“And that’s how you do it,” Richie said after Nix performed. “This has been a divinely guided show tonight, this whole class, but you just keep raising the bar.”
“Keep believing and keep raising up,” he said. “You’re gonna be fine.”
“I want to commend Fantasia right now ‘cause I feel like she got everyone to really tap into something in here and bring it out,” said Underwood. “That was an incredible job. Thank you for being strong.”
“I want to tell you all an important trick,” Underwood told Nix. “It’s called the ‘post and ghost.’ You put your stuff out on social media, and you don’t look at the comments. That’s how I live my life.”
Bryan praised Nix’s performance, telling her, “That is why you’re in this competition and why you make it through every round.”
Seacrest asked Nix, who had appeared emotional at the end of her performance, what she was feeling during those moments.
“I felt like I was letting everything go, you know?” Nix answered. “I was singing for everyone, if that makes any sense. There’s many things that we are shattered by and it feels like it’s the end of the world, you know, but this gives us a moment to truly let go.”
“And that’s exactly what I felt like I was doing,” she said, “letting go and letting God because he deserves all the praise.”
Nix was the last person named to the Top 10 at the end of the episode. As she celebrated the news, she said, “Thank you Jesus!”
In addition to mentoring the contestants that week, on Monday night Fantasia performed her new gospel single, “Have Your Way,” much of which she sang while on her knees.
When Seacrest asked Fantasia to share what she was feeling with everyone, she said, “The world is going through a lot right now and we need more God, so I allowed him to use me on the biggest stage ever. Thank you, Jesus.”
Seacrest asked about Fantasia’s new gospel album, to which the singer replied, “It’s time.”
“I’m always gospel,” she explained, but she reiterated her point about the difficult time the world is going through. “And so it’s time for me to use the gift that he gave me and give it back to him.”
