When Canaan James Hill walked into his “American Idol” audition, Carrie Underwood had a hard time believing he was only 17 years old.
The “Idol” contestant carried himself with a maturity that did not give off the air of a teenager, the country music star said.
And Hill is, in fact, already ahead of his years. He graduated high school early, an accomplishment that was motivated by his desire to pursue a preaching career — “So that I can go forward with my gift and do what God has called and chosen me to do,” he told the “Idol” judges.
Now, the aspiring preacher from Dallas, Texas, is sharing his faith on a platform that draws in millions of viewers.
On Sunday night, “American Idol” aired Hill’s audition — and it proved to be one of the standout moments of the season so far.
Caanan James Hill auditions for ‘American Idol’
Hill put his faith in the spotlight for his “American Idol” debut, performing gospel singer Earnest Pugh’s “I Need Your Glory.”
His voice started out soft but sure as he sang the opening lines:
I need Your glory, I want Your glory
Less of me and more of You is what I need
As the intensity of Hill’s performance picked up, “Idol” ‘judge Lionel Richie scooted back in his chair and then stood up and began pacing around the room in excitement.
When Hill finished the song, Richie walked over to him and touched him on the shoulder.
“That was powerful,” he said.
“Thank you so much,” Hill responded. “To God be the glory.”
Richie was visibly having a hard time forming his thoughts.
“That was something so spectacular,” he continued. “I just can’t even describe what I heard.”
Underwood also said she was “kind of speechless.”
“Where have you been the last 17 years?” she said. “You have a gift. Thank you for bringing your gift to us.”
“Idol” judge Luke Bryan was all smiles from start to finish as he took in Hill’s performance, and couldn’t help but laugh as Richie walked around the room in excitement.
“When you sing in church, what do people do?” the country singer asked the teenager. “Do they just run to the baptism pit and jump in it and get saved immediately?”
The judges were so awestruck that they chose to award Hill with the coveted platinum ticket — a special ticket they hand out just three times in a season that allows a contestant to immediately advance past the first round of Hollywood week.
Hill’s audition wrapped up the audition round on the 23rd season of “American Idol.” The show begins the Hollywood round Monday night.
More about Caanan James Hill
Ahead of his “Idol” audition, Hill told host Ryan Seacrest that his inspiration to pursue music stems from his grandfather, who sings a lot of gospel music.
“We’re a gospel family,” he said.
His performance of “I Need Your Glory” has generated some attention online — and even caught the attention of singer Pugh himself.
“Congrats @canaansangz great job!!!" Pugh shared on Instagram following the audition. “#keepGoing @americanidol your platform continues to shine a light of hope for the world to see. Thank you!!"
Hill has been vocal about his faith on social media — the bio on his official YouTube channel says that he loves “to encourage people to trust God because he can do more with it than we can.”
After receiving the third and final platinum ticket on “American Ido,” Hill said he will continue to share his faith throughout the season.
“Oh, I’m so ready to spread the gospel, and that I am gonna do,” he said.