Will Moseley Takes The ‘American Idol’ Stage By Storm With Johnny Cash Hit

Will Moseley delivered his “best performance yet” on American Idol on Monday evening, securing a spot in the Top 7 and once again winning over the judges and viewers with his undeniable talent. 

The Georgia native was tasked to perform one of three songs selected by the judges’ panel: “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, “Stone” by Whiskey Myers, or “White Horse” by Chris Stapleton. 

Moseley worked with Idol producers to select which song to perform and ultimately decided to put his own spin on “Folsom Prison Blues.”

“I’m extremely happy with the song I chose,” the rising star shared from rehearsals. “I think this may be my favorite song choice so far on the show. Let’s have fun!” 

The 23-year-old cranked up the energy up to 10 with his rendition of the Johnny Cash hit on the Idol stage. Strumming an acoustic guitar and accompanied by a live band, he infused the iconic track with a lively tempo, prompting the judges to rise from their seats and dance along as he ventured away from the microphone and danced across the stage. Encouraging audience participation, Moseley appeared to be having the time of his life. 

After his performance, the contestant was tasked with guessing which judge had chosen the song. He correctly guessed that Lionel Richie had selected “Folsom Prison Blues,” but he missed the mark with the other song choices.

What he didn’t miss the mark on was the overall performance as the judges had nothing but amazing feedback for him. 

“What I like about making the right decision is that you killed it when you came out of the box. It’s your song, it’s the feeling, the pump, the crowd up. And then you did the worly bird. I mean, I don’t know what that was,” Richie shouted, referring to his unique dance moves. 

Katy Perry later quipped, “It was the Will Moseley Mosey!”   

With a laugh, Richie added, “It was fantastic!”

Perry went on to compliment his energy and overall vibe.  

“I said it was the Will Mosley Mosey. I mean, do you feel that that energy? If you give it, you’ll get it. It was your best performance yet. You sounded good. You were loose in the hips, you were great with the vocals.”

When it was his turn to offer feedback, Luke Bryan reflected on Moseley’s growth as a singer and performer, telling him, “You know what I loved about that Will is when you first came to us, you were you, but it was really, you were singing within kind of the confines of how you like to sing. Every round you get a little looser and a little more free with what you want to do. And it’s making you really, really a better singer and obviously a performer. And that was you keep trending up. And that’s what this show’s all about…get better and better.” 

Fans can catch Will Moseley’s next performance on American Idol on Sunday at 8 pm ET.