It's Hollywood week on the 15th and final season of American Idol,
and once again Christian singers will vie for the title. Mandisa,
Jordin Sparks, Colton Dixon, Chris Daughtry and other Christians have
launched their singing careers on the show. And in 2015, Lee University
alum Clark Beckham made the finals—while tweeting Bible verses and A. W.
Tozer quotes along the way. Will it happen again?
Last night and tonight (American Idol
airs twice this week) at least three worship leaders among
nearly 100 contestants seeking to survive the next cut to the top 52.
Jordan Sasser, Josh Wicker and Melanie Tierce advanced from auditions
held last fall in San Francisco, Denver, Little Rock, Savannah and
Philadelphia. Each one received a "Golden Ticket" to be part of what American Idol calls Hollywood week.
Sasser
has led worship at Andy Stanley's North Point Community Church and
other houses of worship in the Atlanta area, and has served as a
missionary in Costa Rica. He wowed the Ameriacn Idol judges
(Harry Connick, Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban) with a rendition of
Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." Sasser's wife, Alex,
also auditioned and played the ukulele, but she didn't make it to
Hollywood.
Wicker says he has music in his bones. As a
child he was part of his family's gospel band and today he serves as
worship and creative director at The District Church in Jacksonville,
Florida. For his American Idol audition, Wicker played guitar and sang Rihanna's "Stay."
Tierce is majoring in music and biblical studies at Azusa Pacific University, a Christian school in Southern California.
She
spent the summer of 2015 as part of the worship team at the Pasadena
House of Prayer, has led worship at Centerpoint Church in Murrieta,
California, and is a featured member of worship-centric People and Songs
Community (Jennie Lee Riddle, Micah Tyler, etc.). Judge Harry Connick,
Jr., called Tierce's performance of "Rise Up" the best audition he had
heard on American Idol. After seeing Tierce on Idol, Christian singer Jamie Grace tweeted, "I knew u were singin from a soul that chases Jesus."
The American Idol
spoilers website reveals that only one of the three—Sasser, Wicker or
Tierce—makes it to the top 24. Once again, at least one Christian artist
will be featured in this most unlikely showcase.
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