John Foster Delivers Emotional ‘American Idol’ Tribute to Late Friend With ‘Tell That Angel I Love Her’
For John Foster, his April 20 appearance on American Idol was about much more than advancing in the competition.
The 18-year-old country singer from Addis, Louisiana, used the Easter Sunday episode to perform an original song written for his late friend Maggie Dunn. By the time he finished “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” Foster was visibly emotional, and his simple final message, “I love you Maggie,” brought an especially personal weight to the performance.
The song was featured during the three-hour Easter special, which centered on faith and devotion. Foster was among the season’s Top 20 contestants performing that night, and his original composition quickly became one of the episode’s most affecting moments.
A song written for Maggie Dunn
Foster explained that “Tell That Angel I Love Her” was written in memory of Maggie Dunn, a friend he lost on New Year’s Eve in 2022.
Dunn and another friend, Caroline Gill, were killed in Louisiana when a police officer ran a red light during a high-speed pursuit and struck their vehicle.
Rather than choosing a familiar song for the Top 20 round, Foster brought a deeply personal piece of his own. His lyrics captured the difficulty of trying to make sense of a sudden loss while holding on to memories of someone who is gone.
He sang:
“No words can describe how I truly feel / But I hope these will try / It’s a feeling that I can’t explain / Deep and endless like the sky.”
The song then turned into a quiet plea for a message to reach his friend in heaven:
“Though we may not know the reason / It’s not for us to understand / Lord, won’t you tell that angel / I love her as soon as you can?”
Foster continued with an emotional chorus about the permanence of grief and his wish to speak with Maggie again. The imagery of tears falling on his guitar gave the performance an intimate quality that stood apart from a conventional competition number.
At the end, Foster paused before saying, “I love you Maggie.” He wiped away tears as the judges prepared to respond.
Carrie Underwood praises his traditional country sound
Carrie Underwood was particularly struck by the character of Foster’s voice and the old-school country style he brought to the performance.
“There’s something wonderfully throwback about your voice, about your style,” Underwood said, adding that she felt that traditional approach was something missing from country music today.
She also pointed out that Foster revealed a softer, more vulnerable side of his voice through the song, saying that she had not previously known he had that quality.
Luke Bryan, meanwhile, admitted that Foster had been something of a “wild card” for him throughout the competition. After hearing the original song, however, Bryan said the performance removed his doubts about whether Foster belonged in the competition.
Lionel Richie also praised Foster’s storytelling. For Richie, the strength of the performance came from how convincingly Foster communicated the story behind the song.
The reaction reflected what made the performance stand out: Foster was not simply singing about loss. He was drawing from a personal experience and allowing the emotion behind it to shape the performance.
An Easter episode filled with songs of faith
Foster’s performance was part of an unusually packed Easter Sunday episode of American Idol, with the Top 20 taking on songs connected to faith and devotion.
The night began with Lionel Richie performing “Eternity” alongside a full gospel choir and the Top 24 contestants. Four singers, Grayson Torrence, Kyana Fanene, Penny Samar and MKY, were eliminated during the episode.
Luke Bryan also took the stage with “Jesus ‘Bout My Kids,” while Carrie Underwood performed “How Great Thou Art.”
The rest of the Top 20 included Canaan James Hill, Drew Ryn, Desmond Roberts, Filo, Josh King, Thunderstorm Artis, Amanda Barise, Mattie Pruitt, Olivier Bergeron, Breanna Nix, Victor Solomon, Baylee Littrell, Isaiah Misailegalu, Gabby Samone, Slater Nalley, Zaylie Windsor, Jamal Roberts, Ché and Kolbi Jordan.
Foster’s original song was the only original composition among the Top 20 performances that night, according to coverage of the episode.
Foster’s tribute resonated beyond the competition
The performance also connected with Foster’s hometown of Addis, Louisiana. Local coverage highlighted the personal story behind the song and the way Foster used music to express his grief over Maggie’s death.
His appearance demonstrated why an original song can carry a different kind of emotional impact on a singing competition. There was no distance between the performer and the story. Foster had written the song himself, for someone he personally knew and loved, and the emotion surfaced naturally as he sang it.
By the end of the broadcast, Foster had not only delivered one of the evening’s most personal performances but also given viewers a glimpse into the person behind his traditional country sound.
The Top 20 was scheduled to be reduced to the Top 14 on Monday night, April 21, with the results episode airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.