With all the black and yellow-clad folks screaming and waving on South Palafox, you’d think Pensacola was hosting a Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Parade.
But no, this was Pensacola, or “PensaKeyla,” hosting a parade to honor Pensacola music teacher Keyla Richardson, an “American Idol” Top 3 finalist. The parade, followed by a Mardi Gras style second-line procession led by longtime Pensacola musician Joe Occhipinti and his Jazzabouts, were all part of Pensacola’s “Keyla Fest,” a hometown hero’s welcoming for the talented singer.
Richardson received a true heroes welcome only a day and a half after learning she had been voted into Top 3. Her whirlwind day included riding jet skis, saying hello to the Blue Angels on the flight line, and even popping by the school where she teaches, Life Shifting Learning Academy, to visit with her students. There, she was met with a cascade of bear hugs and even a decorated float for the parade embellished by her students with the Keyhive theme.
“The kids are so excited to have their music teacher on a national platform,” said Tequario Talton, Richardson’s godmother and front desk administrator at Life Shifting Learning Academy. “These kids are so excited to see her. They’re ready for this concert, so we can rock out and just be able to hug and love her and (her son) Drew, because they’ve been gone so long, they really miss her. So I think today is going to be a fantastic day.”
All of Pensacola seems to be rooting for Richardson as she prepares to compete in the Season 24 finale of American Idol on May 11.
Fans swarmed downtown Pensacola to celebrate Richardson’s accomplishments and attend Richardson’s concert performance being filmed at the Hunter Amphitheater for the upcoming American Idol finale.
There were plenty of “PensaKeyla” shirts lining Palafox, along with many others wearing shirts featuring pictures of Richardson, or just “We believe in Keyla” emblazoned across the front.
Folks held signs showcasing their support for Richardson and yelled with gusto to voice their admiration and support for her.
The parade featured marching bands, school marching teams, Pensacola Mardi Gras floats parked along the short parade route with Krewe members shooting off yellow and black confetti bombs as Richardson passed by in on the back of a white BMW along with her 9-year-old son, Drew Richardson.
Brothers Jaylon Davis, 10, and Julian Davis, 7, were wearing their yellow and black and held signs of support for the “American Idol” finalist.
“She’s really good and we go to church with her,” Jaylon said. “I really like her singing.”
The boys’ grandmother, Donna Bethany, agreed.
“We go to Keyla’s church,” Bethany said, referring to Life Shifting Ministries on W Street. “I knew her before all of this. She’s a great person, humble and she deserves this.”
At the south end of the parade route, Richardson exited the BMW and walked to the top deck of the Krewe of Priscus “Pride of Pensacola” float where she received the Key to the City from Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves and the Key to the County from Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May. Reeves also presented young Drew with a Key to the City necklace that he can wear forever to remember this “American Idol” experience.
“I appreciate your prayers, your votes, all of your love and your support,” Richardson told the crowd. “I’ve been seeing some of y’all on social media, I can’t respond to everybody, but I appreciate all the love and support.”
As showtime neared, members of the Keyhive began to swarm the fence line of the Hunter Amphitheater stage in preparation for Richardson’s homecoming concert.
Dressed in bee antennae headbands and PensaKeyla graphic tees, it was evident who the crowd was there to see.
Yvette Crook Avera dressed to the nines with her five daughters with glittery pom poms in hand, made sure to get to the amphitheater early to secure their spot near the stage. Crook Avera has converted all of them to members of the Keyhive, even merging her own family with Richardson’s at the area watch parties.
“It’s been so fun to sit and wait and watch her perform every single week. I’ve been going to the watch parties too, in different places, and that’s been a lot of fun,” she said. “I just think her whole entire look is a performer. She’s got the attitude, and just a beautiful voice that is really different and unique, to me, from the others. I just think she’s definitely a star, and I think she’s really sweet, and kind and genuine. That just comes out of her, you can just tell.”
For Idol fans who have been following Richardson’s journey, Wednesday night’s set list featured some of her most-loved performances from the show, starting with her rendition of “Glitter in the Air” by P!NK and ending with her most recent “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Etta James.
Richardson took time to talk and connect with the crowd, who showed their adoration for her by waving flashlights in the air during slower ballads and clapping along with her on the quicker ones to match her energy.
She would share stories behind the songs with the crowd of thousands, as if it were the person next to her in church. Even in the transition from schoolteacher to star, she has remained humble and credited God for every good thing that has come her way.
“I’m humbled by the experience. I’m glad that I’m in this place in my life. I’m just blessed and I’m honored to be here. I’m grateful for all the love and support,” Richardson told the News Journal after the show.
At times throughout the show, she would segue into worship tunes, some age-old hymns that felt fresh and alive as members of the crowd threw up their hands and sang along.
Richardson told the News Journal after the show that the worship integration during her set came naturally.
“Those worship songs tonight were just flowing out of my heart,” Richardson said. “I’m the type of person, I don’t just sing to sing, but I have purpose. I just wanted somebody to be encouraged. Just as well as they’re encouraging me, I want to encourage them. That’s what I wanted to do tonight.”
Talton was watching Richardson shine long before the rest of the world did, using her voice, which Talton considers a God-given gift.
“It’s something that she was born with. Her voice is amazing. Whenever she opens her mouth, it’s very uplifting,” she said. “She sends chills through my body just with her voice. I mean, she was born with that gift, and that gift’s (going) to take her super far in life.”
Now, she’s watching firsthand as Richardson is getting the recognition she deserves.
“This is something she’s always wanted,” Talton said. “So with her being on this platform, and the way she’s getting recognized is just, I mean, it’s a blessing. I’m super proud of her. This has been her dream.”
Not only has Richardson’s family been proudly supporting her, but support has also been evident citywide.
“She’s just so blessed to have such an army behind her,” Talton said.
Now she wants that support to continue on through Monday’s finale, where Richardson will be counting on America’s votes to win.
“I just want the public to know in this upcoming finale, May the 11th … every vote counts, so if you have parents, grandparents, uncles, sister, brothers, kids, we need all devices being used to vote so we can bring this home, Pensacola.”
Win or lose, Keyhive fans can agree that Richardson is pulling the city together.
“Every night now on Monday when Idol is on, we stop as a family, we sit down, we spend time watching it. It really has pulled us together … it just brings a whole other level of excitement that we’ve never seen before in our area,” said Brian Wyer, President/CEO of the Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce. “What makes her (Keyla) stand out is truly her talent … you can see the excitement, you can see the passion, her son is adorable and great for TV, and they’re just a great family.”
For longtime Idol fans like Brittanie Dillard, it’s surreal that Pensacola has made it on the map.
“I’ve actually been watching American Idol since I was in middle school, and I am 41 now, and I was just very excited when we had someone local who was going to be on American Idol,” Dillard said. “So I’ve just been watching it from the beginning, and as soon as they started having watch parties, I got my family together.“
Dillard could hardly wait to head downtown after work to see the woman on her screen face-to-face alongside her family.
While Richardson is a stranger to Dillard, she feels connected to her by watching her each week and is moved to tears by her close relationship with her son, Drew.
“You can see that he’s been that way about his mom from such a young age,” she said. “I literally cry like this during the show every time it’s like, I’ve just been so attached to this situation.”
Crook Avera said it’s on par for Pensacola to show up for Richardson in a big way.
“I know that the community, everybody really just takes care of everybody and supports everyone … everybody wants to come together to be there for her,” she said.
Richardson will compete in the finale episode airing on May 11, during which footage from Richardson’s Pensacola visit is expected to air.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: The Keyhive swarms downtown Pensacola to welcome Keyla Richardson home
Reporting by Brittany Misencik and Troy Moon, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
