{"id":25170,"date":"2023-05-08T13:03:46","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T17:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=25170"},"modified":"2023-05-22T08:52:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T12:52:53","slug":"american-idol-judge-commends-contestant-for-boldly-sharing-her-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2023\/05\/american-idol-judge-commends-contestant-for-boldly-sharing-her-faith.html","title":{"rendered":"\u2018American Idol\u2019 Judge Luke Bryan Commends Contestant For Boldly Sharing Her Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"
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American Idol \/ YouTube | Inset: Kathy Hutchins \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The judges called out one \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d contestant for boldly sharing her faith with the world. Twenty-one-year-old Georgia waitress Megan Danielle made it to the top eight finalists on the show, flooring the judges with her performance of \u201cGo Rest High on That Mountain.\u201d She chose that song to honor her late grandfather.<\/p>\n

Judge Luke Bryan initially reacted to the raspy-voiced singer\u2019s powerhouse performance. He said, \u201cWhat I love about you, I mean, we\u2019re way beyond loving your voice, is you\u2019re, you know, you\u2019re never scared to tell everybody your faith.\u201d Bryan added that he thought the song would be perfect for Danielle, saying, \u201cI just felt in my heart that I couldn\u2019t pick a better one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The song was close to Danielle\u2019s heart. Earlier in the show, she shared that she sang the song at her grandfather\u2019s funeral. Fellow judge Lionel Richie also praised Danielle\u2019s ability to touch audiences with her voice as she wiped tears from her eyes. Richie told Danielle, \u201cYou have the amazing ability to touch. Your voice is so powerful when it comes down to just telling your story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Referring to her late grandfather, Richie said, \u201cI know your papa is very, very happy with what you did today.\u201d Judge and pop singer Katy Perry told Danielle her grandfather was sending her a message that she was \u201cexactly where she\u2019s meant to be right now.” \u201cI don\u2019t believe in any coincidences,\u201d Perry said, referring to the song choice. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t have known any of that. So I just think that was heaven-sent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n