Twenty-four hours before “American Idol” crowns its season 23 winner, top 3 finalist Jamal Roberts released “Heal” — the soul singer’s first official single since his journey on the show began.
Recorded and distributed with the show’s record label partner, 19 Recordings, the new song was released late at night on May 17, 2025. But the timing didn’t keep Roberts’ growing legion of fans from listening, downloading, and commenting across social media about his powerful rendition of Tom Odell’s 2021 tune.
When Roberts, 27, performed his cover of the indie pop song during the April 28 live show, he left judges Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie speechless and the crowd stunned into silence. They will get to see him perform it again as he competes for viewers’ votes on the May 18 finale.
Roberts’ new version of “Heal” is a raw and soulful cry for help with the support of a gospel choir. The last minute of the three-and-a-half-minute single features his own lyrics, sung with fiery passion.
He sings, “Lord, you’re the only one that can do it for me. We need you, we need you to heal. You’re the only one, the only that can heal. So please heal from depression, Jesus, from suicidal thoughts, please heal. You’re the only one that can do it, from sickness. Restoration right now.”
When Roberts announced the release on Instagram, music industry veteran Joe Arbagey, who took over as 19 Recordings’ EVP of Music in January, wrote in the comments, “What an incredibly life changing experience this recording session was!”
Fans flooded social media with comments just after the song’s release, including one who wrote, “The ending……. CHURCH!!!!! Jesus, you’re the only that can do it!!! @officialjamalroberts you’re soooooo special my guy!!! #RestorationRightNow”
Another called the tune “The SOUND that the nation needs right now.”
Someone else chimed in, “Bro what you did on this song!!! Straight Legendary”
“Heal” by Jamal Roberts is available across music streaming platforms, including on Apple Music and Spotify.
When Roberts performed the song on the April 28 show, his delivery — sitting on a stool at center stage — was so mesmerizing that the crowd, judges and even producers seemed stunned by its abrupt end. There were several seconds of complete silence before the show continued.
Roberts had worked on his rendition with one of his own idols, former “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino, who was a guest mentor that week. He told her he’d never heard of Odell or the song, but when someone shared it with him, he loved the lyrics.
“Like your songs, it spoke to me,” he told Barrino, and he told producers, “I don’t care what genre the song is, I just need to insert myself inside of the song.”
Barrino was clearly moved by his delivery, telling producers, “I watched him. He loses himself in the music. When the world is probably so ugly and hard, music is his safe place.”
