Ethan Thompson was driving toward Los Angeles for his permanent move to that city when he pulled his car over in Missoula to talk about another life-altering experience.

The 23-year-old from Whitefish is one of the contenders on the 13th season of “American Idol,” the Fox network singing competition that has launched the careers of a number of today’s most celebrated music stars.

Everyone competing in “Idol” is well aware of the show’s record as a starmaker, Thompson said, which leads to a level of camaraderie among the contestants.

“Right now everyone is excited and happy to be there,” he said. “You never know who’s who and everyone’s talented. There are people who’ve been rejected and still had great careers.”

The current “American Idol” run is just getting underway after the two-night season premiere on Jan. 15-16.

Thompson was one of 24 chosen from Boston auditions by judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban.  His next step is “Hollywood Week,” with those shows set to air starting on Feb. 5.

Thompson had just graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston when he decided to audition. He was at a regular monthly gig in Boston when it was suggested to him that he could be part of the “American Idol” experience.

“A couple of fans came up to me and mentioned it to me,” he said. “I had never thought about that possibility when I was living in Montana, so I thought I might as well go try out.”

A week later, he had been given his “golden ticket” through the first round.

The tryouts were a blur, he said.

“I felt like I was pretty relaxed until the point I was going on,” he said. “I remember watching it on TV now more than I remember the actual experience. Everything is coming at you so fast ... you have to go with your gut instincts as best you can.”

For the audition he performed an original song, not the route taken by most contestants. The song, co-written with Sarah Bremer Walk, is “Stand My Ground.” Since then, he has released a version of the full song on Soundcloud, through his Facebook page and at ethanthompsonmusic.com.

 On his website, he also posted the segment of his “American Idol” performance plus a short interview. He talks about the importance of “being positive and continually focusing on what you want to do,” which matches his overall approach to music.

“I want to be a good positive artist and a good positive writer,” he said. “There are a lot of crazy things that are being put on the air, and I want to complement that as best I can with my own positive outlook.”

Part of that is using his Montana background as a source of inspiration and incorporating nature themes into some of his work, although he said the three years he has spent in Boston played a huge part in developing him into the artist he is today.

He never has been crazy about the term “singer/songwriter,” he said, but “the two things I do the most are singing and songwriting, so I guess I am.”

“I’ve always been driven to songwriting, whether for someone else or myself, so if I’m not doing that I feel like something is out of place or wrong,” he said.

Though a number of online observers call him the next Phillip Phillips (one says Thompson is Phillips’ “doppelganger”), Thompson is careful not to compare himself or his style to that of any other musician.

“If I start observing them too much I will follow their path and not my own,” he said. “I try to stay immersed in my world. People do compare me, but I try not to as best I can.”

Though he has done well in a number of songwriting competitions, Thompson found his first tangible songwriting success in a Folgers coffee jingle contest in 2010.

Thompson and Jenny Snipstead, both Flathead High School graduates, along with University of Montana students Landon Lee of Conrad and Dan Coburn of Ashland, Ore., walked away from the contest with an oversized check for $25,000.

The jingle was used on commercials for about a month and a half, he said. More importantly, the money helped Thompson finance his first year at Berklee College of Music in Boston after attending the University of Montana for a year and a half. He received a full-ride scholarship to finish up his Berklee career.

Thompson is gratified by the community support he has received in his “Idol” journey, and is keeping people posted on the experience through his Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ethanthompsonmusic.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.