Christian contestants Canaan James Hill and Breanna Nix advanced to the Top 10 on “American Idol” Monday night, continuing to spotlight their faith as a central part of their journey on the long-running singing competition.
The episode, which aired April 28, featured mentorship from Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino, who performed her new gospel single “Have Your Way” and offered guidance to the contestants during rehearsals. Fantasia, a Christian herself, encouraged Hill and Nix to lean into their faith despite public criticism.
Hill, a 17-year-old aspiring preacher from Alabama, delivered a heartfelt performance of CeCe Winans’ “Goodness of God,” which earned him praise from all three judges. “I just applaud you for yet another fantastic performance,” said Lionel Richie. Carrie Underwood added simply, “Thank you,” while Luke Bryan said, “He baptizes me every time he sings.”
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Hill, who received a platinum ticket during auditions, has consistently performed gospel songs throughout the season, including Earnest Pugh’s “I Need Your Glory,” Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It,” and Fred Hammond’s “Glory to Glory to Glory.” Hill said he feels called to sing for God.
I “always felt like I was overlooked or maybe nobody really cared to hear me,” Hill told Fantasia, adding that he’s been bullied for his skin color.
Meanwhile, Nix, also a professing Christian, performed Danny Gokey’s “Tell Your Heart To Beat Again.” Fantasia and Nix connected over their church backgrounds and struggles with online criticism.
“You know, the show has been a wonderful blessing to me, but the hate sometimes on the internet,” Nix told Fantasia while Fantasia was coaching her. “Being a Christian, there is a lot of opinions that come with it. You know, ‘That’s not what a Christian should wear,’ or, ‘That Christian shouldn’t sing a song like that.’”
“I had a comment that said, ‘She’s not a Christian anymore,’” she later added, “and it devastated me.”
“I grew up in church,” Fantasia told Nix. “God still uses me through every song that I sing. I could sing the ABCs right now and give it to God.”
“Doesn’t matter what you sing,” Fantasia continued. “You know that you love Him. So, stay away from social media.”
Fantasia surprised Nix with a video call from Gokey who encouraged her to sing for someone who needed to hear the message. “You’re about to set some people free,” Gokey told her.
Following her performance, Richie called the night “divinely guided,” while Bryan told her, “That is why you’re in this competition.” Underwood offered practical advice for handling online hate: “I want to tell you all an important trick,” Underwood told Nix. “It’s called the ‘post and ghost.’ You put your stuff out on social media, and you don’t look at the comments. That’s how I live my life.”
Nix later reflected on her emotions after the performance: “I felt like I was letting everything go,” she said. “Letting go and letting God, because He deserves all the praise.”
Nix was the final contestant named to the Top 10. “Thank you, Jesus!” she exclaimed onstage as the announcement was made.
During Monday night’s broadcast, Fantasia closed her mentorship with a passionate rendition of “Have Your Way,” performed in part on her knees.
“The world is going through a lot right now and we need more God, so I allowed Him to use me on the biggest stage ever. Thank you, Jesus,” she said.
Fantasia also confirmed she is working on a new gospel album. “It’s time,” she said. “I’m always gospel. But it’s time for me to use the gift He gave me and give it back to Him.”
Faith has been a recurring theme throughout the season. An Easter special earlier this month featured Underwood singing “How Great Thou Art,” Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake performing “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” and CeCe Winans and Roman Collins delivering “Come Jesus Come.” Richie and Bryan also performed Christian-themed songs during the episode.
At the time, “American Idol” co-creator Simon Lythgoe applauded the decision by ABC and Disney “to take such a bold stand on this holy day [of Easter] and celebrate worship music.”
During his time with the show, Lythgoe said, “There was an unspoken rule to steer clear of anything overtly religious or faith-based. The goal was to keep the show secular — broad and inclusive — to avoid alienating any viewers.”
Lythgoe told the outlet he noticed a “shift” when Underwood was a contestant and quickly became a chart-topping artist. After contestants performed “Shout to the Lord” during a 2008 “Idol Gives Back” charity special, the show’s co-creator was “flooded with calls from Christian friends who were thrilled to hear a worship song performed on primetime television.”
“I’m genuinely excited to see Jesus’ resurrection day honored on one of the biggest entertainment platforms in the world,” he said.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
