"Very over all the gospel music" — American Idol fans react to Canaan James Hill's performance

Canaan James Hill, 17-year-old, sang Fred Hammond & Radical for Christ's Glory to Glory to Glory on the American Idol Season 23 Top 24 Part 2 stage, bringing unadulterated emotion and spiritual intensity. Canaan, a Dallas native, has already made it directly to the Top 24 without going through the Head-to-Head round, and his most recent performance demonstrated why.

Canaan decided to push himself by singing in a higher pitch and overcoming voice strain to give a powerful gospel performance, even though he was struggling with allergies. His ailment caused him to have a scratchy voice, which gave the song an unexpected texture and highlighted his dedication to his faith-driven style.

His stage presence and spirit were well received by the judges. He let his individuality shine and simplified the performance, which Carrie Underwood found admirable. Canaan James Hill's enthusiasm and gospel-driven style were praised by the judges, while internet fan opinions have been mixed over the recurring gospel theme in his song choices.

A fan of American Idol posted on X,

"Canaan is very talented, but I'm very over all the gospel music. I don't leave my house for church so I sure as hell don't want it in my living room every week #AmericanIdol"

Another admirer posted,

"#AmericanIdol I love Canaan so much! I want him in Top 2 but I’m just worried if he keeps singing gospel throughout the entire competition. I am fine with it but you know…America 🙃"

More American Idol fans pointed out how Canaan picked yet another gospel song for his performance in part 2 of Top 24.

An X user even compared his performance against another singer's, and shared,

"I HATE to compare but the difference btwn Jamal Roberts and Canaan James Hill is Jamal’s ability to make gospel sound more mainstream and crossover into pop music. Canaan(while I love this abt him) is all gospel BUT I don’t think the #AmericanIdol audience will embrace this genre"

"Canaan James Hill is extremely talented, but I think he needs to get outside of his gospel bubble and show some versatility! #AmericanIdol," read a comment.

"Your voice is your signature" — American Idol judge Lionel comments on Canaan Hill's performance

Canaan James Hill had a triumphant and determined comeback to the American Idol stage, singing Fred Hammond & Radical for Christ's Glory to Glory to Glory. Despite his allergies, he decided to embrace his voice's roughness and sing in a higher pitch. Judges praised his performance and moved him on to the Top 24.

"Every once in a while we witness a possession. That was a possession. Your voice is your signature," Lionel praised.

He stood out from the others because of his audacious gospel selection, which added depth to his emotions. The evaluators were pleased with his performance and commended his voice presence and tenacity.

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