Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Keyla Richardson, 29, Pensacola, Fla., “Glitter in the Air” by Pink: She displays a great tone from the opening note. Not to mention ample vocal firepower. Lionel Richie loves her range. Keyla’s young son enters the room and says hello to the judges. Luke says Keyla has a voice that will make people “stop in their tracks.” She got a golden ticket. Then her son Drew sang a snippet of “God Only Knows” for the judges.

Here’s more about Keyla:

* She’s a gospel singer from Pensacola, Fla., who just turned 29.

* She not only has music out, she has experience with singing competitions.

* In 2019, she advanced to the Top 4 on Season 9 of BET’s Sunday’s Best.

* And on the heels of that experience, she landed at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart with a song called “So Good.”

* “So Good” also became the title track of an eight-song gospel album Keyla released in 2020.

* She’s released other music since, including a 2024 single called “Home” and an August single called “Joy in the Morning.”

* Her debut single was released in 2018, before her BET appearance aired. At the time, she was 21 and already praise and worship leader at Abundance of Life Temple of Praise, where her father was pastor.

* In her web bio, Keyla says she started singing around age 5 and knew she was destined to pursue music as a career by age 16.

* On Instagram, she talks about going through some trying times during her 20s. But in September, on her 29th birthday, she wrote the following.

* “Wow! I don’t even know where to start. 28 was the year that MADE ME, grew me alll the way up. I’ll never forget the year that changed my life. As a whole my twenties taught me alot😂…. I’m grateful for every lesson, everything, I’m just grateful and extremely blessed to see another year. I’m loving this me.”

* Keyla is a single mother, who’s son Drew entered kindergarten this year. A that end of a series of photos of mom and son posing together, Keyla writes: “Disappear. Improve. Return. Shock.”

* She’s been teaching music for the last six years, according to her bio segment on Idol.

Keyla on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube