Who Is ‘American Idol’ Season 23 Contestant Canaan James Hill? Meet the Talented Preacher

Alyssa Norwin March 28, 2025, 11:58 am

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Canaan James Hill on American Idol — Disney/Eric McCandless

The final batch of Season 23 auditions will air during the Sunday, March 30, episode of American Idol, which means the world will finally be introduced to Canaan James Hill.

Canaan first teased his American Idol audition back on January 29, so it’s been quite a wait for his performance to finally air. The official American Idol Instagram account even commented on Canaan’s post about the show: “Somethin’ special.”

Clearly, he’s going to be one to watch this season, even among all of the talented hopefuls we’ve seen audition for Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie so far. Scroll down to learn more about the aspiring singer.

How old is Canaan James Hill?

It’s hard to believe, but Canaan is still a teenager. In his YouTube bio, he reveals that he’s just 17 years old, even though his voice is mature beyond his years. He turned 17 in October 2024, just before his American Idol audition.

Canaan revealed on Instagram that he graduated high school in June 2023, so he appears to have been on the fast track with his education.

What does Canaan James Hill do?

Canaan is a “singer, preacher, and comedian,” according to his Instagram bio. He appears to favor gospel music and singing in his church.

“I am a Christian, I sing, preach, and give encouraging words,” he wrote in his YouTube bio. “I love to encourage people to trust God because he can do more with it than we can. Fun fact about me: The Clark Sisters are my favorite artist.”

In an Instagram post from 2023, Canaan revealed that he got his love of music from his grandfather. “As I said he amazes me everytime [sic]. The more time goes by the better he sounds. Y’all show some love for us by the way,” he wrote, alongside a video of them singing together.

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Canaan is also active and popular on social media, with more than 13,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 10,000 on Instagram. He often shares videos of himself singing on the sites.