Rise Up

"Rise Up"
Artist	Just Sam
Season	18
Release	May 18, 2020
Genre	Soul
Length	4:16
Previous Single	"Flame"
Next Single	"23"

"Rise Up" is the coronation song by Just Sam, the winner of Season 18 of American Idol.

Background

The song was originally recorded by singer-songwriter & Oscar-nominated actress, Andra Day, for her debut album, Cheers to the Fall (2015). It co-written by Day and Jennifer Decilveo; and produced by Adrian Gurvitz.

Performances

Sam sung this song twice on the show: Once at their audition; and secondly, as their last competitive Finale performance against eventual runner-up, Arthur Gunn.

Release

Sam subsequently released this cover as their debut single, the following day after being crowned the winner. Idol music director Kristopher Pooley produced this rendition, which was released through Hollywood Records.

Trivia

• Sam's recording is now the third occasion in which cover renditions of popular music were utilized for the American Idol winner's coronation singles, in addition to the runner(s)-up. The previous winners' cover versions include: Ruben Studdard's "Flying Without Wings" (Westlife) and Lee DeWyze's "Beautiful Day" (U2).
• This song has been performed twice during voting rounds. In addition to Sam, the other instance was a duet between Avalon Young & Sonika Vaid (Season 15). Other notable performances include the auditions of Jurnee (from Season 16) and Shayy (from Season 17)—the latter of whom reprised it as a duet with Andra Day herself on the Season 17 Finale.

See Also

1. Arthur Gunn - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"
2. Dillon James - "The Times, They Are A-Changin'"
3. Francisco Martin - "Alaska"
4. Jonny West - "Makin' Love"