AMERICAN IDOL Winner Releases Track Mixed With Gospel, Soul

Published: August 1, 2025

Microphone for singing and comedy — Photo by Matthias Wagner on Unsplash

By Mallory Mattingly

AMERICAN IDOL winner Jamal Roberts released a new single called “Mississippi” — a tribute to a place that means so much to him.

“It paints a picture of why I miss home and why a lot of people miss home, and what really just takes their minds back to that moment or to that place or someone,” Roberts told Parade in an interview.

“It’s a good song,” he added. “It’s mixed with R&B and soul, and it’s mixed with gospel, and it’s mixed with country. I just got all of it and put it in one. There’s a pinch of almost every genre in this song and I’m so excited about it. If you’ve been watching me post-IDOL, you know I love fishing, you know I love my kids. All that is my peace, so ‘Mississippi’ has all my peace inside of it.”

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When Roberts won Season 23 of AMERICAN IDOL, he knew he wanted to release a song dedicated to his hometown, Meridian, and to Mississippi.

“So, when we were thinking about it, it was like, ‘What about “Missing You in Mississippi”? I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, set it up.’ We went through the lyrics, I started changing things. I was like, ‘No, this will work, this will work, this will work because this explains me,’” the singer shared.

Roberts is grateful for his record label, which helped him create this one-of-a-kind track.

“They’re never trying to overpower me or do what they think is best,” he explained. “They’re always listening. I think that’s amazing that they listen to the artist, get the feedback and then put all of it together in one picture. When I went into the studio to sing it, I actually sang it in one take. I went through it, and I was in the moment. I guess just like ‘Heal.’ When I sang ‘Heal,’ I was in that moment, and all the emotions and all the memories popped up in my head. Some songs will take you back to memories, they’ll take you back to a place or a moment or a time, and that’s what that song does for me.”

While still competing, Roberts’ single, “Heal,” reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, which made him the first AMERICAN IDOL winner to claim that top spot.