"Finale bound!"— American Idol fans praise Slater Nalley's Easter Special performance

American Idol season 23 aired Songs of Faith, its Easter Special episode on Sunday, April 20, 2025. The episode saw the participants sing songs of faith and also saw performances by several known personalities such as Roman Collins, CeCe Winana, Jelly Roll, Crandon Lake, and The Brown Four.

One of the contestants of the show, 18-year-old Slater Nalley, performed Soulshine by The Allman Brothers Band and earned praise from the judges. His performance was also met with praise online. One person wrote on X:

"Absolutely love this guy!!! I can see him becoming a star! Finale bound!"

"He looks like a young Elvis! Love his voice!" a fan commented.

"That Georgia boys is shining TONIGHT CONGRATULATIONS Slater," a tweet read.

Fans of American Idol season 23 called Slater their favorite:

"Y’all I’m gonna cry hard! Congrats @slater_nalley! You’re my favorite!" a person wrote.

"That was an incredible performance by slater nalley," a fan commented.

"Slater Nalley gets one of the last five safe slots to move through and gives a solid performance good enough to keep going," a tweet read.

Fans of American Idol season 23 further said:

"no offense but what do people see in john? like even if i was into country music, i'd probably rather put slater through over him... john is just so generic to me," a person wrote.

"You slater it every time!" a fan commented.

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"It's really inspiring"— Luke Bryan praises Slater Nalley's rendition of Soulshine by The Allman Brothers Band during American Idol season 23's Songs of Faith special

During American Idol season 23's Easter Sunday special, Songs of Faith, 18-year-old Slater Nalley from Atlanta sang Soulshine by The Allman Brothers Band.

The singer was met with praise by the judges as Carrie Underwood told him that it seemed like he was at "ease" while playing the guitar and asked him to "keep doing" himself. She also said that Slater knew he had the "good" and noted that he felt comfortable with his song choices. She further said his performance was "great."

Meanwhile, American Idol season 23 judge Lionel Richie told Slater that he "stayed" in his lane and delivered a "solid" performance. The famed singer further told the season 23 contestant not to get "psyched out" by the other "amazing" artists. Luke Bryan chimed in on the performance and said that he wasn't an artist until he figured out who he was.

The American Idol season 23 judge said it was a "hard thing to do" and told Slater that he had already figured himself and asked him to "just let it blossom."

"But man, it's so impressive at your age. That's really inspiring," he added.

Slater Nalley commented on his song choice while speaking to the host, Ryan Seacrest, and said that he picked Soulshine because he used to sing the song with his father. He said it reminded him of his father and that he wanted to let his soul shine.

"And also, on Easter, what a better message?" he wondered.

Slater Nalley was one of the 20 contestants who advanced to the next round of American Idol season 23. Others included:

1. Canaan James Hill
2. Drew Ryn
3. Desmond Roberts
4. Filo
5. Josh King
6. Thunderstorm Artis
7. Amanda Barise
8. John Foster
9. Mattie Pruitt
10. Olivier Bergeron
11. Breanne Nix
12. Victor Solomon
13. Baylee Littrell
14. Isaiah Misailegalu
15. Gabby Samone
16. Zaylie Windsor
17. Jamal Roberts
18. Che
19. Kolbi Jordan

Tune in on Monday, April 21, 2025, to watch the Top 20 take the stage one more time on American Idol seaon 23.