Pensacola’s Keyla Richardson dazzled fans during her Disney Night performance of “American Idol” Monday night as her powerhouse vocals secured her a spot in the Top 7.
During the April 20 episode, Richardson took on the power ballad, “Circle of Life,” the opening song of Disney’s “The Lion King.” Richardson took the stage in a shimmering evening gown, bringing yet another judge, award-winning music icon Jennifer Hudson, to tears from her seat.
It was a full-circle moment for Hudson, who also performed that very song when she competed on the show back in 2003.
Hudson said competing on “the show”American Idol” changed the course of her life. Now, she hopes Richardson’s life will follow a similar path.
Hudson said Richardson sang the song as if it were her “testimony” and she was moved when Richardson’s son, Drew, sang along with her from the audience.
“To think the full ‘Circle of My Life’, that I’m sitting here watching you sing this song. I hope it does the same for you as it did for me,” Hudson told Richardson after performing.
“Jennifer don’t know — you can’t look at your son when you’re singing because I start crying. You learned the hard way. I did not warn you about that,” said Judge Luke Bryan. “Great job, great performance, great look, great everything.”
“There’s only one way I can summarize what I just saw…the congregation said, “Amen!'” Judge Lionel Richie said after Richardson’s performance, echoing a similar sentiment from the week before.
As crowds roared from the audience, Richardson stirred up momentum from her home fanbase during a watch party at Perfect Plain Brewing Co. back in Pensacola.
Richardson’s solo performance wasn’t the only time she made it on stage. In honor of Disney night, the Top 9 collaborated in a rendition of “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” by Randy Newman.
What happened last week on ‘American Idol?’
Last week, the American Idol stage transformed into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night, where contestants covered songs from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, artists inducted into the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, mentored the remaining contestants.
Richardson wowed the world with her rendition of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (“I’m Yours”) by Stevie Wonder that had the judges on their feet, and the audience clapping along with her.
“Unbelievable. I haven’t ever seen you go to that level,” Judge Luke Bryan said following Richardson’s performance.
“The congregation said, ‘Amen!'” judge Lionel Richie added.
Watching from the live audience was Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves, who arrived in Hollywood with signed cards with well wishes for Richardson from the Pensacola community.
What happens next week on American Idol?
Next week, American Idol contestants will compete in a Taylor Swift-inspired night, where they will perform hits spanning hits from different eras of Swift’s career.
Who was eliminated on American Idol on Monday?
Only seven contestants advanced in the American Idol competition, marking the end of the journey for two contestants: Kyndal Inskeep and Lucas Leon.
How to watch American Idol at home
ABC airs “American Idol” at 7 p.m. CDT every Monday. If you don’t have cable, paid streaming platforms also show episodes in real time, such as YouTube TV, DirecTV, Fubo, Sling, Hulu + Live TV and more. If you miss it, the episode is available to stream on Hulu the next day.
How to vote for Keyla Richardson on American Idol
There are three ways to vote on American Idol — on the American Idol website, over text message, and the newly introduced social media voting method, using Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Each week, voters may vote 10 times per contestant per method, so each person could cast 50 votes for Richardson across all methods.
For voting on the American Idol website, visit AmericanIdol.com/Vote once the voting window opens.
For text message voting, text the number of the finalist you would like to vote for to “21523.” Richardson’s voting number will be 20.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola’s Keyla Richardson wows Jennifer Hudson, makes ‘Idol’ Top 7
Reporting by Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
