American Idol is getting exciting as the judges—Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan—are picking the Top 24 singers for Season 8 on ABC (which is Season 23 overall). They’re watching all the performances from Hollywood Week to decide who moves forward.
Jamal Roberts Shines with “Tennessee Whiskey”
On Sunday night, during “Hollywood Week: Showstopper,” 62 singers performed, but only four were told they made the Top 24 so far: Mattie Pruitt, Zaylie Windsor, Gabby Samone, and Canaan James Hill, who has a special Platinum Ticket. Some singers were sent home, and the other 42, including Jamal Roberts, a 27-year-old PE teacher from Meridian, Mississippi, will sing duets on Monday night’s show.
Jamal picked a country song called “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton. He told the crowd at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, “I’m trying something new with a country song. It’s not my usual style, but I want to show I can be the next American Idol. I’m doing this for my daughters. I want them to see that if you work hard, you can do anything.”
During “Showstopper” night, the judges didn’t give feedback right away. The singers had to wait until everyone performed to find out who moved on. Behind the scenes, Luke Bryan said, “Jamal missed a couple of notes, but he did pretty well.” Lionel Richie added, “He usually has a cool growl in his voice, but he missed it a few times. I know he can do better.”
Jamal felt good about his performance. He said, “This moment feels life-changing. I didn’t think I’d get this far, but here I am! I’m doing this for my kids. I want this so bad, and waiting to hear the results is tough. I’m not patient, even though I work with kids every day!”
Jamal is a proud dad to two little girls, Harmoni, who is 6, and Lyrik, who is 3. This is the first time he’s been away from them for so long. He said, “Being a dad and chasing a music dream is tricky. Parenthood is like a wild ride, but I love my girls so much. Growing up, I had what I needed, not always what I wanted. Now, I want to give my daughters everything they dream of. Since my Idol audition, I even bought a house for them. It’s becoming a real home.”
Jamal Roberts Sings with Heart on “Tennessee Whiskey”
Jamal added, “The hardest part is being away from my girls. I’ve never been apart from them this long. But I’m doing this for them, and that keeps me going.”
Will Jamal make it to the Top 24? Watch American Idol on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC to find out. You can also stream it the next day on Hulu.
