American Idol is gearing up for a brand-new season, but we have to talk about season 23 winner Jamal Roberts’ incredible update ahead of the new installment.
Season 24 of the hit ABC series premieres on Monday, January 26, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET, and viewers are ready to find the next great singer! But Jamal is proving America chose right in May 2025, thanks to a recent performance he posted about on social media.
Jamal was selected to sing the National Anthem at the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship on January 19, where the Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes. He performed a rousing rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” in front of a packed audience and commented on his experience on Instagram. He also used the moment to plug his brand-new single “Head Up,” which is currently available to stream online.
“Truly honored to have sung the National Anthem at the CFP National Championship 🇺🇸🏈,” he wrote in the caption. “Beyond grateful for this moment and excited to share that my new single ‘Head Up’ is on the way. Pre-save it now. 🎶🤍.”
Naturally, seeing Jamal’s latest performance caused fans to flood his comments with praise about the incredible moment.
“Here’s a reason why he won Idol last year 🔥 man’s can SANG,” one person wrote in the comments. “Sheeeeesh 🤯🔥🔥 Might be 1 of the best anthem renditions in history for real 🇺🇸,” another agreed. “Flawless, did it your way!!! It was AMAZING!!!” a different follower added.
We absolutely agree—Jamal’s performance is seriously something to remember! And let’s not forget, the news comes as he received a 2026 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Gospel Performance/Song for the live version of his song “Still” with Jonathan McReynolds.
Congrats, Jamal!
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.goodhousekeeping.com ’
