American Idol’s Jamal Roberts welcomes baby girl just hours before heartfelt Top 8 performance: ‘Love is carrying me higher than ever’

Jamal Roberts took the stage as part of American Idol’s Season 23 Top 8 on the Monday, May 5 episode, but before delivering his performance, he had something special to share with viewers.

While preparing for the judge’s song contest, Jamal became a father for the third time. “I did have a beautiful baby girl,” he revealed. “It was such a personal moment for me that I chose not to share it at first. But yes, I now have a healthy, beautiful baby girl who was born today.”

Already a proud dad to daughters Harmoni and Lyrik—both of whom were cheering him on from the audience—Jamal introduced the world to his newest addition, Gianna Grace Roberts.

For his Top 8 performance, Jamal sang Fantasia’s “I Believe,” a song he said resonated with him on a deeper level than ever before. “Where I’m standing in the competition right now, it’s love that I feel lifting me higher—truly,” he said. “It’s the love from my kids, from my hometown, that’s carrying me.”

The song was selected by judge Lionel Richie, though Jamal originally believed it was Carrie Underwood who picked it.

After the viewer votes were tallied, Jamal secured a spot in the Top 6, automatically advancing to the next round. Meanwhile, Mattie Pruitt and Josh King landed in the bottom two, putting their Idol journeys at risk. With the judges’ song contest ending in a tie, the decision came down to Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. In the end, they chose to save Mattie, leading to Josh’s elimination from the competition.