Idol Chatter & Voice Views

John Foster of American Idol Season 23

American Idol returns Sunday, March 9 with Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie returning as judges. They’ll be joined by Carrie Underwood, who replaces Katy Perry.

Here’s more about John.

* He’s John Foster Benoit III, an 18-year-old country artist from Addis, Louisiana.

* His website bio describes his style as neo-traditional and says he’s influenced by George Strait, Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley and Willie Nelson.

* He’s a 2024 graduate of Brusly High School, where he was valedictorian, and has studied at Louisiana State University, according to his Facebook page.

* And in spite of his young age, he’s already released music — four singles since 2022.

* One of those singles, “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” was released in August 2023. It’s a song John wrote and dedicated to Brusly High School cheerleaders Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill, who were killed in a high speed police chase on New Year’s Eve 2022.

* Police were pursuing a suspect in a stolen vehicle case when an officer ran a red light and crashed into the crash in which Maggie, 17, and Caroline, 16, were passengers. The officer, David Cauthron, has since pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

* John posted another tribute to the young ladies on this Dec. 31, singing Willie Nelson’s “I Still Can’t Believe You’re Gone.” In the post, he calls Maggie “my forever muse.”

* More recently, John released a pair of singles in 2024 — “Weatherman” and “Just As She Was Leaving” — covers of songs released by Hank Williams Jr. and David St. Romain, respectively.

* And on his website, he says he’s performed with John Schneider of Dukes of Hazzard fame and a number of noteable Louisiana musicians.

* On Facebook, John summed up his 2024 this way: “Yet another life-changing year. I had roughly 40 shows this year. Also went to the studio for a new project coming very soon. Overall my music career has grown even more than I expected this year … Some new stuff is coming for 2025 so yall stay tuned. Super excited for these plans.”

John on social media:
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