Emyrson Flora is the first person to reach the top 20 on American Idol! She gets the party started with a powerful rendition of Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me.”
Emyrson’s “stage presence is out of control,” according to Lionel Richie. Katy Perry calls the 16-year-old one of the season’s “most talented,” while Luke Bryan calls Emyrson a “superstar in the making.”
Mike Parker is the next contestant to make the top 20. With Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd’s “Chasing After You,” he stays on the country path. Mike’s voice is “silky and smooth,” according to Katy. Mike’s “storyteller’s voice” is a big hit with Lionel, who tells him he’s “on fire.”
Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan on ‘American Idol.’ (ABC)
The Top 20 of “American Idol” has been revealed.
With a colorful and lively performance of The Weeknd’s “Sacrifice,” Tristen Gressett celebrates reaching the top 20. Luke informs Tristen that he admires his enthusiasm, but that particular song put him “in a cage vocally.”
Sage dazzles the judges with her interpretation of Stevie Nicks’ “Rihannon.” According to Lionel, Sage performed a “masterful job” of bringing her role to life. Sage receives praise from Luke for her “wonderful vocals” and “excellent song choice.”
With his sensational version of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good,” Jay Copeland turns up the heat. Luke raves that Jay just “truly validated” why they granted him a Platinum Ticket. Lionel adds that Jay has “lived up to that potential” that the judges saw in him.
Nicolina Bozzo earns a spot in the top 20 with her performance of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen.” Nicolina has received nothing but acclaim from the judges, with Lionel remarking that she has a “way of bringing the absolute peak of a song to its completion.”
The name of Jacob Moran is called next. He performs “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing,” a Stevie Wonder song. Jacob demonstrated a wide range of abilities, according to Lionel, but he expects even more from him. Katy informs Jacob that while he may be the “greatest singer in the competition,” she doesn’t want to see him show any more anxiety.
HunterGirl Performs Original Music
HunterGirl has made the top 20. (ABC)
After entering the top 20, HunterGirl chooses to take a risk with her own song “Heartbreak Down.”
Luke raves that HunterGirl has a “magic sound” and then develops fresh songs to back it up. Lionel thinks HunterGirl is a total “natural” and offers her an A+ on her writing skills.
Elli Rowe demonstrates her unique vocals with her interpretation of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.” Lionel advises Elli to “lean into who you are,” and Luke has so many lovely things to say about Elli’s “beautiful performance.”
Dan Marshall takes the stage next to sing “Friends In Low Places” by Garth Brooks. “That’s as nice as it gets,” Lionel remarks. Katy admits that Dan had the “best stage presence” of the night with that performance.
Ava Maybee changes things up with her performance of Demi Lovato’s “Anyone.” Luke praises Ava giving the judges a “different side” of herself with her “great performance on a very tough song.” Lionel adds that he respects Ava didn’t play it safe with her music choice.
Allegra Miles had a stunning performance with her rendition of “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty. Luke goes so far as to declare that was his “favorite performance of the night thus far.” Katy tells Allegra that she just “leveled up in such a tremendous way.”
Katy Perry Cries Over Two Performances
Katy Perry gets emotional over two performances. (ABC)
Noah Thompson sings a country version of “Falling” by Harry Styles. The judges are in love with Noah and his whole aura. Luke sees that Noah is more confident than ever and “getting better and better” each week.
Leah Marlene provides her best performance yet with her excellent interpretation of “Heal” by Tom Odell. Katy is completely stunned. Luke describes Leah’s performance as “above and above anything I could have ever imagined.” Lionel reiterates his praise for Leah’s “crazy good” performance, adding that this class is the “strongest class ever.”
Christian Guardino wows with his interpretation of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Katy is reduced to tears by Christian’s performance. “You really slayed that performance,” Luke informs Christian. “I didn’t hear anything but perfection.”
After his idol Phillip Phillips sings, Fritz Hager makes the top 20 and brings his A-game with his performance of “When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish. Lionel deems Fritz’s performance “stellar,” and Katy cries again over Fritz’s performance. Luke had some tears in his eyes as well and declared the concert “perfectly done.”
And The Final Top 20 Contestants Are…
Katyrah Love slays her performance of “Dream” by Bishop Briggs. Katy likes witnessing how effortlessly Katyrah can work the stage. Luke gushes about Katyrah’s “great energy” and equally “great performance.”
Cameron Whitcomb slows things down for a hot second with his rendition of “Changes” by Black Sabbath. He closes the act with another backflip. Luke sees growth in Cameron’s performance, but Lionel wants to see Cameron slow down even more.
Cadence Baker shines with her performance of “Train Wreck” by James Arthur. Katy says this is one of Cadence’s best performances yet. Luke concedes that Cadence had struggled over the prior few weeks, but that this performance took her “back to that audition level and even better.”
The final singer to make the top 20 is… Lady K!
She concludes the night with a great performance of Rihanna’s “Love On The Brain.” Katy comments that Lady K’s talent keeps building and building.
