On May 5th, American Idol Season 23’s Top 8 contestants took on songs that were carefully selected for them by the three judges — Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood. Each contestant chose a song that they believed fit them best as they sang in front of a live audience as America voted for their Top 6 within the two-hour episode.

It was an emotional night and not only because the judges were able to save one contestant from going home and making it to the Top 7. Before the contestants, 29-year-old Thunderstorm Artis and 27-year-old Jamal Roberts took the stage, they shared impactful stories about why they chose their songs, delivering tearful performances and touchingly dedicating them to important members of their families.

Jamal Roberts Tears Up After Singing “I Believe” By Fantasia After Announcing The Birth Of His Daughter

The Top 8 American Idol contestants took the stage on May 5th after selecting one out of the three songs the judges selected for them. For 27-year-old Jamal Roberts, the judges gave him these three options: “I Believe” by Fantasia Barrino, “Lately” by Stevie Wonder, and “Grenade” by Bruno Maris. Not knowing which judge chose which song, Jamal decided to sing Season 3 winner Fantasia’s “I Believe.”

During a game of “two truths and a lie,” Jamal revealed that he had, in fact, just become a father for the third time. During the pre-recorded segment, the teacher admitted that he had become a father “that day.” The news took fans by complete surprise as Jamal had not mentioned that he would become a dad again throughout his Idol journey. A photo of his newborn was then shown, whom he named Gianna.

Speaking to the cameras, Jamal shared, “It was so personal to me, I did not share it. But I have a healthy, beautfiul, baby girl born today.”

Before hitting the stage, Jamal shared just how much he resonated with Fantasia’s song — a song about not giving up hope and reaching your dreams. Near the end of the song, as Jamal sangs the lyrics, “I’ve been waiting all my life, for this moment to arrive,” he can be seen getting teary-eyed. When host Ryan Seacrest asked Jamal what he’d want to say to his newborn after looking back on that night, he touchingly shared, “Daddy will always be there for you. Always.”

The judges were floored by Jamal’s performance, with Lionel sharing that he had “everybody in the room crying.” Luke shared, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody connect the heart to the head to the voice … like you’re able to do it. That is God given and you have it.”

Jamal is also the father of two other daughters named Harmoni and Lyrik, who have often been seen rooting for their father in the audience. Surprisingly, Jamal chose not to name his third daughter after something related to music. Speaking to Parade, he shared:

“I always said, even before I had kids, that I was going to name my kids after music. If I had another girl, she would be Melody. And then I had thought about Symphony, all these beautiful names. I love my daughters. They are my world, my life. They’re the reason I’m here and working so hard to keep smiles on those little faces.”

Thunderstorm Artis Dedicates Song Selection To His Wife, Who He Has Called His “Anchor”

29-year-old Thunderstorm Artis took the stage following Jamal’s impressive performance. The Hawaii native was given the three songs: Noah Kahan’s “Northern Attitude,” The Beatles’ “Let It Be,” and Journey’s “Faithfully.” When he saw the list, he immediately chose Noah’s hit song. However, after looking at the lyrics to Journey’s “Faithfully,” he connected to it deeply as it tells the story of an artist on the road, who promises to be faithful to his woman back home.

Thunderstorm touchingly dedicated the ballad to his wife, who just so happened to have the name, Faith.

Singing along with his guitar, Thunderstorm sang the song directly to his wife, who was holding their young child. It was one of the night’s most powerful moments as Faith was seen crying during his performance. After nabbing a standing ovation from the judges, Thunderstorm was guided to his wife by Ryan, where he touchingly thanked her for being by his side throughout his journey.

“Faith, you have supported me in so many different ways through these five years of marriage, and through a lot of crazy ups and downs. I just want to thank you for always being there, and always being my rock. The world might have my gift, but you have my heart. I love you.”

Carrie, who chose the song for Thunderstorm, shared, “You have such a uniqueness to your voice. I love Journey and I wanted somebody to sing Journey, but I feel like if anybody else anywhere sings them, it just sounds like karoke. You have the ability to just take it and mold it, and make it fit you.”

As fans can recall, Thunderstorm has mentioned his wife and her incredible support since his Idol audition. The songwriter sang an original tune in front of the judges titled, “Dont Let Me Let You Go,” which was dedicated to Faith, who he described as his “anchor.”

Did Jamal And Thunderstorm Make It To The Top 7?

After all eight contestants took the stage, it was time for Ryan to announce the six contestants that received the most votes from America to make it to the next round. Thanks to their amazing and heartfelt performances, both Thunderstorm and Jamal received enough votes to move forward.

The contestants headed to Disneyland Resort for the May 11th Mother’s Day episode are:

• Jamal Roberts, 27
• Thunderstorm Artis, 29
• Slater Nalley, 17
• Breanna Nix, 25
• John Foster, 18
• Gabby Samone, 23
• Mattie Pruitt, 16

After the six contestants were named by Ryan, that left the show’s youngest contestant, Mattie Pruitt, and 23-year-old Josh King in the bottom two. However, the judges were able to save one of these contestants. After a wholesome head nudge to Mattie by Josh which fans found incredibly selfless, Luke and Lionel (Carrie did not vote after not winning the “Judge’s Song Contest”) decided to send Mattie to Disney. Josh was eliminated from the competition.

Next week, the Top 7 will take on Disney classics, in which five contestants will be chosen after a live vote from America. The following night, the Top 5 will get to sing two songs and another vote will see the final three heading to Season 23’s finale.