Since leading off the Feb. 2 episode of “American Idol,” Makiyah Mustiful of Pine Bluff has taken in her newfound popularity.
“I feel I’ve been handling everything, overall,” the bank branch manager said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls and text messages of congratulations. Every day at work, customers are telling me how proud they are of me and my coworkers are telling me how they watched me perform and they are proud of me.”
Mustiful earned a golden ticket to “Hollywood Week” on “Idol,” even though the round has been taped in Nashville, Tenn., at Belmont University. The first of two parts to Hollywood Week will air at 7 p.m. Monday on ABC, Channel 7.
And as she did for her Feb. 2 appearance, Mustiful is hosting a watch party at The Magnolia Food Market & Bar, 601 S. Main St. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
“In my second appearance of ‘American Idol,’ you can also look forward to a very big high energy performance,” Mustiful said, doing her best to not give away what she will perform on the newest episode. “It’s just a great performance.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1881.
Mustiful has continued to practice under the guidance of two “Idol” coaches, Nikki and Mike.
How hard has she been going in practice?
“I would say not just too hard but a little more thinking versus just it being hard,” she said. “We sing our songs based on whatever theme they give us. The hardest part of that is finding your songs and listening through multiple songs to find the right one. If it doesn’t sound like this will be a standing ovation from the judges, I have to keep looking until I find the right one.”
Mustiful’s brother, Christopher Savage Jr., 11, may have drawn some standing ovations from home viewers after he sang a few bars of Keyshia Cole’s “Love.” From the feedback she’s received, Mustiful said many have compared him to Michael Jackson.
“We sing all the time around the house and in the church on Sundays,” Mustiful said of her and Christopher. “He plays the drums, but he sings as well.”
Another Arkansan, Palestine-Wheatley High School sophomore Michael Garner, has qualified for Hollywood Week.