The American Idol season 24 finale is expected to premiere on May 11, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Keyla Richardson, Hannah Harper, and Jordan McCullough are all competing in the Top 3 for American Idol season 24.
Read more about Keyla’s backstory ahead of the finale.
With American Idol season 24 wrapping up, we’re itching to know who’s going to take it all and be crowned the champion.
The season finale of the ABC series is happening on May 11, and fans have been tuning in every week to see the memorable moments happening on the show. With Hannah Harper, Keyla Richardson, and Jordan McCullough all making it to the top 3, it’s easy to say America has gotten it right on who may just be crowned the winner of American Idol season 24.
Before we watch the finale, though, we have to talk about Keyla’s journey to the big stage. Fans have loved the 29-year-old singer ever since she auditioned for judges Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie on the premiere episode of American Idol season 24. Bringing son Drew with her, Keyla dazzled everyone with her rendition of P!nk’s “Glitter in the Air.” And if that’s not enough, Keyla’s performance had Luke in tears—a good indicator of what her future on the show would be.
“See what your mama made me do?” Luke said to Drew about Keyla’s audition. “Oh man, when you felt confident, the way you just sang that with confidence … you have a voice that will make people stop in their tracks.”
While Keyla certainly made an impression on the American Idol judges and viewers, it turns out this isn’t her first run on TV. She was previously a contestant on the ninth season of BET’s Sunday Best, which aired in 2019. She didn’t necessarily win the competition back then—but Keyla has pointed out that her experience on American Idol has felt totally different from the very beginning.
“It’s a completely different experience from BET to American Idol,” Keyla told WEAR News, per TV Insider in March 2026. “American Idol is a fast-paced kind of TV show. It definitely prepared me for the platform, definitely groomed me to be an artist.”
Ahead of her time on television, though, Keyla always had a dream of working in the music industry. Per her official website, she started singing at age 5 and began pursuing her career officially at age 16. While trying to make it in the industry, she also became a music teacher at the Light Shifting Learning Academy in her hometown of Pensacola, Florida. And when she made it back home ahead of the finale, Keyla actually popped back into her old job and saw the students currently enrolled there.
Throughout her time as a contestant on American Idol, fans have seen Keyla give it her all week after week. And given how she’s come so far in the competition, she had to get emotional about the position she’s in ahead of the finale.
“😭😭 Thank you KEYHIVE!” she emotionally wrote on May 4, right after finding out she made it to the last episode of American Idol season 24. “We did it, TOP 3 baby! Let’s go! #Idol #keyhive.”
While we don’t know what the future holds for Keyla, we’re certainly intrigued to see what’s next!
