‘American Idol’ Standout Zachariah Smith Turns Heads With Debut Single, ‘American Grace’
“This song is so cool in a lot of ways, but my favorite is that it sounds like an anthem,” Smith explains.
Zachariah Smith; ABC/Eric McCandless
Zachariah Smith’s heart-pounding debut single, “American Grace,” is out now and it’s an anthem for people everywhere.
Co-written by Jesse Frasure, AJ Babcock and Alex Hall, “American Grace” finds the American Idol Top 7 finalist telling the story of a kid turning to music during the happiest of times as well as life’s most difficult moments.
Debut Single Out Now
“Oh, oh, God bless it / Oh, oh, let it play / In every hometown, the heartbeat pounds / To the sound of American Grace / How sweet the sound of American Grace,” Smith sings on the chorus of the spirited track.
Throughout the song, Zachariah Smith allows his southern-rock-leaning vocals to shine vibrantly over an energy-filled rock instrumental.
Listen
The 19-year-old former grill cook recorded “American Grace” at The Sound Factory with producers Oak Felder of Oak for the Orphanage & Lucian Nagy.
“This song is so cool in a lot of ways, but my favorite is that it sounds like an anthem. ‘American Grace’ is my anthem,” Smith admitted.
“Powerful Song”
Ahead of the tune’s release, Zachariah Smith took to social media to share a clip talking about his first-ever original song.
“To record my own song has been a dream come true,” Smith shared. ”I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time and for me to be able to come out here and record my own single and make my own music is just really, really cool. So, it’s a once in lifetime [experience] and I’m forever grateful.”
He also detailed his favorite line in “American Grace.”
“My favorite line in this song is the second verse, it says ‘folks are fighting downstairs, but the guitar’s there’ to help me get away from it all,” he explained. “If I was just going through a hard time in life I knew my guitar was always there to be able to take me to a different place.”
“This song is an anthem… [It] is pounding on the hearts of the American people. This song means unity [and] this is a powerful song,” Smith added.
Idol Journey Ends
The single comes days after his American Idol journey came to an end. Following his departure from the show, Zachariah Smith took to social media to bid farewell to the singing competition show.
“I didn’t want to make a too complicated video [and] I thought about doing it and I wasted time doing it. I don’t want to waste any more time [and] I just want to get straight to the point,” Smith began. “First off, I want to thank you guys. You guys have got me to the top five and that is absolutely insane. And keep in mind, this is just a TV show. I get it. A lot of y’all are upset right now. Some of y’all are just disappointed that the votes didn’t go through like you thought they would. And sometimes it happens. But honestly, this is just a TV show. It helped me grow my platform.”
He then went on to admit that while he is no longer in the competition, it did allow him to grow his fan base. “I’ve got to meet a lot of new people and I’ve gained a lot of new fans that I didn’t have before this. So thank you guys so much for your support,” he added.
Zachariah Smith auditioned for Idol with John Mellencamp’s hit, “Hurts So Good,” where America immediately fell in love with his voice and story.
Following his audition, Perry told him, “Oh no!” Perry exclaimed. “You’re not flipping no burger!”
Smith couldn’t contain his excitement as he questioned, “I don’t have to flip burgers anymore?” He had a huge smile across his face as the judges laughed.
Re-Live His Audition
His auditioned earned a “yes” from all three judges and he ultimately advanced to Hollywood, which led him all the way to the Top 5 where his time on Idol came to an end.
Throughout the competition, he has also covered Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing,” Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Little Richard’s “Lucille,” Foreigner’s “Cold As Ice,” Isaac Brown’s “Body Roll Boys,” Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic,” Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” Toto’s “Hold The Line,” Electric Light Orchestra’s “Don’t Bring Me Down,” and more.
While Zachariah Smith didn’t make it to the Top 3, he encourages his followers to tune into the finale of American Idol on Sunday, May 21 at 8/7c as he will be returning to the stage to perform once again.
“Don’t skip out on the finale. I will be at the finale and I have a special duet partner and this one’s going to be really fun. Teaser, the 80s is coming back. All right. I love y’all. Thank you guys so much,” Smith concluded.
Finale
During the three-hour season finale of American Idol, Iam Tongi, Megan Danielle and Colin Stough will face off for the title of American Idol champion.
Live from Hollywood, the finale will feature performances by the judges, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, as well as guest performers Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, Ellie Goulding, James Blunt, Jazmine Sullivan, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban (who is also mentoring Top 3), Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon, Kylie Minogue, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Daigle, Pitbull, and TLC.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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