After Deshawn Goncalves gives a fantastic audition on American Idol, Lionel Richie says that God knew what he was doing when he put him in front of the judges that day.
Deshawn is a 19-year-old college student who plays the tuba in the marching band. He was born to teen parents, and he says that he has struggled a lot throughout his life. But music has always been his “saving grace.”
When Deshawn was younger, his dad went to prison. That was hard on him, but when his father came back home, everything changed.
“When my father got out of prison, he was very determined to turn his life around,” shared Deshawn. “He taught me so many things, like how to take care of myself and handle business. He really pushed me to be better as a man. I started to sing and play instruments and get straight A’s. And I graduated at the top of my class. And I got a full ride to Jackson State University.”
For his American Idol audition, Deshawn played the piano while singing an emotional rendition of ‘Everything Must Change’ by Nina Simone.
“Man, that was powerful,” says Lionel Richie after Deshawn finishes his beautiful audition. “I needed you today. Just consider yourself hugged, okay. I don’t know where you came from, but I know God saw fit to put you in front of us. I am very proud of you.”
“It was magic,” shares Katy Perry with a big smile across her face. “I mean, you can still feel it, right now, in the air. There’s a purity, there’s a light about you, when you’re just singing. It’s like you’re an angel.”
After high praises from all the judges, Deshawn got a yes from all three of them. He is going to Hollywood!
Check out this sweet video of a dad catching his daughter singing a power ballad while she is cleaning the pool.
“When your kid catches you shooting a video…” reads the words at the start of the video.
The dad filming this video is Tom Coverly, and he catches his daughter, Anni, putting on quite a show while she is doing one of her chores. Anni is giving it her all and passionately singing the song ‘Girl On Fire’ by Alicia Keys.
“Oh, oh oh oh oh, she got both feet on the ground and she's burning it down
Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, she got her head in the clouds, and she's not backing down
This girl is on fire, this girl is on fire, she's walking on fire, this girl is on fire”
When Anni spots that her dad is watching her performance, she exclaims “Daddy!” with a huge smile across her face. “You are the best singer/pool cleaner ever!” says her father. And she says “thank you” as she giggles about being caught singing.
What a sweet interaction between these two, and what a talented singer this little girl is!
“Right then she wasn't cleaning her pool, she was singing in Madison Square Garden with a packed-out audience,” comments one person on YouTube after watching the video.
“Someone get this girl singing lessons and show her all the opportunities of the world! She's got such talent and showmanship for the stage,” writes another person online.
It is also great how she didn’t feel embarrassed by her dad filming her having a singing moment and having fun just being a kid. Her reaction was just so pure and sweet, and you could tell that her father is definitely proud of her. What a great father-daughter relationship!
One homeless mother auditions on American Idol with her inspiring rendition of Whitney Houston’s ‘One Moment In Time.’
Vahhley is a 23-year-old mother from Brooklyn, NY who is currently going through a very difficult time in her life right now.
“Me and my son are currently in a homeless shelter. And we’ve been living there for the past 8 months,” she shares in an interview before her American Idol audition.
“As a parent, you want to give your son everything. And when you don’t have the ability to do so, it hurts you,” she says with tears falling down her face. “I just want to be the best mother that I can possibly be. I want him to grow up knowing that he didn’t have to see his mother struggling.”
That’s why this audition is such a huge deal for Vahhley. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this. I genuinely appreciate it from the bottom of my heart,” she tells the judges. Then she gives an emotional performance of the ‘One Moment In Time’ by Whitney Houston.
“I want one moment in time, when I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away, and the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time, when I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time, I will feel, I will feel eternity”
Lionel Richie is the first judge to chime in after Vahhley is done singing. “Where you are, at this moment in time, you will climb out of this,” he says.
“I think your singing is real good, but your fight is incredible,” says Luke Bryan.
And Katy Perry encourages Vahhley before sending her off to Hollywood. “I want you to believe that you are worth it,” she says. “And I hope that this yes helps you on your way.”
Classical pianist Gamazda turns a rock song into a masterpiece with this cover of ‘Nothing Else Matters’ by Metallica. This 1992 hit quickly climbed the charts all around the world and became one of the bands signature songs.
“Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words, I don't just say
And nothing else matters”
Alexandra Kuznetsova, also known by her stage name of Gamazda, started playing the piano at the age of 3. Based in Moscow, Gamazda enjoys creating piano covers of our favorite rock songs. From AC/DC to Queen, this classical pianist is putting her unique spin on a variety of hits.
Today, she’s taking on ‘Nothing Else Matters’ by Metallica and it is one cover you don’t want to miss.
“Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters”
From the very first note, I knew that this was going to be a special performance. And Gamazda definitely did not disappoint.
One viewer commented on the video, “Speechless... she understands the soul of the song and is so spot on with the nuances of the melody and feeling, a tear or two were shed as my unexpecting ears surrendered.”
This classical cover touched so many people. In fact, it has nearly 5 million views on YouTube and the number continues to grow.
With a talent like this, there only place Gamazda is going is up!
A Rugby team offers praises to God as they sing a hymn from their hotel balconies.
After a promising start to the Kaiviti Silktails’ rugby season in the spring of 2020, a global pandemic put the team’s hopes and dreams on hold. Now, after one full calendar year the quarantine in Sydney, Australia has been lifted, giving the Silktails another shot at the championship, which they celebrated by singing a hymn from their hotel balconies.
After rigorous training and strict regiments on and off the field, the Kaiviti Silktails’ were thriving as a team during their 2020 rugby season. Because of their excellence, the Silktails qualified to compete in a New South Wales Rugby League competition, making them the first rugby team from Fiji to compete. But after just one round in the competition, news of the Covid-19 pandemic broke, and the team’s dream of playing in Australia’s Ron Massey Cup was put on hold.
Following the news and its subsequent panic, the team decided to use this time to their advantage and switched their focus from competing to training. The team was then relocated to Kensington where they were put on a new training regimen and diet plan to prepare for the time when they would be able to return to the competition.
Now, after a whole year of planning, changes, and training, the quarantine in Sydney, Australia has been lifted, and the team has their chance to prove themselves once more.
In celebration of this opportunity, and to thank the staff at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel, the members of the team walked out on the balconies of their hotel rooms and sang a moving hymn together. This is so moving!
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12
From sleeping in her mama’s car to singing on stage for American Idol, Ronda Felton, a formerly homeless teen brings Lionel Richie to tears singing a Jennifer Hudson cover!
Grab a tissue and be prepared to cry tears of joy about just how great our God is. When Ronda shared her inspirational story of how hard her mother, Juretha Jones worked to ensure Ronda had all that she needed, it truly touched the hearts of the judges on American Idol.
When Ronda, a 19-year-old Milwaukee native shared her hardships of being homeless and having to attend fifteen different schools while living in shelters because of her life circumstances, she shared how much her mother, Juretha was her rock during those hard times. It’s rare for teenagers to truly appreciate their parents but Ronda’s mom is truly her whole world. Richie prompted her to share, “What are those tears? Come on, let us in!”
Ronda then shared, “At times I know she felt like she failed as a parent. But she did anything that helped us survive and she just kept on going. What got me through the hard times as her and her music. Juretha’s words of encouragement were, “Fight. Get up and fight,” Ronda said between tears.
“I was doing really well until you came in and did something that no one has done tonight, which is to touch me to the point to make me cry,” Lionel told Ronda. “My dear … that was the moment that will change your life.”
He added, “Every once in a while, life happens and then you figure, how do I get out of this situation and God provides a crack in the wall—just a crack—just like every other crack. But that crack is just enough for you to get through. My dear, you just found that crack. Because that is the moment that will change your life—it’s a ‘yes’ for me.”
When all three judges echoed that Ronda was going to Hollywood, she could barely contain herself and ran from the audition stage to get her mother. Together with the judges, they all sang ‘Zoom’ from the Commodores.
"I may be just a foolish dreamer But I don't care
'Cause I know my happiness is waiting out there somewhere
I'm searching for that silver lining
Horizons that I've never seen"
Oh Ronda, God certainly doesn’t see you as a foolish dreamer. He sees you reaching for your God-given dreams. We can’t wait to cheer you as we watch what God has in store for you!
"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." Proverbs 31:25
This video was sent by a friend of mine who wandered in Canada, which inspired me to keep shouting the phrase "Oh Lord Jesus" over and over again, either by singing (according to the rhythm of other songs, for example: Glory, Glory, Hallelujah or Amazing Grace. and others), and without singing, until I experienced the fullness of the Spirit of the King Jesus Christ and His Peace
I send my story as a gift for the winners of the contest, beloved in the love of King Jesus Christ. I hope that readers realize that it is very important to acknowledge King Jesus Christ in all things, so that He does not surrender the reader to the accursed mind, so that all can do what is appropriate for Him and fellow human beings in the face of the covid pandemic 19.
21-year-old Althea Grace is singing for her daughter with this inspiring American Idol audition. Before she started singing, Althea shared that her family recently went through a hard time. When her daughter, Lennon was just 11 months old, she was very sick. After taking her to the hospital, doctors found that Lennon was in liver failure. “They told us that she had a few days to live.”
Althea was in shock but continued to take care of her daughter and let her know that everything was going to be alright.
“I don’t think it was until one of her doctors looked at me and said, ‘I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can save her.’”
Even when all hope seemed lost, a miracle came through just in time.
“Six days after her diagnosis, we got the call that they found the right liver for her. It was by an absolute miracle. It’s just that gift of life that she was given.”
Now, Althea is standing in front of the judges with an original song titled ‘Saturday Morning,’ a tune she wrote while Lennon was in the hospital.
“Saturday morning,
If I knew it’d be the last time that I’d make you breakfast or rock you back to sleep,
I would’ve made you pancakes and put shoes on your feet.
Just to feel that you’re still here with me. “
Althea’s soul-filled performance definitely struck a chord with the judges. Lionel Richie said, “The hardest part in this business is to have a unique voice that cuts through. You have a cut-through voice.”
There’s no doubt that Althea has a unique voice and an inspiring story. Now, she’s on her way to Hollywood as she sings for herself and her brave daughter.
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