Moriah Peters, who appeared on American Idol during the 2010 auditions, launches a new short film on iamsecond.com today retelling her experience with the famous judges and the rejection she received due to her bold stand in sharing her faith and way of life, in stark contrast to young celebrities today.
Peters seemed to have everything the American Idol judges would be looking for in a contestant. She was a talented singer with a great look and vibrant personality. However, one thing deterred them from allowing her into the competition. Peters was a committed Christian, leading Bible studies and saving her first kiss for her wedding day.
“God took me on a bit of a journey where I was able to use music to impact other people,” she says in her I Am Second video. “It started with just leading worship at my church. I said, ‘Okay, God. This is something special. This is something powerful, and I want to be a part of it.’”
Throughout high school, Peters was committed to serving Christ through music. She was a leader in her public high school and led a girls’ Bible study. She had career aspirations of becoming an attorney, but then God opened the door to the music industry through American Idol.
“One day I came downstairs, and the application, the map and everything was out on the kitchen table,” Peters says. “I was like, ‘All right. Let’s do it.’ I was excited.”
However, Peters’ experience on the reality show was not what she expected. Her first auditions were a success, but then the time came to perform for the televised auditions for the judges. While they complimented her voice, they criticized her for her commitment to purity and her Bible studies.
“They told me, ‘You’re trying to be too perfect. You need to go into the world and make some mistakes,’” she says. “’Go kiss someone. … Then you’ll feel sexier.’”
Despite her disappointment, Peters remained firm and positive about her faith during her post-audition interviews, even while she couldn’t understand why God had brought her this far to be rejected and teased by the judges.
Minutes later, a man approached her about a record deal with a Christian music label.
“Really, from the time I had stepped out of the auditioning room to going down an elevator to exiting the building was the amount of time it took for God to open the next door and do a complete miracle,” Peters says.
Today, Peters has taken the Christian music world by storm. Her debut album with Provident Music Group released in April 2012 and was a hit, with her song “I Choose Jesus” hitting No. 11 on the Billboard Christian song chart. She is currently featured on the Restart tour with the Newsboys and For King and Country.
In addition, since her experience, Peters married the love of her life and shared her first kiss on her wedding day.
Her complete story can be viewed at www.iamsecond.com.
Troy Anderson 
Michael Snyder 
Charisma Staff 
