{"id":10801,"date":"2024-02-21T13:25:40","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T07:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/21\/biological-family-surprises-american-idol-contestant-after-her-performance-of-there-was-jesus\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T13:25:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T07:55:40","slug":"biological-family-surprises-american-idol-contestant-after-her-performance-of-there-was-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/21\/biological-family-surprises-american-idol-contestant-after-her-performance-of-there-was-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Biological Family Surprises &#8216;American Idol&#8217; Contestant after Her Performance of \u2018There Was Jesus\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.swncdn.com\/via\/images\/2024\/02\/20\/34631\/34631-cms-image-size-2_source_file.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>American Idol contestant McKenna Breinholt was surprised by her birth family during her audition on the season premiere of the prominent singing competition series.<\/p>\n<p>Breinholt, a 25-year-old singer from Gilbert, Arizona, told the \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie that she was adopted and later discovered that her birth mother was a singer named Amy Ross Lopez, <a href=\"https:\/\/churchleaders.com\/news\/469862-mckenna-breinholt-surprised-by-birth-family-after-singing-there-was-jesus-on-american-idol.html\">Church Leaders<\/a> reported. \u00a0When Breinholt was 21, she attempted to search for her birth mother, only to learn that Lopez passed away in October 2013 following complications from Lupus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cI found [out] I was adopted as early as I was able to understand it,\u201d Breinholt explained. \u201cMy mom struggled for several years trying to get pregnant and eventually they decided to go through the adoption process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have the best family in the world,\u201d she continued. \u201cThey\u2019ve always supported me.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"McKenna Breinholt Shares Her Adoption Story &amp; Sings Her Birth Mother&#039;s Song! - American Idol 2024\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Oq1MU6hPbBk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>She also learned that her birth mother was a singer who performed locally in Bisbee, Arizona, just several hours away from Gilbert. \u00a0Breinholt noted she \u201cinstantly knew where I got my ear from and where I got my voice from\u2014it just all clicked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last summer, Breinholt was able to contact her birth family and learned that they all sing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy birth family was looking for me for probably the last eight years,\u201d she told the judges. \u201cKnowing that I have another family out there who\u2019s equally excited to know and love me was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also said that she had planned to meet them in the next several weeks after speaking with some of her birth family members through FaceTime.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Breinholt performed a rendition of \u00a0\u201cThere Was Jesus\u201d by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton, which earned her praise from the American Idol judges.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Judge Katy Perry called the performance \u201cbeautiful,\u201d while judge, Lionel Richie, said it was \u201cgorgeous\u2026storytelling, smoky voice and I love the little cry in your voice that just cuts right through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perry then asked Breinholt if she wanted to invite her adopted family into the room so that they could hear the judge&#8217;s verdict on her audition. What Breinholt didn\u2019t realize, however, was that her birth family was also present when she opened the door to let her adopted family in, bringing her to tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perry then asked Breinholt if she knew any of her birth mother\u2019s songs and if she could play them for everyone. Breinholt answered in the affirmative and sang of her birth mother\u2019s songs as she sat by the piano.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0Breinholt\u2019s birth grandmother, visibly emotional, was shown singing alongside her granddaughter and later noted that it was like seeing the ghost of her late daughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusic is connection. Music is emotion. Music is the heart. You\u2019re not the only person out there that\u2019s searching for their birth family,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThousands of viewers are saying \u2018me too,\u2019 Perry continued. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to have them all together and it\u2019s so wonderful for your mom and dad to see this and to be so open and loving and supportive about this,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m sure there was a big loss for your birth family, and for you to sing like that, I think it\u2019s healing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have no idea,\u201d one of Breinholt\u2019s birth family members replied.<\/p>\n<p>As for the verdict, all three judges gave Breinholt a yes and told her, \u201cYou\u2019re going to Hollywood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zachwilliams\/status\/1755742552265986282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1755742552265986282%7Ctwgr%5E16c0e3d8fbfc6d4037eda7755888edc1916168ef%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fchurchleaders.com%2Fnews%2F469862-mckenna-breinholt-surprised-by-birth-family-after-singing-there-was-jesus-on-american-idol.html%2F3\">post<\/a> on X, Williams posted a reaction video of himself and Parton watching Breinholt\u2019s rendition on American Idol.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The other day I was working with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DollyParton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@dollyparton<\/a> and we watched McKenna Breinholt\u2019s audition performance of our song \u201cThere Was Jesus\u201d on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmericanIdol?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AmericanIdol<\/a>. Dolly saw it for the first time so we filmed this reaction. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3JJJhcRmh1\">pic.twitter.com\/3JJJhcRmh1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zach Williams (@zachwilliams) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zachwilliams\/status\/1755742552265986282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see how God continues to use this song! Praying for McKenna and her family this season,\u201d Williams told Church Leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In December, Breinholt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C1TmWlLuuPI\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">wrote<\/a> on Instagram, \u201cThis season has brought me so much closer to Christ. I pray that everybody has felt some peace this holiday season. Especially the families in my hometown pushing through these last several agonizing days.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C1TmWlLuuPI\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<p style=\"padding:16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C1TmWlLuuPI\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C1TmWlLuuPI\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by McKenna Breinholt (@mckennafaithbreinholt)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMy heart aches for those who are missing their loved ones today,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am beyond grateful to have the faith that I do in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,\u201d she said. \u201cI firmly believe that families are forever and that we WILL see our loved ones again. If we turn to Him, He will carry us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>RELATED: Hear from Colton Dixon, the talented Christian singer who placed seventh on the eleventh season of American Idol!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"Fighting Fear by Holding onto God's Light with Colton Dixon\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/faith-over-fear\/fighting-fear-by-holding-onto-gods-light\/embed\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Oq1MU6hPbBk?feature=shared\"><em>Photo Courtesy: American Idol via YouTube<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script>\n        setTimeout(function () {\n            !function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\n                if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function () {\n                    n.callMethod ?\n                        n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments)\n                }; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;\n                n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = '2.0'; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0;\n                t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s)\n            }(window,\n                document, 'script', '\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n            fbq('dataProcessingOptions', ['LDU'], 0, 0);\n            fbq('init', '228399734010278');\n            fbq('track', \"PageView\");\n            fbq('track', 'ViewContent');\n        }, 3000);\n    <\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianheadlines.com\/contributors\/milton-quintanilla\/biological-family-surprises-american-idol-contestant-after-her-performance-of-there-was-jesus.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American Idol contestant McKenna Breinholt was surprised by her birth family during her audition on the season premiere of the prominent singing competition series. Breinholt, a 25-year-old singer from Gilbert, Arizona, told the \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie that she was adopted and later discovered that her birth mother was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[]},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10801"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}