Out now via BMG, just in time for Father's Day, the song and video find the breakout soul star getting vulnerable about raising three daughters and learning a selfless kind of love

There is a moment at the start of Jamal Roberts' new single where you hear a small voice before you hear a single note of music. It belongs to his daughter, and it tells you everything about what is coming. "Girl Dad," out now via BMG, is not a singer reaching for a relatable theme. It is a father of three girls writing down what his own life already taught him.

The American Idol champion built "Girl Dad" on a warm, soulful two-step groove, the kind of record a dad and a daughter can sing to each other across a kitchen, just the two of them. Produced by Emile Ghantous and written by Ghantous, Balewa Muhammad, Roberts, and Jordan Orvosh, the track gives Roberts room to do the thing that made America fall for him in the first place, which is to sing like he means every word. The song moves from the small rituals of raising girls, painting nails, picking out bows, to the weight of watching them grow, all anchored by a chorus about the first time he learned what selfless love feels like.

"Being a father to my daughters has taught me a different kind of love, a selfless love," Roberts said. "I wanted this song to celebrate every little moment, from painting nails and picking out bows to one day walking them down the aisle. I hope every dad who hears this record feels seen, and every daughter feels just how deeply loved she is."

The sentiment is not marketing. Roberts is a self-described "girl dad for life," a phrase he has used about himself long before there was a song attached to it. He is the proud father of three daughters, Harmoni, Lyrik, and Gianna Grace, the youngest of whom was born during his American Idol run, just days before his Top 8 performance. His two older girls were fixtures throughout the season, cheering him on from the audience as he chased a dream for all three of them. "Girl Dad" is what that looks like set to music.

WATCH THE "GIRL DAD" VIDEO:

 

"Girl Dad" follows the singles "Perfect for Me" and "Head Up," and each release has made the same case. Roberts has the voice, the heart, and a rare willingness to be vulnerable on record, qualities that are increasingly hard to find in modern R&B and soul.

Off record, he has been busy proving it on stage. Roberts opened for Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine Tour," performed as part of the 19 / Atlantic Records / American Idol CMA Fest Takeover, and has sold out City Winery and theater dates across the country. His current run continues this month.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

June 26, City Winery, Chicago, IL (SOLD OUT)

June 27, Londzell Performing Arts Theatre, Tucker, GA

June 28, City Winery, St. Louis, MO

Tickets are available now. "Girl Dad" is available now on all streaming platforms.

About Jamal Roberts

Born November 6, 1997 in Meridian, Mississippi, Jamal Roberts is the breakout soul voice to come out of American Idol in years. A physical education teacher at his hometown's Crestwood Elementary School, he built an early following singing covers on TikTok before auditioning for Season 23 with Rick James' "Mary Jane." Over the course of the season, judge Lionel Richie twice called him "divinely guided," and on May 18, 2025, Roberts won the title with a record-breaking 26 million votes, nearly double the previous season's total and the highest in the show's ABC era. In doing so, he became the first Black man to win American Idol since Ruben Studdard in 2003, only the second African American male champion in the show's history.

What followed was an unusually fast start for an Idol winner. His debut single "Heal," a gospel-and-soul reimagining of the Tom Odell ballad, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs and Gospel Digital Song Sales charts. His collaboration "Still" with Jonathan McReynolds earned Roberts his first Grammy nomination, for Best Gospel Performance/Song. He has since released the home-state tribute "Mississippi" along with "Nothing Compares," "Head Up," and "Perfect for Me," steadily building a catalog that bridges gospel, R&B, and soul. Through it all, he returned to his classroom in Meridian, telling national audiences he came back for the kids. With "Girl Dad," Roberts gives his most personal record yet to the three little girls who have been at the center of his story from the beginning.