Mississippi native Daniel Stallworth’s run on “American Idol” season 24 came to an end Monday night as the local singer fell just short of the show’s Top 5.
Stallworth, a teacher from Moss Point and one of seven contestants left heading into the episode, took the stage twice during Taylor Swift night. Contestants were first tasked with performing a song from the Swiftie catalog before returning with a performance of their choice, as long as the song was originally performed by an artist from California.
Stallworth selected Swift’s “Fearless” before going with “Best Part” by H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar.
Once again, the judges were wowed by Stallworth’s ability to bring a gospel twist to any genre. His powerful voice and much-improved stage presence led Lionel Richie to say, “You are fearless. You not only sing, but you perform,” after Stallworth sang the title track of Swift’s 2008 album by the same name.
Judges piled on the praise after Stallworth’s rendition of “Best Part.”
“Your voice is like butter on hot toast,” Carrie Underwood said, as Luke Bryan added, “Those notes at the end – I haven’t heard you do that all year.”
Throughout the two-hour episode, fans were asked to vote up to 50 times per contestants before the lights dimmed and host Ryan Seacrest began to announce the results. In order, Seacrest read the names of Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, Jordan McCullough, and Hannah Harper.
That left Stallworth, Chris Tungseth, and Brooks Rosser vying for the final spot.
As the three embraced each other and Seacrest was deliberate with dramatic pause, the credits began to roll and the host revealed Tungseth would be moving on – sending Stallworth and Rosser home.
On Tuesday morning, Stallworth went to social media to thank “American Idol” and assure fans his professional music career is just getting started.
“He’s not done with me yet!!!!!! Thank you, [American Idol],” Stallworth wrote.
Brooks Rosser and Daniel Stallworth’s journeys on American Idol came to an end on the April 27 episode. After the Top 7 performed, it was revealed that Brooks and Daniel received the fewest viewer votes and were therefore eliminated.
Following their eliminations, the guys appeared on the official American Idol podcast with Danielle Fishel to share their thoughts about being sent home with just two weeks to go in the competition.
Daniel, on the other hand, “had every intent” of making it far in the competition. “I was just hoping for the best and working my hardest to get where I wanted to be,” he said. “I’m excited for what’s to come. I’ve been enjoying this experience, and I literally would not trade this journey for the world.”
Both eliminated artists told Fishel that they formed close relationships with so many of their fellow finalists. Daniel got particularly close to Jordan McCullough and revealed, “We’ve talked about this moment. Like, ‘Hey, if one of us gets eliminated, or we both get eliminated, we’re still stuck like glue. We gotta keep calling each other and checking on each other.’ I’m definitely going to support him 100%.”
Moving forward, Daniel is ready to start touring and making music his full-time job. “I just want to get better as a person,” he concluded. “Not just as an artist, but as a person, and learn how to continue to motivate people and motivate myself, encourage myself, and encourage others, as well.”
Source: tvinsider.com, supertalk.fm
