Jamal Roberts

With a distinctively warm, textured voice, Jamal Roberts is an expressive gospel and soul singer. He released his debut single, the stirring "Heal," soon after being crowned champion of the 23rd season of American Idol in 2025.

A native of Meridian, Mississippi, Jamal Roberts grew up singing in church. He also learned to play drums in childhood. In his early twenties he was a contestant on Sunday Best, a gospel music competition on the BET network; he finished in the Top Three. A few years later, Roberts was teaching physical education at an area elementary school when his third attempt at auditioning for American Idol was successful, and he competed in its 23rd season. With a plan to show his versatility by performing songs from outside his wheelhouse of gospel and soul music, he made it through round after round while drawing on genres spanning English singer/songwriter Tom Odell, country idol Carrie Underwood, the Gershwin aria "Summertime," and the title track to Disney's Beauty and the Beast -- as well as Sam Cooke, the Temptations, and Rick James, among others. He was crowned champion in May of 2025 (the first Black man to win since Ruben Studdard in 2003). Newly signed to 19 Recordings, he released his first single for the label, "Heal," that same month. It debuted at number two on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart. ~ Marcy Donelson