It’s amazing to see how these talented American Idol contestants, no matter the season or location, bring their unique voices and personal stories to the stage. Their performances are more than just music—they’re heartfelt tributes, capturing the raw emotion and love they have for the people who mean the most to them.
A singer-songwriter from Alabama makes his “American Idol” debut tonight on ABC, facing the judges during auditions in New Orleans.
Brandon Elder, an Arab resident, will be featured during the two-hour broadcast, a publicist for the reality series confirmed to AL.com. “Idol” airs at 7 p.m. CT, continuing a round of early episodes showcasing auditions by hopefuls around the country
Elder, 23, performed an original song called “Gone” for the show’s production team during his initial audition, according to his publicist, and moved on to sing for judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.
His goal: to earn a golden ticket to Hollywood and a chance to move up the ranks in the singing competition. Like all “Idol” contestants, Elder also seeks to advance his career with exposure on national television.
“Success for me is doing something you enjoy doing and being able to make a living at it and if people like what you’re doing, that’s even better,” Elder said in a statement. “The people that come out to hear me or buy a T-shirt or share one of my videos with their friends, they are the ones that are assisting me with that success.”
Elder fronts the Brandon Elder Band, performing a variety of music that includes country and Southern rock. He’s performed at several venues in Alabama, including Somewhere on Main in Albertville, Fire by the Lake in Guntersville, Moody Blue Bar in Moody, Goat Island Brewing in Cullman and CJ’s Saloon in Arab.
From what we can tell, Elder performs originals and covers during his shows, and several of his music videos are posted on YouTube, including a version of his audition song, “Gone.” There’s a poignant story linked to that tune, which Elder wrote for his adoptive mother.
According to his publicist, Elder was abandoned by his birth mother when he was 10 months old; rumor had it she traded her baby for a car. He was raised and adopted by his step-grandmother, Patricia Elder. When she became ill with cancer, Elder dropped out of Snead State Community College to become her full-time caregiver. She bought Elder his first guitar, and he would sing to ease her pain. After his adoptive mother died, Elder wrote “Gone” to honor her memory.
John Foster is paying tribute to a dear friend.
On Sunday, April 20, American Idol contestant Foster, 18 — who made the Top 20 — took the stage to perform an original song, “Tell That Angel I Love Her.”
“Though we may not know the reason / It’s not for us to understand / Lord, won’t you tell that angel I love her / As soon as you can,” he sang.
At the end of the performance, Foster said “I love you Maggie” and wiped away tears from his face.
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As the judges provided their feedback, Carrie Underwood asked him what he was going through — and Foster explained that he wrote the song for his late friend Maggie Dunn, who died suddenly in 2022.
“There’s something so wonderfully throwback about your voice, about your style. I think it’s something that’s lacking in country music today, to be honest,” said Underwood, 42,
She continued, “We have a lot of outlaw country, we have a lot of new country, and I love that you keep it very traditional. I feel like that’s who you are. I love that in this song we go to hear a sweet, tender side of your voice that honestly I didn’t know you had.”
Luke Bryan added, “You’ve kind of been a wildcard for me the whole time, but what you just did there removed all doubts in my mind that you deserve to be here.”
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“When you open your mouth on this song, you’re country, but you’re also storytelling country,” judge Lionel Richie told Foster. “Now whether that’s old, new, happening now, later, whatever the case may be, it was so believable and I heard every word of every part of your story and that’s what great music is about.”
Per WAFB, Dunn was killed alongside her friend, Caroline Gill, on New Year’s Eve in Louisiana when a police officer hit their car while speeding through an intersection.
Sunday’s nearly three-hour episode also featured special Easter performances, including Richie who performed “Eternity,” Bryan who sang “Jesus “‘Bout My Kids” and Underwood who sang “How Great Thou Art.”
The Top 20 will be narrowed down to the Top 14 on Monday, April 21. Idol airs at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
