There’s a new episode of American Idol tonight, April 8, and it’s the second part of the Top 24’s Hawaiian adventure. The show has been at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii since Sunday’s episode, where the Top 24 performed for the judges. Tonight’s episode continues the performances. American Idol airs on ABC at 8 pm Eastern.
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Sunday’s episode featured Jelly Roll and former contestant Tori Kelly on hand to give some expert advice and mentoring for the contestants. In a similar fashion, Bebe Rexha is traveling to Hawaii to mentor the remaining contestants.
[RELATED: Former Contestant Tori Kelly Shines on ‘American Idol’]
Jelly Roll Mentored Contestants on Previous American Idol Episode, Emphasized Importance of the Moment
Speaking with Billboard recently, Jelly Roll—who swept the CMT Music Awards last night (April 7)—discussed the advice he gave to the Top 24 American Idol contestants and what he really emphasized when mentoring.
“I wanted to make sure they understood the moment. I kept emphasizing, ‘This is huge, y’all. This is on national television and the world’s fixin’ to vote.’ I wanted to make sure they were present,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll be in the middle of something and won’t take the time to see it. You just hope they see it. When I first met them I told them, ‘I hope you all are tight. I hope you’re all making the most of it.'”
At that time, Jelly seemed to focus more on the experience and the moment than on navigating the music industry, but all advice can be helpful when you’re on a show like American Idol. It’s a tough environment, but the Top 24 seem to be navigating well.
Jelly Roll also spoke about the importance of having a mentor, thinking back to his own teachers. “There were a lot of musicians in my town that had done more than me that were all very open to helping me and I’ll never forget that,” he said. “Coming up in hip-hop was very competitive, but they would still give me all the advice in the world. Mentorship is important to me still. Brent Smith from Shinedown and Eric Church and Kid Rock are mentors at times. I can call them with real questions and they’ll help me out.”
Featured Image by Disney/Eric McCandless
