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American Idol season 23 aired its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame special this week, during which the Top 12 were revealed based on the nation's vote. To encourage fans to vote for them, the Top 14 sang songs of the same genre, which urged the audience to praise them in the form of votes.
This included Desmond Roberts, who sang Jesus Is Love by Commodores, but his performance was met with mixed feedback from the judges. However, fans online disagreed and praised Desmond's performance.
"#DesmondRoberts’s runs are insane. Chills all over. Incredible performance man," one person wrote on X.
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"The american idol judges telling desmond to NOT GO OUT HIS COMFORT ZONE YALL NOW IS THE TIME TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE ??? AND HE ATE THAT UP YALL ARE JUST INTIMIDATED DONT PMO," a fan commented.
"Wow…. that falsetto! A performance that got Lionel Richie petrified," a tweet read.
Some fans of American Idol season 23 were unhappy with Desmond's performance.
"He has a wonderful voice, too bad it's out of tune. I still don't understand why the judges aren't honest with everyone. If you talked to the girl, why don't you talk about the flaws in this presentation? The idea is that they improve," a person wrote.
"Desmond and Amanda will not be saved tonight. There are so many great rock songs. Their song choices will be their undoing," a fan commented.
"Desmond Roberts ended the performance beautifully but That wasn’t good at all as a whole," a tweet read.
Fans of American Idol season 23 commented on Desmond Roberts' elimination.
"Such a great talented top group on American Idol! so much talent this season. Desmond and Amanda had such a great run on the show! Wish them both the best of luck!!" a person wrote.
"Desmond Roberts, Che Chesterman, and Amanda Barise are left -- And the final spot goes to -- CHE!!! WE KEPT THE *England flag emoji* GUY IN IT!! Unfortunately, that means we say GOODBYE to Desmond and Amanda (as much as we can now since they make it SUCH AN AFTERTHOUGHT)," a fan commented.
"It's a bit of a risk"— Desmond Roberts chimes in on singing Jesus Is Love in front of Lionel Richie on American Idol season 23
Ahead of Desmond Roberts' performance in the latest American Idol season 23 episode, host Ryan Seacrest noted that the contestant was set to take on a song by Commodores, whose lead singer was none other than the judge, Lionel Richie.
When asked during rehearsal what it would feel like to sing Jesus Is Love in front of the man who sang the original version, Desmond said he was "excited" to sing in front of Lionel Richie.
"It's a bit of a risk," he said.
In a confessional, the American Idol season 23 participant explained that he picked Jesus Is Love because there was a lot of "sentimentality" to the song from a personal level. He added it was one of the first songs his father taught him, and he wanted it to be a dedication to him.
Desmond added that he knew he would make his father proud by singing a song he had taught him in front of the person who sang the original song.
His song earned him a standing ovation from the other contestants as Lionel Richie told Desmond he didn't mind the participant singing his song, however, he joked that the American Idol season 23 singer found some "octaves" that Lionel didn't sing.
He added that not only was Desmond comfortable, but that he tried to take his song. The American Idol season 23 judge praised his performance and said he performed a hard song "so well." Carrie Underwood also praised Desmond and said that he knew when the energy needed to kick in.
Luke Bryan joked that he didn't remember Lionel Richie singing the song like Desmond did, as the audience cheered. He further told the singer that he had a "dynamic" voice but that he needed to edit himself better.
Fans online reacted to Desmond's performance and were divided by it. At the end of the episode, the singer was eliminated from season 23, along with Amanda Barise.
Tune in on Monday to see the Top 12 perform live on American Idol season 23 on ABC.
