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Jamal Roberts, a 27-year-old P.E. teacher from Meridian, Mississippi, took to the American Idol stage to present his rendition of Undo It by Carrie Underwood. He chose the song for the Ladies Night-themed episode that aired on May 4, 2025. The judges and the song's original singer praised and applauded his performance.
Miranda Lambert, the guest mentor for the night, guided Jamal during rehearsals and helped him identify areas for improvement. Jamal's performance left a lasting impression on both the judges and the studio audience, who cheered for him.
As the contestants performed, the public voted for their favorite artists, hoping to see them advance to the next round of the competition. Jamal successfully convinced America to save him with his performance, moving on to the Top 8 and getting closer to clinching the winner's trophy.
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While the judges appreciated his performance, American Idol fans expressed uncertainty and disappointment regarding Jamal's song choice. They took to X to share their thoughts, suggesting he could have selected a different Carrie Underwood song. Nevertheless, some viewers appreciated his decision.
"I personally think this is one of carries worst songs. This and Last Name are hard skips for me. So many options and he picked this. Obv he is top tier talented so its fine but," another fan commented.
"Me watching Jamal sing that bulls**t by Carrie. Like please! Your voice is too good for this. Chile, let us just vote him on through so we can redeem ourselves tomorrow," a netizen commented.
Many American Idol fans were unhappy with the song Jamal picked—
"The song choices are so bad tonight. Jamal did his best but still," a user reacted.
"Idk Jamal might be shoot himself in the foot out of all the choices," a person commented.
"Of all the Carrie songs, Jamal chose one he definitely shouldn’t have performed lol," another fan wrote.
However, some American Idol fans appreciated Jamal's song choice and overall performance—
"i love the song jamal is doing tho!! one of the only carrie songs i like," a person reacted.
"Loved that take on Undo It! He looks like a superstar on that stage! Total package!" another netizen commented.
"You are mesmerizing" — American Idol panelist Lionel Richie comments on Jamal Roberts' Ladies Night performance
Episode 15 of American Idol featured contestants selecting songs by renowned female artists in the music industry. While Adele was the contestants' go-to choice, Jamal Roberts took on Carrie Underwood's Undo It.
Sporting a cowboy hat and a black suit, Jamal took the stage to impress the judges and the audience. With backing vocalists and a live band behind him, Jamal amazed the panelists with his performance. Toward the end, he tossed his hat into the air, which Luke Bryan caught, dancing around with it before letting Jamal throw it to Carrie.
While reviewing his performance, Lionel Richie said:
"All I'm gonna say is throughout your presence here, you are mesmerizing and I love it."
Carrie Underwood pointed out that Jamal made mistakes with the song's lyrics, but added that nobody cared because the performance was "so much fun."
Soon after, host Ryan Seacrest appeared on stage and encouraged viewers to vote for Jamal by texting 12 to 21523.
Stream episodes of American Idol season 23 on Hulu.
