By Kayla DeKraker
AMERICAN IDOL contestant Canaan James Hill brought the presence of God to the hit show.
Last week, the 17-year-old aspiring preacher sang the gospel song “I Need Your Glory.” All three judges had a very emotional reaction to the song, with Lionel Ritchie getting up and walking on stage after the performance, asking Hill, “Would you do that again?”
“To God be the glory,” Hill responded. Ritchie added that he has been “so blessed.”
When Carrie Underwood jokingly asked Ritchie is he is “okay,” he responded, “No, I am not OK. Look where my seat is. I had to sit back here to listen. “That was something so spectacular. I just can’t even describe what I heard.”
Underwood added, “The words, velvet butter. Like, it was smooth but powerful. I’m like, where have you been the last 17 years? You have a gift.”
Luke Bryan joked, “When you sing in church, what do people do? Do they just run to the baptism pit and jump in it and get saved immediately?”
Hill received three yeses from the judge panel and a platinum ticket. Ritchie handed it to him, saying, “It means you can bypass the first round of Hollywood, and you get to sit back and watch all the people you’re gonna slay.”
AMERICAN IDOL posted his audition to Instagram, and viewers had the same experience as the judges. One even said it brought him closer to God.
“I never comment on anything but I have been so broken and I always watch American idol just to escape and smile for a bit. Your performance brought me to tears! I wasn’t even looking for God in that moment and you are touched my soul in ways I can’t describe. I hope you go far. Your voice is powerful,” the person said. Another user added, “There’s no way he’s only 17??? The power behind his voice??? 🔥👏”
Hill also posted photos of himself with him platinum ticket, with a caption that read, “Still in shock! I just got the Platinum Ticket to Hollywood! 🎟️🌟 Huge thanks to @CarrieUnderwood, @LukeBryan, and @LionelRichie! 🎤 Such an incredible honor! 🙌 #PlatinumTicket #Idol.”
AMERICAN IDOLS’s first week of Hollywood Week just began, meaning that the competition was cut down from 144 people to 62. Some other singers who will remain in the competition are Slater Nalley, 17, Thunderstorm Artis, 29, Amanda Barise, 26, Breanna Nix, 25, Sonny Tennet, 25, Jamal Roberts, 27, Baylee Littrell, 22, Victor Solomon, 26, Crews Wright, 17, Josh King, 24, Nina Daig, 25, and MKY, 25.
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