AZ IDOL-Derek Drake!

I’m so proud of Derek Drake for winning AZ Idol this year. Derek is one of my former Sunday school students from Covenant International Church, so I’ve had the pleasure to hear him sing on many occasions. The funny thing is the very first AZ idol was another person I went to church with at CIC-the lovely Bethany Wright(You may remember her from the Sanderson Ford Commercials)! Bethany Wright’s music is amazing! One of my favorite tracks from her is “Be My Life”. If it was not for her professional training I believe she would have beat Jordin Sparks to the punch in 2004! The first time I heard her sing was at small gathering at her parent’s home and she just took me by surprise.

Similarly, when Derek was in my class five years ago, he would just open his mouth and sing and it was like a young Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Tevin Campbell all wrapped together. I used to tease him because most people look like they are really trying to sing, and Derek's singing seemed so gracefully effortless. It seemed like he just opened his mouth. However, Derek works very hard.

This is his second go round as a finalist, and his time has come. Last Friday while Batman was raking in dollars at the box office, Derek was being crowned AZ Idol and getting the keys to his brand new FORD FOCUS. This weekend Derek has a guaranteed audition with the producers from American Idol and I am confident that he will shine. I am so glad that he was not only blessed with an amazing gift but also a humble spirit and wise parents. So for this young man, the question is not if, but when. Eventually, he is gonna blow and the beauty of it is that it will be in God’s perfect timing.

Make sure to check out this link or that link to see video of Derek’s performance and him driving his brand new whip! Also, if you’ve never heard Bethany Wright, checkout her website and iTunes.