Zach Williams, Dolly Parton React To AMERICAN IDOL Contestant Who Covered Their Collab
By Movieguide® Contributor
Zach Williams and Dolly Parton just reacted to an “awesome” cover of their song “There Was Jesus” by an AMERICAN IDOL contestant.
“The other day I was working with @dollyparton and we watched McKenna Breinholt’s audition performance of our song ‘There Was Jesus’ on @AmericanIdol,” Williams tweeted. “Dolly saw it for the first time so we filmed this reaction.”
In the video Williams posted, Brienholt explained that she was adopted. After recently coming into contact with her birth family, Brienholt discovered that they were all musical. During her audition, some members of her biological family surprised her — Brienholt had previously only met them on FaceTime.
“That’s sweet she chose our song,” Parton said after watching Brienholt’s audition.
The pair then addressed the AMERICAN IDOL contestant, with Williams saying, “What an awesome thing it was to see you use our song on AMERICAN IDOL. We’re just praying blessings for you and your family.”
“We felt like it was a blessing for you to sing it, and I’m sure you felt like it was a blessing to have all your people there,” Parton added. “So, that just worked all around for all of us.”
“There Was Jesus” was released in 2019 and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
“I am so proud to be a part of this song and video,” Parton posted on Instagram at the time.
Williams recently revealed that he and Parton will be teaming up for another duet.
“I have a new song coming out,” he told CCM Magazine. “The song’s called ‘Looking For You.’”
Williams explained that, while working together on the country icon’s MOUNTAIN MAGIC CHRISTMAS special, he shared what he had been working on.
“And she said, ‘I’d love to sing on that,’” he said. “So, I’ve got a new single coming out with Dolly again. Never in your wildest dreams do you think it’ll happen once, much less twice!”
Movieguide® previously reported on Parton and Williams’ “There Was Jesus” collaboration:
Williams recalled that Parton recognized immediately that the song was “special.”
“I wrote the song with a couple other people and when we got the demo back, I heard this girls voice on it that just reminded me of Dolly Parton’s and I said ‘wouldn’t it be really cool if we could get Dolly Parton to really sing on this.’ Everybody kind of laughed but we tracked down her management and she agreed to listen to the song. The day that I met her, she told me that she didn’t even make it to the chorus and she knew it was special,” Williams said.
“I found out that this is Dolly’s 50th GRAMMY nomination,” Williams added. “I thought how cool to be in this with her… it’s just a special song.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
