While Katy Perry floated through space thanks to Blue Origin, Carrie Underwood helped bring new life to American Idol. The former winner decided to return to the show for season 23 as a judge. And it appeared to work perfectly as she quickly found a groove with Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Not to mention, country singer Jelly Roll became the show’s artist in residence. With fans watching the Top 24 contestants battle it out during Disney Week, American Idol looked to celebrate Easter with a special “Song of Faith” episode that featured several performances from more than the contestants.
Not wanting to take time off, American Idol continued to release two episodes a week. And tonight, the show will celebrate the Christian holiday with performances from Brandon Lake, Roman Collins, Richie, Bryan, Jelly Roll, CeCe Winans, and Underwood. The Top 20 contestants will also take the stage to hopefully solidify their spot in the Top 14. With the episode being the first Easter special, the show will run an extra hour.
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Although a moment of celebration and faith, the contestant will continue to compete. And for fans at home, American Idol urged them to cast their vote following the special. Giving them the chance to push their favorite singers to the next round, the singers will perform hit gospel songs to impress voters.
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Carrie Underwood “Owed” Her Stardom To ‘American Idol’
Having found her footing once again on American Idol, Underwood discussed how the show offered contestants a taste of the music industry. “It’s a taste of what you’re going to get afterward. In such a condensed amount of time, you learn how to sink or swim. You learn how to take those good or bad things and learn from them or make them be your motivation because you’re going to get it from everywhere else.”
With Underwood recalling her own past on American Idol and what the show did for her, she insisted, “I came from obscurity in a small town in Oklahoma. I loved to sing but didn’t really know how to get from point A to point B. From that first ‘Idol’ moment on, my life was on a completely different path.”
Never forgetting her road to stardom, Underwood concluded, “It was a launching pad and I owe it all to this show.”
Don’t miss a new special episode of American Idol, airing tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for the Grand Ole Opry)