NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. — Noah Thompson, the winner of American Idol Season 20, gave a performance for inmates at Henrico County’s Regional Jail East on Monday.
Thompson shared his story and voice with inmates as part of a partnership with Mobilize Recovery and the McShin Foundation.
"I think music is the best medicine in the world so like to bring it to a place such as this and be able to share that is huge for me," Thompson said.
During his visit, Thompson opened up with inmates about growing up with parents who struggled with addiction.
"Just seeing it growing up and the side effects of it and what it does, I think that alone was enough for me to say I don’t want that for my life and choose a different path," he said.
Joined by two of his bandmates, Thompson gave a heartfelt performance packed with moments of vulnerability.
"It was awesome, the band was awesome, the music was awesome and like his courage to get out here in front of everybody and that and share his story was incredible," Raven Clay, an inmate, told CBS 6.
Each melody was curated from some of Thompson's most difficult days, but sung with hope in his heart.
"The songs that I’ve been writing have just fell right into struggle and life, the good parts, the bad parts, the everything in between," Thompson said.
It was an experience that Thompson said changed his life for the better.
"By them coming up and talking to me today and the letters that was just completely good for my soul and has just rejuvenated me," he said. "Nobody realistically knows exactly what's going on inside of everybody's head so it’s nice to see this music can kind of take them away for a second."
To find out more about Thompson's upcoming performances, click here.
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