WATCH: Jimmie Allen Makes His Late Father Proud with ‘Down Home’ Performance on ‘American Idol’
Jimmie Allen took a break from his mentoring duties on American Idol to take to the outdoor stage at Aulani,…
Jimmie Allen; Photo by ABC, American Idol
Jimmie Allen took a break from his mentoring duties on American Idol to take to the outdoor stage at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, with a performance of his powerful new single, “Down Home.”
The CMA Best New Artist delivered a flawless performance of the emotional song, which he co-penned as a tribute to his late father, and had onlookers dancing and swaying along to the infectious melody.
Allen co-wrote “Down Home” with Cameron Bedell, Rian Ball and Tate Howell. The song is delivered like a letter to his father, who passed away in 2019.
“‘Down Home’ is probably one of the most special songs I’ve ever written. I wrote it about my father – kind of like, hopefully he’s in heaven and looking down on everything I’m doing and hope he’d be proud of me,” Allen previously shared.
The chart-topping star said that recording and releasing the song has been cathartic for him. “It’s a song that’s actually helped me a lot because in the midst of missing my father, I think about him seeing everything I’ve got going on and it’s like… even though he’s gone, he’s always with me. I hope this song finds its place in the world and this song helps people that have lost not only a father, or a parent, or a loved one just like the song has helped me.”
Jimmie Allen’s performance comes just days after the announcement of his new album, Tulip Drive. Out on Friday, June 24, the project is extremely personal to Allen.
“A lot of the songs on this album are from that time period. This is the first album where a lot of the songs are actually written based off a lot of my own personal life experiences – from relationships, the hardships of life, to the parties & the good times,” Allen explained. “A lot of these songs are based off things I went through when I was in later in high school and college, at a place where I was just learning a lot of life lessons from my grandmother. I wanted to honor her by naming this album Tulip Drive, after the street she lived on in Lewes, DE.”
Jimmie Allen is currently serving as American Idol’s celebrity mentor alongside Bebe Rexha. He is in the midst of his headlining Down Home Tour.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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