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Jelly Roll smiled and cheered for an American Idol contestant who delivered a powerful rendition of “Liar,” an anthem the award-winning country star released on his latest studio record.
“That ain’t my song no more,” Jelly Roll, the show’s first-ever artist in residence, told judge Lionel Richie after the performance. Richie said Jamal Roberts, a 26-year-old PE teacher from Meridian, Mississippi, “exploded off of that stage to the point where I had to compose myself, and if you had passed the collection plate, I would’ve given you all the money. …It was amazing.”
Richie’s fellow judges — Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood, who’s serving as a judge for the first time 20 years after her 2005 victory — echoed praises for Roberts’ performance. Bryan said he’s “mad at Jelly Roll. He has over-mentored. I mean, I don’t know if we’ve ever had a better night in Hawaii with the talent. ...Every time you sing, you sing like it might be the last time you ever sing, and that’s how you have to approach this business. You have to give it your all. You have to have that mentality. and you embody that, and it’s so fun to watch.”
“I would feel disrespectful to call this my song at this moment,” Jelly Roll, the reigning iHeartRadio Music Awards Country Artist of the Year, said when Idol host Ryan Seacrest asked for his feedback. “This is now Jamal’s song. I was singing Jamal’s song tonight. Man, I am blown away. Everything about him — his story, his testimony, his love for his children, his community, his city — but most importantly, I love his voice. I love it.”