“I wrote it with tears on my guitar…” — John Foster’s SHOCKING transformation from heartbroken nobody to rising country star began with one NIGHT of pain, one SONG, and a truth he never planned to tell

John Foster never set out to write music—until one night shattered his world and changed his path forever. Alone and reeling from heartbreak, he picked up a guitar and began to write, not knowing that the words pouring out through his tears would become the foundation of his unexpected rise. That raw, emotional song didn’t just heal him—it struck a chord with thousands who heard it. What was the moment that pushed him into songwriting? And why is everyone suddenly paying attention?

Hear the story behind the song that started it all—read the full emotional journey now before it goes mainstream.

John Foster’s life changed forever on December 31, 2022, when his close friends Maggie Dunn and Caroline Gill were tragically killed in a car accident. That heartbreaking night became the moment that pushed him toward music in a way he never expected.

“In terms of when I decided that music was my thing, it was absolutely, one million percent, December 31, 2022,” he said during an episode of the Fable House podcast. “That was the day I lost Maggie and Caroline. Before that, music was just something I did for fun on the weekends. I hadn’t really made up my mind about it.”

But everything shifted after that night. In his grief, John picked up his guitar and wrote “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” a song that would go on to change the course of his life. He later performed it on American Idol, where it became his first single after the show and a defining moment in his journey to becoming a full-time artist.

“I had tears flowing, my guitar was wet with tears,” he recalled. “I was looking at the lyrics and thinking, ‘I just did this.’ That was the first time I really felt like I was meant to do music.”

Foster went on to become the runner-up on Season 23 of American Idol, carrying the memory of his friends with him every step of the way. Maggie and Caroline’s loss remains at the heart of the story he now tells through his music.

The accident that took their lives happened when a police officer, involved in a high-speed chase, ran a red light and crashed into their vehicle. Maggie Dunn was driving, with Caroline Gill in the passenger seat and Maggie’s brother in the back—who was critically injured, according to WAFB.