Growing up in Pine Bluff with a lifelong passion for singing, Makiyah Mustiful wanted to take her artform to another level.
“I was just randomly scrolling on social media and I had seen an ad for an audition for ‘American Idol,'” Mustiful, 24, said Friday, three days ahead of her appearance on the long-running network TV singing competition.
“I was thinking, ‘Is this real? Is this real?’ It was actually real, and I auditioned in front of Lionel, Carrie and Luke.”
Before singing in front of Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan, Mustiful sang over Zoom with executive producers for ‘Idol’ and recorded videos as they needed. Then came one last Zoom appearance before one of the top EPs.
“She was like, ‘Girl, you are going to Nashville. You are going to see Lionel,'” Mustiful recalled.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Richie, the four-time Grammy Award winner, is once again teamed with 2005 Idol Underwood and country music superstar Bryan to identify the 24th American Idol. For Mustiful, the story of a young lady who grew up singing in the church her grandfather Leon Williams Sr. started, True Vine E Baptist Church, and graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 2020 continues with a chapter for the entire nation to see.
This season, the show’s crew have taken their usual “Hollywood Week” to Nashville, where Mustiful and others performed in front of the celebrity judges.
Mustiful’s performance, filmed at Belmont University in October, will air on the second episode of the season at 7 p.m. Monday on ABC (KATV, channel 7). Another Arkansas Deltan, Michael Garner of Forrest City, is also scheduled to appear.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Mustiful said. “The hospitality was amazing. The judges were friendly — good feedback — and down to earth.”
“Idol” debuted on Fox not long after Mustiful was born, so she’s grown up with the show that has produced stars from Kelly Clarkson to Ruben Studdard to Jennifer Hudson to Underwood.
“One of my favorite times was when Fantasia was on there,” Mustiful said of the 2004 winner. “I’m a Fantasia fanatic. I enjoyed watching her season, even last year with Jamal Roberts coming from a small town in Mississippi — like Pine Bluff, small town. Now me, going to Nashville, I met so many different people with so many different personalities from all over the world.”
Mustiful’s employer, Simmons Bank, announced her upcoming ‘Idol’ appearance with a brief video of its own last week. Mustiful, an assistant financial center manager, sang a portion of Deborah Cox’s “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” but she said that is not the tune she performed in Nashville.
“The attention at home … it has been amazing,” Mustiful said. “I love the attention. Being able to connect with people in our city and our state, it can get overwhelming. Once it was announced, my phone was off the hook. I got so many text messages, DMs (direct messages on social media) and calls. It warms my heart to know my city and state support me 110%. I truly believe everybody is going to be entertained.”
Jefferson County Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. encouraged the county and Pine Bluff to celebrate Mustiful’s arrival on “Idol” in an open letter on social media. Mustiful’s father Dedrick served as a deputy sheriff until his death on Oct. 19, 2014.
“Let’s show the nation what we already know — Pine Bluff produces greatness,” Woods wrote. “And Makiyah, keep singing with faith, confidence and joy. That voice is a gift, and when you use it, you’re not just performing — you’re walking in your calling.”
Said Makiyah: “I thank (Woods) for supporting me and my dad. I know he’s smiling down on me and he’s proud.”
Watch party Monday at The Magnolia
A watch party for Makiyah Mustiful will be held that evening at The Magnolia Food Market & Bar, 601 S. Main St. Doors will open at 6 p.m.
“I do recommend everyone be on time,” Mustiful said, adding there will be plenty of TVs, food and drinks. “That’s all I can say. But there will be more than enough room for everyone.”
