By Movieguide® Staff
The AMERICAN IDOL crew opened up about how meaningful this year’s “Songs of Faith” episode was for them.
“I think the past couple of years, we’ve done a faith-based night,” judge Luke Bryan told Movieguide®. “I think our viewers really, really love those nights, and I think the contestants….when they get to get up there and perform these songs that have really touched them in their lives, they put a lot more emotion into it, and you can really tell. It’s probably some of the best singing we’ve seen this year because I think the people were just digging down deep.”
Judge Carrie Underwood agreed, and said, “I think people need to be uplifted. They need joy, they need to see people singing about the things that matter to them.”
“It’s something that lifts everybody’s spirits up around here, and hopefully around the country,” host Ryan Seacrest added.
Seacreast continued, “I know for the contestants, many of them grew up in the church, and this is a way for them to step into something that’s comfortable and share what they’re all about, share their energy and their faith.”
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Judge Lionel Ritche shared, “As my grandmother said, we need to get back to basics.We are not here as a political party, or as a race of people; we’re here as human beings.”
He continued, “At this point, I would love for AMERICAN IDOL to come in and remind everyone, this is a family show….we just need to get back to basics.”
In an interview ahead of the episode with GOOD MORNING AMERICA, Bryan shared that they would be singing Richie’s “Jesus Is Love.”
“Many of these kids come from gospel backgrounds…we all kind of honed our skills in front of the church,” he explained. “So when we give them the opportunity to kind of go to the faith-based night, they really embrace it.”
AMERICAN IDOL did a “Songs of Faith” episode last season and, due to its popularity with viewers, decided to bring it back for this season.
“It was a discussion that started at a dinner with the judges, some people from ABC, and myself,” Idol showrunner and executive producer Megan Michaels Wolflick told Rolling Stone.
She continued, “We watch myriad Christmas specials. We don’t ever see a faith-based spring Easter-style show. So we kind of embraced that. It was a special show, and people loved it; the ratings were pretty amazing.”
AMERICAN IDOL’s crew and contestants were just as moved by this season’s “Songs of Faith” performances as the show’s millions of viewers around the country.
Read Next: AMERICAN IDOL Prioritizes Faith for Easter Sunday Episode
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