Jamal Roberts is the latest Mississippian to crack the top 24 of American Idol, putting the Meridian native into the competition’s live-voting rounds.
After delivering a soulful rendition of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” during the “Hollywood Week: Showstoppers” round that aired Sunday night, viewers got some insight Monday night into what was an emotional rollercoaster for Roberts during the subsequent “Head-to-Head” episode.
Tasked with pairing up with fellow contestant Desmond Roberts, no relation between the two, Jamal and Desmond spent hours practicing and working to fuse their voices and styles. Sleep-deprived and stuck between two songs, it was apparent that Jamal was struggling and full of emotion. Originally, the duo was going to sing “No Air” by Jordin Sparks, but an eleventh-hour suggestion to sing Teddy Swims’ “The Door” was decided upon with some help from celebrity mentor Jelly Roll.
Emotion was all over Jamal’s face, but he took the runs and had the crowd clapping in sync. Jelly Roll even shouted, “We’re in church, baby!” as the Roberts duo managed to take a song that neither knew beforehand and turn it into a passionate performance. By the end, judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood had a lot to say.
“Mr. Jamal, I thought you were going to pull your hair out before the performance,” Bryan said.
“On your face was…,” Richie started with Bryan finishing the sentence: “Agony.”
After a commercial break kept viewers on edge, the show returned with the panel of judges ready to make their decision on whether Jamal and Desmond would be advancing.
“Both of you have done some really spectacular things throughout the competition. We know you’ve got the goods,” Underwood said as Richie returned to Jamal’s preservation through what was a tough challenge, “Probably in the history of me being here on ‘American Idol,’ I have never heard this much feeling. You kind of handled it the best way you could.”
The judges then readied the two for their decision. With three spots left in the top 24 and more singers left to compete in the field of 42, a pin drop could have been heard inside the Los Angeles theater. But then, the good news was delivered.
“Gentleman, we arrived at this point. We have three spots left. You two have a spot,” Richie said as cheers erupted. “Jamal, you’re okay now. You made it. Go out and celebrate. You did a great job. We’re proud of you.”
With Roberts landing in the top 24, he joins a long list of Mississippians to advance this far in the competition in recent years. Others include Jennifer Jeffries, Colin Stough, Zachariah Smith, Deshawn Goncalves, and Hannah Everhart (now Hannah Jewel). American Idol returns to ABC on Sunday, April 13 at 8/7c with the onset of “Disney Week” in Ko Olani, Hawaii.
