Jamal Roberts puts on brave face while overcoming one of his ‘biggest challenges’ yet on ‘American Idol’
Jamal Roberts is ready to face his fears on 'American Idol'! During the combined episode of Disney Night and Mother's Day, which aired on May 12, Roberts sang the theme song of 'Beauty and the Beast' in front of the esteemed judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood. However, before his performance, Roberts, who hails from Mississippi, was wrestling with his own doubts. At that point, Roberts was feeling shaky about his singing abilities. When Roberts was preparing for his performance with the guest mentor Lin-Manuel Miranda, he admitted that he didn't feel any emotional connection with the song.
As per MassLive, during the rehearsals, Roberts confessed, “I’m worried, I’m stressed. I’m not saying I can’t do it, but it probably will be one of the biggest challenges of the season for me.” In a private confessional, Miranda raved over Roberts' vocals and exclaimed, "Jamal has an unbelievable gospel-R&B voice." After noticing Robert's concern during the rehearsals, Miranda quipped, ”He looked terrified of this song. I just saw him reading the lyrics, and I don’t think he connects with this song. This is an interesting song. It scares me a little bit."
When Miranda asked Roberts why he decided to sing 'Beauty and the Beast,' he replied, "I have no idea. I really don't have an answer to that, but I like the way it sounds." Then, Miranda comforted Roberts by saying, "Listen, let's sing it. Let's figure out the why, and maybe that'll help you along the way." While speaking about the song, Roberts went on to say, "There's something about the old words. Tale as old as time. Those words are not just in my vocabulary. I don't talk like that." Following that, Miranda told Roberts, "The question is, what inside the song resonates with you? Whether it's a friendship or your kids, I want you to anchor yourself to something inside it so that when you sing it to us, we feel like, Oh, he feels this song down to his toes."
Following his performance, Roberts received a standing ovation from Richie and Bryan. When Bryan was asked to offer his feedback on Robert's performance, he quipped, "Jamal, let's win this thing, baby." Shortly afterward, Richie said, "How do you make ‘Beauty and the Beast’ an R&B song? How the heck did you do that? So much soul, and we're talking about Beauty and the Beast. Only you, Jamal, only you can pull that off."
When 'American Idol' uploaded the video of Roberts' performance on YouTube, the fans of the show couldn't stop gushing over his vocals. One social media user wrote, "This dude right here was born to sing. He can sing anything. Go, Jamal, my Mississippi brother!" One 'American Idol' viewer wrote, "Jamal Roberts, that version of "Beauty & The Beast" was just phenomenal. He is the American Idol." Adoring Jamal, a fan wrote, "This brother is second to none!!! I pray he wins American Idol, but if not, he has no worries in today's music industry. He literally can sing anything and any genre!" One social media user said, "Jamal’s delivery of Beauty and the Beast inspired a connection to the Power of Love and the Power of God. I raised my hand in worship. That song speaks of hope and emotional support."
