don't work out on "Idol," Park has other options. He had been attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where he was studying economics. He told the Tribune that he may switch to psychology or communications if he returns.

But for now, music is what he wants to do in life.

"Ultimately my dream is to become a performer, a singer-songwriter," he told the Tribune .

"American Idol" Season Nine Contestant Profiles:

Didi Benami | Lacey Brown | Crystal Bowersox | Michelle Delamor | Lee DeWyze | Katelyn Epperly | Andrew Garcia | Tyler Grady | Todrick Hall | Casey James | Aaron Kelly | Alex Lambert | Michael Lynche | Siobhan Magnus | Paige Miles | Jose Munoz | John Park | Ashley Rodriguez | Lilly Scott | Jermaine Sellers | Katie Stevens | Tim Urban | Haeley Vaughn | Janell Wheeler