What To Know
- The Top 7 artists performed twice on the April 27 episode of American Idol.
- The contestants sang songs by Taylor Swift and saluted California’s biggest artists.
- At the end of the night, two artists were eliminated and five moved on.
The Top 7 celebrated Taylor Swift on the April 27 episode of American Idol. The remaining contestants all sang songs from Swift’s catalogue, and also saluted California’s biggest artists throughout the night.
Nikki Glaser joined the judges’ panel alongside Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie to give the artists commentary and critiques. However, the power was in the hands of the viewers, who got to vote for their favorites over the course of the live episode.
At the end of the night, the two singers with the lowest amount of votes were eliminated, leaving just five contestants to move on to next week. Scroll down for a recap of the performances and to find out who went home and who’s heading to the Top 5!
Jordan McCullough
Jordan McCullough kicked off the night by performing Swift’s first-ever single “Tim McGraw” from her debut album, released 20 years ago in 2006.
ABC
“That is the way to put barbecue sauce on Taylor Swift,” Richie began. “I am telling you, that was so well done. You put the curls in, I just love that. I can’t even hit that note. I loved everything you did.”
Underwood applauded the fact that Jordan sounds “beautiful on everything” he sings, and Glaser gushed, “I am so grateful I just got to hear you sing live. It feels like a real privilege to listen to you.”
Chris Tungseth
Chris Tungseth chose to sing Swift and Bon Iver’s collaboration “Exile,” which is on her 2020 album Folklore.
ABC
Underwood commented on the “tender quality” of Chris’ voice. “I think you picked a really great song to showcase that,” she added, while Glaser said she got goosebumps throughout the entire performance.
“I love that you were really locked in on that. You had me focused and locked in,” Bryan raved. “I loved your character, the way you delivered the song, you had your own imagery and character that you created.” Finally, Richie said it was one of his favorite performances of Chris’ from the entire season and said the delivery was “spot on.”
Hannah Harper
Hannah Harper took things back to Speak Now to perform Swift’s Grammy-winning hit “Mean.” And she even broke out the banjo for her performance!
ABC
Glaser praised Hannah for her song choice after dealing with criticism for her performance two weeks ago. Bryan said Hannah is “being authentically you” and agreed that the song choice was “great.”
Richie added, “This is how you do it. You’re true to yourself. You don’t come out as a gimmick. You come out true to who you are,” and Underwood said she “loved everything about this performance,” from the look to the banjo and more.
Brooks Rosser
Brooks Rosser honored Swift’s Fearless era with a performance of “Love Story.” Considering he launched his own love story on the show just last week, this was the perfect song for the night!
ABC
“I just love hearing your interpretation of that,” Bryan raved, but also advised, “Just force yourself to always give more energy. You took that energy up there at the end, but I just wanted a little more.”
Richie said he’s “enjoying” seeing Brooks “having a great time” on stage. “Your voice is so unique. The storyteller part of that voice you have is so fitting for the song you just did,” he continued, but also gave some advice on how to “give some attitude” in his performances.
Underwood made sure to let Brooks know that everyone “loves him,” but urged him to “just breathe” so he’s not trying to catch up with his songs moving forward. “I know it will just come with time, but just breathe and sync into it and let it come out of you,” she shared.
Daniel Stallworth
The Taylor Swift celebration continued with a performance from Daniel Stallworth, who sang “Fearless” with his own gospel twist.
ABC
“What I love about you is that you walk out on this stage … and you picked the right song, you are fearless, man, when you walk out,” Richie gushed. “You not only sing, you perform. The crowd is right there with you.”
Underwood praised Daniel for putting his own stamp on the theme, and Glaser added, “You brought something totally different to it. I just had the best time watching you.”
Keyla Richardson
For her Taylor Swift performance, Keyla Richardson sang “Lover,” another title track. “We do not ever have to worry about you,” Underwood admitted. “We just get to sit back and watch you perform. Your melodic choices … you impress me every single week.”
Glaser said she couldn’t even recognize the song because Keyla “brought something new to it I didn’t even know could be brought to it!” She also applauded her for making it “look so easy” when she’s on stage. “I’m honestly speechless,” she added.
Meanwhile, Bryan raved over Keyla’s confidence. “It’s become kind of your thing,” he said. “To watch you, week after week, get even more confidence and deliver that message … everything is channeling perfectly for you. So proud of you.”
Braden Rumfelt
The final performance from the first round was from Braden Rumfelt, who sang “Cardigan” from Folklore.
ABC
Glaser told Braden he “ate that song,” despite not knowing it before he chose it to sing on the show. “You took me there with the music. It was really, really beautiful,” she confirmed.
Bryan said it was his “favorite thing” he’s seen Braden do in the entire competition so far. “You totally took me on the emotional journey of that song. I loved it, man,” he raved.
Brooks Rosser
Brooks returned to the stage for his next performance with a rendition of Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved.”
ABC
Bryan said Brooks was “locked in” compared to the last round and noted that the song choice was perfect for his voice. Richie said, “Ditto, ditto, ditto” to everything Bryan commented on. “Perfect song for you, you did such a great job,” he added.
Underwood gushed over Brooks’ “magical voice” from the very first note and said it was a “very solid performance.”
Jordan McCullough
Jordan’s second performance was of Bonnie Raitt‘s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” and he said he was hoping to hit California energy on stage.
ABC
“I have heard that song a long time … you got me crying on that song that I heard for a long time. Your delivery was right on point,” Richie told Jordan.
Underwood agreed, adding, “I don’t care what you sing. Every time you open your mouth, I hear the holy spirit.” She called his voice “truly blessed” and said it’s one of the best voices she’s ever heard “in my entire life.”
Daniel Stallworth
For his second performance of the night, Daniel performed “Best Part” by H.E.R and Daniel Caesar. He also played piano for part of the set.
ABC
Underwood compared Daniel’s voice to “like butter on hot toast” and said the performance was great. Glaser praised his “versatility” and said she can already envision a “whole show” from him.
Richie and Bryan noted that they’ve never even heard some of the notes Daniel was hitting and Richie called the performance “amazing.”
Braden Rumfelt
Like Brooks, Braden also sang a Maroon 5 classic for the second round. He hoped to prove he was having fun during his performance of “This Love.”
ABC
“You owned that. It felt cool, you look cool. … I loved the whole thing,” Glaser praised. Bryan said it was a “great job” by Braden and Richie applauded the singer for upping his performance factor.
“It was such a great moment for you. You look like a rockstar. You seem more comfortable than I feel like I’ve ever seen you be on stage and it was just working,” Underwood added.
Chris Tungseth
Chris sang Billie Eilish‘s “What Was I Made For?”, which he said is one of his favorite songs.
ABC
“Really special, beautiful moment. That’s twice tonight you have slayed us with those moments,” Bryan noted, while Richie said, “For a song that needs so much feeling, I think you felt it, and you made us feel it. Great performance, man.”
Underwood called it a “moment” and admitted she felt like she was at an awards show watching Chris. Finally, Glaser, said, simply, “What were you made for? That. That.”
Hannah Harper
Hannah’s second performance was of Merle Haggard‘s “That’s the Way Love Goes.” She felt it was a “fitting song,” as she honored her husband with the choice.
ABC
“That was absolutely amazing. You are looking like a star, you sounded like a star … I guess you’re getting close to that big star,” Richie said. Underwood urged Hannah to make a “proper version” of that performance. “It sounded like you and it was just wonderful,” she gushed.
Glaser compared the performance to a “warm blanket” and Bryan admitted, “If you want to, you’re going to get to do this for a very long time, this singing thing. You’re just a star.”
Keyla Richardson
The final performance of the night was from Keyla, who returned to the stage to sing Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind.”
ABC
The judges could barely get a word in because the crowd erupted with applause that was never-ending. “That was insane. That was an iconic Idol moment,” Glaser confirmed.
“Watching your growth is so inspirational,” Bryan added, and all Richie had to say was, “Let the congregation say AMEN!”
Who made the Top 5?
Ryan Seacrest announced the five singers who will be moving on to next week, where they will be mentored by Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, two of Idol’s original judges.
The singers in the Top 5 (in no particular order) are: Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, Jordan McCullough, Hannah Harper, and Chris Tungseth.
Who was eliminated?
The two artists who were eliminated at the end of the April 27 episode were: Brooks Rosser and Daniel Stallworth
American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c
Read the original article here