MOSS POINT, Miss. (WLOX) - Daniel Stallworth, a Moss Point native, earned a golden ticket on a recent episode of American Idol and is competing in Hollywood Week.
Stallworth performed “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey for the judges.
“That’s really my motto. That’s what I stand for,” Stallworth said. “I teach kids, and so I tell them, don’t allow anybody else to believe in you more than you believe in yourself.”
Stallworth said he sang his first church solo at age 5. He is now a music teacher and said this year seemed like the right moment to audition.
“I believe the timing was right and I believe in myself,” Stallworth said. “So there wasn’t a better time than this.”
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Stallworth credited musicians from the Coast with influencing his development as a singer.
“Growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we had so many different, well-renowned musicians,” Stallworth said. “I was able to kind of listen to them and hang around them for the most part. And they helped shape who I am today.”
He also cited Meridian native Jamal Roberts, a previous American Idol winner, as an inspiration.
“Jamal Roberts is phenomenal,” Stallworth said. “He definitely inspired me to keep it going because there are others who are out here who are talented as well.”
American Idol hopefuls continue to compete, and only 30 will move forward. The next episode airs on Monday, March 2, on WLOX ABC at 7 p.m.
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