Although he’d much prefer to be among the top 3 contestants on season 23 of “American Idol,” singer Thunderstorm Artis — who landed in the top 5 alongside Slater Nalley — is pumped for the three remaining singers, who will go head-to-head in the grand finale on May 18, 2025.
Thunderstorm, 29, stopped by host Ryan Seacrest’s syndicated morning radio show on May 15 to share what he thinks of the final three — 25-year-old mom Breanna Nix, 18-year-old college student John Foster, and 27-year-old Physical Ed teacher Jamal Roberts.
Thunderstorm Artis Says He’s ‘Praying Over’ Breanna Nix Before Finale
Despite the disappointment of not making the top 3 on the live May 12 episode, Artis — who came in third on “The Voice” in 2020 — is taking the high road.
Talking with Seacrest, Artis said it “for sure would have been nice if my name was called” as part of the top 3, but insisted that “everyone who’s in the final three deserves to be in that position — just wonderful talents and wonderful human beings and some friends of mine.”
When Seacrest asked whether Artis talked to any of the final three contenders since his elimination, the dad of two young sons replied, “Yeah, man. I definitely reached out to Breanna. She’s a good friend of mine through this whole journey.”
“You know, just knowing how much weight is on her shoulders through this process,” Artis continued, “(I’m) just praying over her that God’s got her, that she can stand up there confidently and do her thing.”
But Artis added that the “crown” could go to anyone, diplomatically noting, “I believe in all three of them.”
Praising Roberts, a soul singer from Meridian, Mississippi, Artis said, “There wasn’t a performance that Jamal did that I wasn’t impressed and I wasn’t on my feet.”
“And the same thing with John, man,” Artis said. “He cracks that smile and you just feel like you’re right at home somewhere, fishing.”
Noting he didn’t want to sway listeners to vote for any particular contestant, Artis said diplomatically, “I’ll just say that they’re all talented, and they all deserve to be in this place, and they all deserve to be an American Idol. And I know that even after this, they’re all going to go forward being stars.”
Thunderstorm Artis Says He Hopes to Find New Opportunities in the Music Industry After His ‘American Idol’ Journey
Shortly after his “American Idol” elimination, Artis posted an Instagram video to share his gratitude and admit he was a bit bummed to not make the final cut. His wife of five years, Faith, weighed in with her own take in the comments.
She wrote, “Love you SO MUCH honey ❤️ you left it all out on that stage and I couldn’t be more proud 😭 I think you deserved to be in that finale, but top 5 is HUGE. The boys and I are forever grateful for your hard work! We love you so much baby 😘”
Faith also shared video footage in her Instagram Stories of Artis singing that night. Over the video, Faith wrote, “So dang proud of how far my man made it on this show. You won in my heart babe. The world was blessed by you and you made an imprint on many. This is not the end.”
The following night, she shared another Instagram Story that celebrated her husband’s music was getting streams on Spotify. Over the image, she wrote, “Proud of you is an understatement!!! God has so much in store for you my sweet hubby! You deserved to win American Idol, but this is HUGE and there are going to be way bigger and better things ahead 💜”
Artis told Seacrest on his radio show that he’s trying to take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way after his rise on “American Idol,” noting, “For me, it’s about, ‘How fast can we get music out? How fast can we make connections?’ When I got off the show, I was like, ‘Man, this is when the real work starts.’”
Artis will perform in the May 18 finale alongside his fellow top 14 contestants. The three-hour show starts on ABC at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
