MS native Daniel Stallworth advances on ‘American Idol’ | Entertainment/Life

The students’ voices rose in Daniel Stallworth’s classroom.

“I need to hear you louder than the piano,” he said as they sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around,” trying to master the notes.

“I need to hear all of your voice,” he told them.

“Ready? Sing!”

It was another day at work for the 27-year-old elementary music teacher from Moss Point, whose life is transforming as he advances on the hit singing competition “American Idol.”

Lionel Richie, one of the show’s celebrity judges, told Stallworth during his recent audition that his students would hail him “as the greatest thing that ever showed up in their lives.” Carrie Underwood said Stallworth made her smile so big that her cheeks hurt. Stallworth’s thousands of social media followers leave endless comments of praise — “Let’s go!” “You deserve it!” — whenever he shares videos of himself singing.

His ascent on the show is thrilling Moss Point, where residents cheered, applauded and danced in front of televisions when Stallworth belted “Don’t Stop Believin’” during the “American Idol” premiere last month. The Moss Point High School Alumni Association keeps posting on social media in capital letters about his success. The city’s mayor is monitoring the show’s schedule and planning public announcements to alert residents when Stallworth performs.

“I’m just grateful,” Stallworth said in a phone interview a few days before his next appearance on the show Monday night.

He has vowed to compete for his students.

“I want to inspire them,” he said, “to never give up on your dream.”

‘Idol’ contestant’s love for music began in South MS

His passion grew early, first in the youth choir, then on the drums at The Greater Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Pascagoula. He joined the elementary school band, then the middle school band. He started singing. He learned to play piano.

Stallworth graduated in 2016 from Moss Point High School, where he played in the band, and in 2021 from Alcorn State University, where he sang with the gospel choir. He taught music for four years in Port Gibson, Mississippi, moved to Houston a few months ago and also began singing online in Facebook videos.

“American Idol” noticed.

“I was really, really nervous,” Stallworth said of his audition. “But when it was time for me to sing all the nerves went away.”

The spotlight is new to Stallworth, but he is embracing it with modest poise, often wearing a blazer and glasses. The show is teaching him to not get carried away as a performer, he says, and “to not overthink the moment.”

“He’s an example of what we want all our kids to be,” said Moss Point Mayor Billy Knight, who knows the Stallworth family.

“The way he carries himself and the life that he leads is so impressive,” Knight said. “That’s why people are so proud and happy for him.”

Inspiring students

“Hey y’all, I want to show you something,” Stallworth told his students recently, before his audition aired. He pulled up an “American Idol” promotional video. The screen cut to his face.

“That’s you Mr. Stallworth!” he recalled them yelling. “They were super hyped,” he said.

Stallworth comes from musical roots — his father is a Baptist minister who also plays bass guitar, and extended family members were talented musicians in their time. Stallworth’s family describes him as passionate, gifted and grounded, with a strength in gospel music.

“He gives it his all,” said his mother, Deborah Stallworth. “He just wants his students to realize that music can be a part of their lives, and that if they have a love and a gift for it, it’s OK to pursue that.”

He is the baby of 15 siblings, and the product of a tight-knit community of loved ones who “were blowing my phone up,” Stallworth said, after the judges advanced him to the show’s next round. He lists role models across the region — his church organist, his band director, his father.

“They definitely always showed me how much they loved me and wanted me around,” he said.

His message on national television is also helping Moss Point, a riverfront city of around 12,000 people, “put our name on the map more,” the mayor said. “It’s good for us.”

Stallworth has adopted his audition song’s message as a motto, and written it at the top of his growing Facebook page: “Believe you can succeed, believe you can shine, believe you can soar.”

“What did I sing?” he asked one recent school day to grade-schooler who saw him on the show.

“Don’t stop believing!” the student said.