Season 24 of “American Idol” is wrapping up next month, and Pensacola’s Keyla Richardson is still in the running to win it all.
It is the show’s tradition to film the top three finalists during a “hometown hero” celebration, so Mayor D.C. Reeves is collaborating with Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May on the details of what this could look like if Richardson is chosen as a finalist.
Richardson is currently in the show’s Top 7.
The city of Pensacola has tentative plans for a concert at the Community Maritime Park and Wahoos Stadium area on May 6, preceded by a parade in the afternoon. Details are still underway.
While these plans are conditional on Richardson being voted into the top three, some type of celebration could be possible at a future date, even if she is eliminated, Reeves told the News Journal.
Reeves already had two preliminary calls with “American Idol” producers as the field of competitors has narrowed.
America’s votes determine how far each singer advances, and Pensacola restaurants and bars have been hosting watch parties each week around the city to help drive votes. Each person can vote up to 50 times per contestant using five different methods.
Voting opens at the start of the show each week and ends during the last commercial break. On April 27, Richardson’s family and friends will gather at 7 p.m. at Margarita’s Restaurant Fusion & Bar, 7250 Plantation Road, and they encourage the Pensacola community to join them.
During the April 27 show, the seven contestants will be reduced to five. The following week on May 4, the top three will be decided. The hometown celebrations for the remaining three contestants will follow soon after.
Richardson would fly home to film in Pensacola on May 5. The three-hour finale will air from Hollywood on May 11.
Reeves has been a vocal advocate for Richardson throughout her Idol journey, even attending one of the live shows in person, bringing with him cards signed by the Pensacola community.
“We as a city are so excited for her journey and we need to turn out in full support of Keyla to ensure that our ‘Idol’ makes it home for the celebration she deserves,” Reeves wrote in a statement.
“American Idol” has been a pop culture touchstone since its debut in 2002. The show launched the careers of singers Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson. This would be the first time Pensacola has hosted an “Idol” finalist.
What happened last week on ‘American Idol?’
Pensacola’s Keyla Richardson dazzled fans during her Disney Night performance of “American Idol” on April 20 as her powerhouse vocals secured her a spot in the Top 7.
During the episode, Richardson took on the power ballad, “Circle of Life,” the opening song of Disney’s “The Lion King.” Richardson took the stage in a shimmering evening gown, bringing yet another judge, award-winning music icon Jennifer Hudson, to tears.
It was a full-circle moment for Hudson, who also performed that very song when she competed on the show back in 2003.
What happens next week on American Idol?
On April 27, American Idol contestants will compete in a Taylor Swift-inspired night, where they will perform hits spanning hits from different eras of Swift’s career.
Who was eliminated on American Idol on April 20?
Only seven contestants advanced in the American Idol competition, marking the end of the journey for two contestants: Kyndal Inskeep and Lucas Leon.
How to watch American Idol at home
ABC airs “American Idol” at 7 p.m. CDT every Monday. If you don’t have cable, paid streaming platforms also show episodes in real time, such as YouTube TV, DirecTV, Fubo, Sling, Hulu + Live TV and more. If you miss it, the episode is available to stream on Hulu the next day.
How to vote for Keyla Richardson on American Idol
There are three ways to vote on American Idol — on the American Idol website, over text message, and the newly introduced social media voting method, using Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Each week, voters may vote 10 times per contestant per method, so each person could cast 50 votes for Richardson across all methods.
For voting on the American Idol website, visit AmericanIdol.com/Vote once the voting window opens.
For text message voting, text the number of the finalist you would like to vote for to “21523.” Richardson’s voting number will be 20.
Hungry for more? Stay up to date on the latest restaurant news by subscribing to our free Pensacola Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter at profile.pnj.com/newsletter.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.pnj.com ’
