When Zoanette Johnson, wearing a curly mane of blond hair, stepped onto the "American Idol" stage last night, she shocked judges by launching into a spine-tingling rendition of the Oscar-nominated song "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King.
After her performance, judge Keith Urban told Johnson, "Zoanette, I just want to say. First of all, I have no clue what you're going to do and sometimes I wonder if you do, too. But, man, forget the king of the jungle. You're the queen of the jungle right there," Inquisitr reported.
Nicki Minaj, also judging this year, agreed. "That song was such a smart choice," she said, "because it matches who you are and where you're about to be and where you're from."
The song was originally composed by rocker Elton John and renowned lyricist Tim Rice for the movie The Lion King, which came out in 1994. Today, 19 years later, the song is the opening number of Julie Taymor's worldwide hit Broadway adaptation of The Lion King, BroadwayWorld.com reported.
Although Johnson participated in last week's sudden death round, she managed to make it to the next round of competition, propelled by her phenomenal Circle of Life performance.
Although "American Idol" doesn't see a lot of Broadway songs, Johnson still earned the judges' applause. Zoanette is in the Top 20, but it remains to be seen if she will impress America enough to make it to the finals.
"American Idol" is currently in its 12th season, and besides Urban and Minaj, Randy Jackson and Mariah Carey serve as celebrity judges on this FOX talent-finding program.
In the video below, Johnson speaks about her upbringing in war-torn Liberia, and what this performance means for her loved ones back home.
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