{"id":2384099,"date":"2026-04-22T10:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2384099"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:34:21","slug":"keyla-richardson-advances-american-idol-into-top-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/keyla-richardson-advances-american-idol-into-top-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Keyla Richardson advances American Idol into Top 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Pensacola’s\u00a0Keyla Richardson<\/a>\u00a0dazzled fans during her Disney Night performance of “American Idol”<\/a> Monday night as her powerhouse vocals secured her a spot in the Top 7.<\/p>\n\n

During the April 20 episode, Richardson took on the power ballad, “Circle of Life,” the opening song of Disney’s “The Lion King.” Richardson took the stage<\/a> in a shimmering evening gown, bringing yet another judge, award-winning music icon Jennifer Hudson, to tears from her seat.<\/p>\n

It was a full-circle moment for Hudson, who also performed that very song when she competed on the show back in 2003.<\/p>\n

Hudson said competing on “the show”American Idol” changed the course of her life. Now, she hopes Richardson’s life will follow a similar path.<\/p>\n\n

Hudson said Richardson sang the song as if it were her “testimony” and she was moved when Richardson’s son, Drew, sang along with her from the audience.<\/p>\n

“To think the full ‘Circle of My Life’, that I’m sitting here watching you sing this song. I hope it does the same for you as it did for me,” Hudson told Richardson after performing.<\/p>\n

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Keyla Richardson’s journey continues on as part of American Idol Top 9<\/p>\n

Keyla Richardson has been receiving an outpouring of support from the Pensacola community in her American Idol journey, including area watch parties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Jennifer don’t know \u2014 you can’t look at your son when you’re singing because I start crying. You learned the hard way. I did not warn you about that,” said Judge Luke Bryan. “Great job, great performance, great look, great everything.”<\/p>\n\n

“There’s only one way I can summarize what I just saw…the congregation said, “Amen!'” Judge Lionel Richie said after Richardson’s performance, echoing a similar sentiment from the week before.<\/p>\n\n

As crowds roared from the audience, Richardson stirred up momentum from her home fanbase during a watch party at Perfect Plain Brewing Co. back in Pensacola.<\/p>\n

Richardson’s solo performance wasn’t the only time she made it on stage. In honor of Disney night, the Top 9 collaborated in a rendition of “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” by Randy Newman.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

How to vote for Keyla Richardson: <\/strong>How to vote for Pensacola’s Keyla Richardson on ‘American Idol’<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

What happened last week on ‘American Idol?’<\/h2>\n

Last week, the American Idol stage transformed into\u00a0Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night<\/a>, where contestants covered songs from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, artists inducted into the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, mentored the remaining contestants.<\/p>\n

Richardson wowed the world with her rendition of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (“I’m Yours”) by Stevie Wonder that had the judges on their feet, and the audience clapping along with her.<\/p>\n\n

“Unbelievable. I haven’t ever seen you go to that level,” Judge Luke Bryan said following Richardson’s performance.<\/p>\n

“The congregation said, ‘Amen!'” judge Lionel Richie added.<\/p>\n

Watching from the live audience was Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves, who arrived in Hollywood with signed cards with well wishes for Richardson from the Pensacola community.<\/p>\n

What happens next week on American Idol?<\/h2>\n

Next week, 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.<\/p>\n

Who was eliminated on American Idol on Monday?<\/h2>\n

Only seven contestants advanced in the American Idol competition, marking the end of the journey for two contestants: Kyndal Inskeep and Lucas Leon.<\/p>\n\n

How to watch American Idol at home<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n\n

How to vote for Keyla Richardson on American Idol<\/h2>\n

There are three ways to vote on American Idol \u2014 on the American Idol website, over text message, and the newly introduced social media voting method, using\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Each week, voters may vote 10 times per contestant per method, so each person could cast 50 votes for Richardson across all methods.<\/p>\n

For voting on the American Idol website, visit\u00a0AmericanIdol.com\/Vote<\/a>\u00a0once the voting window opens.<\/p>\n

For text message voting, text the number of the finalist you would like to vote for to \u201c21523.\u201d\u00a0Richardson\u2019s voting number will be 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n