The Woodstock, Georgia native Slater Nalley stunned the judges and audience with his moving performance of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” during the first of two Disney-themed nights of ‘American Idol,’ Season 23. At 18 years old, the singer and songwriter demonstrates maturity in his voice and his character!

Slater calls himself a ‘Lovett Lifer,’ referring to the school he attended from kindergarten through his senior year. The Lovett School in Atlanta gave Slater the opportunity to perform in musicals and explore his interests, while offering a holistic approach to education which “inspires curious minds, cultivates joyful spirits, builds strong bodies, and shapes good character, all while fostering compassion and empathy.” It also brought him and Mrs. Davis together. 

Mrs. Michele Davis was a teacher at Slater’s at The Lovett School. She is also the parent of Carter Davis, who was killed at the age of 17 in a random shooting in 2016. Slater had heard about Carter long before meeting Mrs. Davis, and, when they did get to know each other, Michele asked Slater to read a poem she’d written after her son’s death. Slater took the poem and wrote a song in honor of Carter. 

It was that song, ‘Traces of You,’ that Slater performed during his ‘American Idol’ audition, and it was Mrs. Davis who introduced Slater to the panel of judges. Slater’s moving audition performance of the original song earned him a ticket to Hollywood, and, weeks later, he performed ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ from Disney’s 1994 animated feature film ‘The Lion King.’ 

While his rendition of ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ is entirely different from the one we remember from the movie, his fans loved it. Commenters wrote: “his voice is mesmerizing” and “Slater just gave Elton John his country twang and I love it” and that Slater is like “some Bob Dylan mixed with a sprinkle of Joe Cocker.” Wow!

On the second Disney night, Slater sang—without his guitar—’You’ve Got a Friend in Me.’ And, though he did not continue on to the top three, he posted a gracious goodbye on social media, saying, “American Idol, thank you for giving me this opportunity and the fans, thank you so much for bringing me such joy, so much joy, getting me this far. I never thought I’d make it this far. I really just appreciate you all, so grateful for this.”  

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Psalms 9:1