PENSACOLA, Fla. — Pensacola native and American Idol contestant Keyla Richardson is back in town for a week after competing in Hawaii.
She is now part of the idol’s top 20.
On Monday night, Richardson watched the show’s newest episode alongside fans, friends, and family at Andy D’s on Pensacola Bay.
“She is just a star among stars,” said Andrew Demartin, owner of Andy D’s. “So to bring that kind of fame to Pensacola, from which we’ve had a lot of famous people come before, it does us good.”
Since she was five years old, Richardson says she’s been using her God-given vocal talent to uplift others.
Now she’s doing so on a national stage.
“It feels really good, because I feel like I’ve been here all my life,” Richardson said. “And just to see my city support something positive, it is different.”
“I got people watching me back at home that really love me and support me and believe in me,” she added.
At the start of the season, the gospel singer earned a golden ticket, sending her to Hollywood Week in Nashville.
She then went on to compete in Hawaii for “Ohana Week,” where she was called last to keep going.
“I was like, ‘I’m gonna go home,'” Richardson said. “It shook me up. It really did. And I made it; it put that fire back in me again.”
Before gunning for the idol title, Richardson made her national television debut in 2019.
She was a finalist on a BET Network series called “Sunday Best” — an experience she says helped shape her craft.
“It’s a completely different experience from BET to American Idol,” she said. “American Idol is a fast-paced kind of TV show. It definitely prepared me for the platform. Definitely kind of groomed me to be an artist.”
Richardson is a music teacher at Life Shifting Learning Academy on Pensacola Boulevard.
She says she’s honored to represent her city.
“I’m doing it for my hometown, Pensacola, Florida,” Richardson said.
The next episode of American Idol will air on Monday, March 23, at 7 p.m.
Live fan voting will also take place that night.
To vote for Keyla Richardson, text 20 to 21523 at the start of the show.
