With a voice steeped in warmth and truth, American Idol winner Jamal Roberts is proving once again why he’s not just a singer — he’s a revival. In a recent social media teaser, Roberts offered a heartfelt rendition of Bobby Womack’s classic “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” and the reaction was immediate. In under a minute, he managed to transport fans back in time while breathing new life into a soul staple.
The video, recorded before his Idol victory, was posted with a cheeky caption: “Hey Aunties what y’all know about this song 😉 It’s a must that I remake this song 😎 #musictherapy.” Fans wasted no time flooding the comments with praise, with one calling Roberts “an old soul,” and another saying, “You definitely made Bobby proud on this one.” One particularly moving comment read, “Nephew, you gonna bring Bobby Womack out the grave… his soul’s walking around saying, ‘is this me again?’”
For Roberts, it wasn’t just a tribute — it was a calling. Fans praised his rendition not as a cover, but as an emotional reawakening of a genre too often lost in the noise. “You can remake any song,” one user wrote, “but this… this felt like history coming back to life.” And it’s not just nostalgia — it’s the power in Roberts’ voice that seems to echo something deeper, something generational.
But the tribute is only part of the story. Just two months after winning American Idol, Roberts is preparing to release his debut single, “Missing You in Mississippi,” on July 25. The song is a deeply personal love letter to his home state, with lyrics hinting at grief, hope, and healing: “Healing is getting hard to channel… I’m missing you in Mississippi, and it doesn’t feel the same without you with me.”
During a Facebook Live on July 2, Roberts told fans: “My first song is gonna be dedicated to Mississippi. So, y’all, I do love every state. But, you know, the one you’re raised in is different.” As a father of three daughters and a proud son of Meridian, his music carries the grounded, humble spirit that made fans fall in love with him during Idol.
And there’s more to come. Roberts revealed that the follow-up single is already recorded and on the way. “After ‘Mississippi,’ I’m gonna give y’all a little time to breathe… and I do mean a little,” he teased. “The train’s gonna keep on rolling.”
Between honoring Bobby Womack’s legacy and crafting original music rooted in real emotion, Jamal Roberts is quickly becoming a voice that doesn’t just entertain — it heals. If his Idol run was the spark, this next chapter is the fire.
