At a charity gala in Minneapolis, a teenager was asked to sing on the spot by a world-famous hitmaker who has discovered some of the biggest voices on the planet. Instead of freezing, he picked the key, started the song a cappella, and turned the whole room silent.
It was John Foster.
John introduces himself softly, saying he is from a small town called Addis, Louisiana. The room is full of big names and big money. Then David looks up from the piano and casually asks the question that would shake most young singers: “What do you want to sing?”
John chooses “Always on My Mind,” a song made famous by one of his heroes, Willie Nelson. David smiles and fires off another test: “What key?” John does not blink. “D,” he answers. Then comes the real jump.
“How’s it start?” David asks.
John Foster and David Foster – Always on My Mind
Earlier that same year, John stepped onto the Gretna Fest 2025 stage in Louisiana, not as a TV contestant, but as a working country artist with his own set and his own audience. Here, you see the full picture that the gala only hinted at. The neo-traditional sound is fully alive with fiddle, steel guitar, and a tight rhythm section behind him. He moves with ease, jokes with the crowd, and sings like someone who has been doing this his whole life.
John Foster at Gretna Fest 2025 — The Heart and Soul of Country Music ❤️🎶 | Live Performance Tribute
We have seen John hold his own in a black-tie gala beside a music legend and then lead a full band on a festival stage like a seasoned headliner. But to really understand why a 19-year-old can stand that tall, you have to go back to where he came from.
Before the gala lights and big-city stages, there was a small town called Addis, Louisiana. His American Idol hometown visit shows the streets, the school, the parade, and the people who backed him long before TV cameras cared.