John Foster

Season 23 · Runner-up

Where are they now

As of January 5, 2026

John Foster, the season 23 runner-up from Addis, Louisiana, first released Tell That Angel I Love Her himself on July 26, 2023. A new recording came out on May 18, 2025, through 19 Recordings under exclusive license to BMG. By August 1, 2025, he had made his Grand Ole Opry debut. 19 Recordings released Little Goes A Long Way on October 24, 2025. On January 1, 2026, he was the musical guest on Louisiana's float in the Tournament of Roses Parade.⁠[1][2][3]

Key figures

Career

Before the show

  1. 2021In 2021 he was gifted a guitar.⁠[1]
  1. 2022In 2022 he performed his first solo gig.⁠[1]
  2. 2022He released Someone to Sing to (Acoustic) on July 16, 2022. The copyright names John Foster.⁠[2]July 16, 2022
  1. 2023He auditioned again in 2023. Season 23 was his third time through the show.⁠[1]
  2. 2023He released Tell That Angel I Love Her on July 26, 2023. The copyright names John Foster.⁠[2]July 26, 2023
  1. 2024He released Weatherman on July 4, 2024. The copyright names John Foster Music, LLC.⁠[2]July 4, 2024
  2. 2024He released Just As She Was Leaving on October 25, 2024. The copyright names John Foster Music, LLC.⁠[2]October 25, 2024

During or around the show

  1. 2025By August 1, 2025, he had made his Grand Ole Opry debut.⁠[1][7]
  2. 2025In an interview published May 19, 2025, given backstage at the American Idol finale, he said a full-length album was coming soon.⁠[6]May 2025
  3. 2025He released Tell That Angel I Love Her on May 18, 2025, through 19 Recordings under exclusive license to BMG. On May 19, 2025, that recording was called his debut single.⁠[2][6][7]May 18, 2025

After the show

  1. 2025In June 2025 he was in talks to secure a record deal.⁠[1]June 2025
  2. 2025He was scheduled to play a free concert in Nashville on June 4, 2025, at 6th Avenue and Peabody Street, with 19 Recordings and BMG as organizers.⁠[8]June 4, 2025
  3. 2025Tell That Angel I Love Her (2025 Version) came out on July 8, 2025. The copyright names L&M Star Productions.⁠[2]July 8, 2025
  4. 2025He released Little Goes A Long Way on October 24, 2025. The copyright names 19 Recordings.⁠[2]October 24, 2025
  1. 2026On January 1, 2026 he was the musical guest on Louisiana's Gulf to Gumbo float in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.⁠[3]January 1, 2026

Date not documented

  1. By June 3, 2025 he had released his first music video after American Idol, a one-take performance of Amazing Grace.⁠[9]
  2. He first attended American Idol open auditions at age 15.⁠[1]
  3. He wrote Tell That Angel I Love Her for his friends Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill.⁠[6][7]

Discography

No releases are documented yet.

Awards

Checked October 8, 2026; none found.

Sources

9 sources

  1. Catching up with John Foster — 225 Magazine, published August 1, 2025. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Lead: “The 19-year-old singer from Addis”
    • Finish: “finishing as the runner-up”
    • Opry: “hot off his Grand Ole Opry debut”
    • Guitar: “In 2021, the then-15-year-old was gifted a guitar.”
    • First gig: “in 2022, he performed his first solo gig”
    • Third time: “season 23 was actually his third shot at the show”
    • 2023 audition: “He tried again in 2023”
    • Byline: “By Olivia Deffes - August 1, 2025”
  2. Apple album lookup for John Foster — Apple. Release database. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Tell That Angel, 2023: "releaseDate":"2023-07-26T07:00:00Z"
    • Tell That Angel, 2023: "copyright":"℗ 2023 John Foster"
    • Tell That Angel, 2025: "releaseDate":"2025-05-18T07:00:00Z"
    • Tell That Angel, 2025: "copyright":"℗ 2025 19 Recordings, Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC"
    • Little Goes A Long Way: "releaseDate":"2025-10-24T07:00:00Z"
    • Little Goes A Long Way: "copyright":"℗ 2025 19 Recordings, Inc."
    • Someone to Sing to: "copyright":"℗ 2022 John Foster"
    • Someone to Sing to: "releaseDate":"2022-07-16T07:00:00Z"
  3. “Gulf to Gumbo” float rolled in 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day — Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, published January 5, 2026. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Article: “On New Year's Day, Louisiana showed itself off to the world when it glided its float along the streets of Pasadena, California, for the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade.”
    • Article, last paragraph: “This year’s musical guest aboard Louisiana’s float was American Idol runner-up John Foster.”
    • Headline: ““Gulf to Gumbo” float rolled in 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day”
  4. List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, updated June 10, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Contestants table, row John Foster: Season 23, Place finish Runner-up
  5. American Idol season 23 — Wikipedia, updated April 10, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Lead section; Top 3 – Finale (May 18) table; Elimination chart, row John Foster: Pl. 2, 5/18 Runner-up: “John Foster was the runner-up”
  6. American Idol runner-up John Foster interview — Lyndsanity, published May 19, 2025. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (6)
    • Photo credit: “(photo: 19 Recordings/BMG)”
    • Byline: “Published On May 19, 2025”
    • Interview: “Foster explained backstage at Sunday’s American Idol finale”
    • Album: “a full-length album, which is coming up very soon”
    • Debut single: “now the newly christened runner-up's debut single”
    • Song: “Foster penned the heartbreak ballad for his best friend, Maggie Dunn, and another friend, Caroline Gill”
  7. Where Are They Now? John Foster — American Songwriter, published January 26, 2026. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Opry: “made his Grand Ole Opry debut”
    • Single: “Foster debuted a stunning single, "Tell That Angel I Love Her."”
    • Dedication: “Caroline Gill and Maggie Dunn”
  8. John Foster post-Idol Nashville concert — TV Insider, published May 24, 2025. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Byline: “Dan Clarendon May 24, 2025”
    • Date and place: “in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, June 4”
    • Organizers: “6th Avenue & Peabody Street, with 19 Recordings and BMG as organizers”
  9. 'American Idol' Runner-Up John Foster Has A Dream Come True — Parade (via AOL), published June 3, 2025. News report. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Article: “John also released his first post-Idol video, a performance of "Amazing Grace."”
    • Article, quoted post: “This is a raw, one-take recording”
    • Byline: “Paulette Cohn Tue, June 3, 2025”

How figures are chosen · Compare John Foster with others

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