Atlanta’s Slater Nalley thought he could win ‘Idol’ until ‘momentum shifted’

The final three competing this Sunday night for the Season 23 win are Foster, sweet belter Brianna Nix and powerful singer Jamal Roberts.

“Midway through, it kind of switched up a little bit,” Slater told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday from Los Angeles, two days before the season finale where he will perform a duet. “Momentum shifted.”

After being eliminated Monday, Slater licked his wounds for a couple of days and spent time at Dave & Buster’s on Thursday night with Thunderstorm.

“You work for something for seven months, and you get beat out, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Slater said. “At a certain point, it’s not 100% about talent. It’s more about who people like.”

But he said he is now ready to move forward building a career as a musician.

“I feel like I won already,” Slater said. “I am already working my tail off on writing and starting my future apart from ‘Idol.’ The platform ‘Idol’ has given me has been amazing. It has changed the direction of my life.”

Slater, who is postponing college, already has a manager, a new single set to be released during Sunday’s finale and plans to book concerts this summer. He also hopes to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where he wants to incorporate Southern rock and country.

Credit: Disney

Credit: Disney

Only 18, Slater charmed audiences with a blend of humility and quiet self-confidence, his distinctive husky voice that sounds like someone twice his age and his eclectic song choices.

From his initial audition, judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and fellow Georgian Luke Bryan were taken by Slater. At the time, he sang a song he wrote dedicated to the late son of Michele Davis, his favorite English teacher.

Carter Davis was murdered behind a Publix grocery store in Roswell on Aug. 1, 2016. (Jeffrey Hazelwood was sentenced in 2017 to life in prison after he pleaded guilty, but mentally ill, to murder charges.) Slater did not know Carter personally but felt a special connection through his teacher, who joined him for the audition.

Over the weeks, he performed a mixture of rock, pop and country songs by the likes of the Allman Brothers (“Soulshine”), the Band (“Ophelia”), Elton John (“Your Song”), John Prine (“Angel from Montgomery”), Bruce Springsteen (“Atlantic City”) and Reba McEntire (“Whoever’s in New England”).

Last Sunday, Slater opted for Elton John again (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “The Lion King”) for Disney theme night and Bob Dylan (“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”) for Mother’s Day, with a harmonica solo to boot.

“Simplicity is king in this case, and you pulled it off,” Richie told Slater.

“You seemed so in your element,” Underwood said. “I listen to Dylan when I’m sad, but that made me really happy.”

“You’re an artist,” Bryan said. “Your voice is so identifiable.”

Credit: Disney

Credit: Disney

On Monday, he chose the “Toy Story” classic “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” and wore a tux.

“I wanted to do something swingy with an old school sound,” Slater said, “and change up my looks a little bit.”

Then he finished up with a high energy rendition of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.”

“I wanted to go out with a boom no matter what,” he said.

He enjoyed his time gleaning coaching tips from full-time “Idol” mentor Jelly Roll and as a big fan of “Hamilton,” guest coach Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“Jelly Roll helped me the most,” he said. “He is such an authentic person. He is so down to earth the way he connects with people from all walks of life.”

Miranda provided him stage performance tips. “He is a very theatrical person,” Slater said. “He helped me find the camera and dial it in so everybody at home can interact with you.”

Slater has attended Lovett School, a private academy in Buckhead, since kindergarten and has been involved in talent shows, chorus and school musicals.

Since he is committed to “Idol” through Sunday, he will miss his high school graduation today at Lovett. “I’m kind of sad about it,” he said.

Credit: Disney

Credit: Disney

Meredyth Cole, the head of schools at Lovett, has known Slater for many years since he is considered a “Lifer,” having attended the school since kindergarten. She sensed his love for music, hearing him sing during a COVID-era Zoom performance he did while in middle school.

She recalled Slater went through a period in middle school where he felt a little lost. Then he found the school’s fine arts program.

“I didn’t realize he was a songwriter until junior year,” she said. “He has an introspective part of him that enables him to write great lyrics.”

Cole also found him to be intensely curious. “He’d come in my office and discuss some school policy and offer strong opinions,” she said. “He is the model of who we want to graduate from Lovett: students full of intellectual strength and character with a sense of purpose.”

Slater clearly evokes modern country artists such as Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson. “Just seeing them live has made me a better performer,” he said. “I’ve adapted some of their strategies.”

His sense of stagecraft comes from a lot of practice. He spend many hours performing at various bars and restaurants n Leland, Michigan, over multiple summers while visiting his grandparents.

Entering the finale, Slater knows John is the man to beat. “We’re still good buds,” he said. “I’m honestly rooting for him.”

If you watch

“American Idol”

Season 23 finale, 8 p.m. Sunday. On ABC and available the next day on Hulu.