Mandisa, ‘American Idol’ Star and Grammy-Winning Christian Singer, Dies at 47

Mandisa Lynn Hundley (October 2, 1976 – April 18, 2024), known professionally as Mandisa, was an American gospel and contemporary Christian recording artist. She began her career as a contestant in the fifth season of American Idol finishing in ninth place. She is the fifth American Idol alumna to have won a Grammy Award, for her album Overcomer in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category.

Mandisa resided in the suburban Nashville community of Antioch, Tennessee.[citation needed] Since her appearance on American Idol in 2006, Mandisa had made efforts toward health and weight loss. The title of her second album, Freedom, was inspired by her experience of overcoming an addiction to food.[20] As of March 2009, she had reportedly lost 75 pounds and hoped to lose a total of 100 or more. As of February 2011, she reached her goal of losing 100 pounds.[20]

In 2014, after the loss of a close friend to breast cancer, Mandisa gained back much of the weight she had originally lost, and experienced depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. This loss of her friend, accompanied by a sense of betrayal by God, led Mandisa to retreat from the public.

In May 2017, Mandisa returned to the public eye. Speaking openly about her struggle with depression, she appeared on podcasts and wrote a memoir, "Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy". When she released her album Out of the Dark in 2017, it was the first she had recorded in three years.

After her “American Idol” breakthrough, Mandisa released her first album, “True Beauty,” in 2007. It debuted at the top of Billboard’s Christian album chart, a first for a female artist, and at No. 43 on the Billboard 200. Her first single off the album, “Only the World,” debuted at No. 2 on the hot singles chart and reached No. 1 in its second week.

Her other albums included “It’s Christmas” (2008), “Freedom” (2009), “What if We Were Real” (2011), “Overcomer” (2013), “Out of the Dark” (2017) and a greatest hits album in 2020. She received Grammy nominations for best pop/contemporary gospel album for “True Beauty” and “Freedom” and for contemporary Christian music album with “What if We Were Real.” Her win finally came when “Overcomer” earned a trophy for contemporary Christian album, plus an additional nom for gospel/contemporary Christian performance for the title track.

Mandisa was one of just five “American Idol” alumi to win a Grammy, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Tori Kelly.

click here to listen to her music for free