American Idol Celebrates Easter With A Gospel Music Special
On Easter Sunday, April 20th, gospel music took center stage on American Idol. The hit singing competition show aired a 3-hour “Songs of Faith” special in honor of the holiday.
Each of the Top 20 contestants performed worship and gospel songs of their choice, a change of pace for many away from their typical genre. The evening also included performances by Christian artist CeCe Winans, Idol alum Roman Collins, artist in residence Jelly Roll with Brandon Lake, and gospel quartet The Brown Four.
Even judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie participated in the special production, each taking the stage for a performance of their own.
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Lionel Richie Gives Passionate Performance Of “Eternity” On Idol Easter Special
Lionel Richie is no stranger to gospel music. In fact, he considered studying divinity as a young adult and becoming a minister of the Episcopal Church. While he ultimately pursued a career in music instead, his faith still plays a role in his work.
In 1980, Richie released the prayerful song “Jesus Is Love” with his band, The Commodores. The track was included on the Heroes album, which was certified Platinum by the RIAA and received a Grammy nomination for “Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.”
“Jesus Is Love” was later included on the 2003 compilation album The Best Of Lionel Richie.
Richie performed “Eternity” for the Easter show. The song was written and recorded by Richie for his 2009 album Just Go. It was also included in a compilation album, “Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement,” a project inspired by then-president-elect Barack Obama’s campaign. Lionel’s “Eternity” recording for the compilation included excerpts from Obama’s speeches.
“There are very few chances to write a song that marks a moment in history,” Richie told Billboard ahead of the song’s release. “Being able to use Obama’s voice gave me the weight I needed to say everything I wanted to.”
Watch Lionel Richie perform “Eternity” on American Idol below!