American Idol Features Faith-Filled Songs For Top 14 Round
Season 24 of the favorite reality singing competition series, American Idol, is underway. On Monday, March 30th, the top 14 contestants took the stage to perform “Songs of Faith.” Each contestant chose and inpirational song that holds a special meaning to them personally.
Judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, as well as longtime host Ryan Seacrest, have returned for this season. Together with the votes of Americans, they hope to find the next great musical star.
The show first introduced the “Songs of Faith” theme last season with a three-hour special at the urging of Carrie Underwood. Both years, the gospel-centric episode was scheduled ahead of the Easter holiday.
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Chris Tungseth Covers “By Your Grace”
27-year-old Chris Tungseth first got the judges’ attention during his audition with his original song “Lonely Road,” inspired by his journey through life after losing his father to leukemia. The judges were visibly moved by his performance. Luke Bryan likened the aspiring singer to Chris Stapleton, noting their shared ability to “whisper with soul.”
Faith and music run in Chris’ veins as his late father was a pastor, worship leader, and opera singer, and his mother is a singer and pianist. For the “Songs of Faith” round, Chris shared his rendition of Cody Johnson’s “By Your Grace.”
Cody Johnson released “By Your Grace” on his 2021 record, Human: The Double Album. He was the sole songwriter of the meaningful tune, which reflects on the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ.
Chris’ gritty yet effortless vocals were showcased as he performed on the American Idol stage. At the end of the song, he exclaimed:
“Thank you, Jesus!”
Watch Chris Tungseth perform “By Your Grace” during the Top 14 on American Idol below!
Chris Tungseth’s Fate On Idol
Monday night’s episode was intended to end with the elimination of two additional contestants based on America’s votes. However, production made a last-minute decision to postpone the announcement of the results. Ryan Seacrest explained:
“We have had five ways to vote tonight. Tens of millions of votes coming in, at a rate we have never seen before. Truly unprecedented. And to ensure complete accuracy with the numbers, I was literally just told that we are not going to announce eliminations tonight.”
Although Chris received unanimous praise from the judges, fans will have to wait until next week to find out his fate on Idol! Tune in next Monday, April 6th, on ABC.