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American Idol season 23 episode 11, Songs of Faith, premiered on ABC on April 20. The Easter episode was a celebration of Christian and gospel music, and helped contestants showcase their spiritual roots.
Ahead of the episode, contestants went viral for singing a holy song together. The moment was captured and shared by contestant Breanna Nix on her Instagram on April 5.
Thunderstorm Artis, who was present at the moment, revealed in an exclusive April 20 interview with Deseret News that the heartfelt harmony was entirely unscripted. He even said that he could feel like the "spirit of the Lord was in the room."
“It just felt like the spirit of the Lord was in the room. And I think that for me was in a time where I was kind of shaky and I wasn’t sure if this was where I was supposed to be. But it was like, this is right where God wants me to be,” he said
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American Idol star Thunderstorm Artis says he was surprised to find faith in the show
Faith has emerged as a powerful theme in the latest season of American Idol. Contestants like Thunderstorm Artis, Canaan James Hill, Breanna Nix, and Rylie O’Neill have delivered gospel performances, using their voices to express their devotion and spiritual beliefs.
Ahead of the Songs of Faith episode, which premiered on April 20, the contestants went viral for spontaneously singing a worship song together backstage. The moment was captured by contestant Breanna Nix, who shared the powerful video with her followers on Instagram on April 5.
The video, titled POV: you're on the set of American Idol and the Holy Spirit shows up, featured the contestants gathered backstage to sing a Gospel song in harmony. As their voices blended, they exchanged smiles and knowing glances, fully embracing the significance of the moment.
"Such a special moment backstage. God WILL get His glory" the caption read.
In his interview with Deseret News, Thunderstorm Artis added that he was surprised to find faith being a recurring theme on the recent season of American Idol.
He shared that there were so many Christians among the cast and crew and described the show as a "spirit-filled organization."
“If I had a nickel for every time someone told me, ‘Hey, if you take Jesus out of your music, you’d be way more famous, like, I’d be rich’. There’s so many Christians, from the production team to the people at the top to the people at the bottom. And it’s been amazing,” he said.
He continued:
“I didn’t know this, that ‘American Idol’ was a spirit-filled organization, so it’s been a beautiful experience.”
The theme of faith continued throughout the season, and the show even dedicated a three-hour special episode on the day of Easter to celebrate Christian and gospel music.
American Idol season 23 episode 11 premiered on ABC on April 20 and featured the contestants singing the song that best captured the meaning of “faith” to them. They were joined by gospel legend CeCe Winans, artist-in-residence Jelly Roll, and special guest, Brandon Lake.
American Idol episodes premiere every Sunday/Monday on ABC, and are available to stream on Hulu a day later.
