ELISE KRISTINE
Even Shrek’s Fairy Godmother would have to tip her hat to Kristine’s strong performance of “Holding Out for a Hero,” which had the judges bopping along — if not fully rocking out — until its bombastic finish.
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Courtesy of ABC (3)
Ryan Seacrest may have oversold Sunday’s American Idol as “the most dramatic night of your lives,” but it was still a night of great music, which is all we can really hope for.
Following last week’s (mostly complete) reveal of this season’s Top 26, the first half of those lucky few took the stage at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii, where they were personally mentored by Allen Stone. And it wasn’t just the judges they were hoping to impress this time around.
That’s right, friends, we’ve finally reached the part of the Idol journey where our opinions actually count. Voting technically began at the start of Sunday’s east coast broadcast and will remain open until Monday at 6 am ET. Of the 13 singers who performed tonight, only 10 will move ahead to form this season’s Top 20.
As always, Idol fans have three ways to vote for their singers of choice: online at AmericanIdol.com/vote, on the official American Idol app, or by texting the contestant’s given number to 2153.
So, which 10 stand the best chance of remaining in the competition? Read on for a breakdown of Sunday’s performances, then vote for your favorites in our poll below and drop a comment with your overall review of our first night in Hawaii.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC -
OLIVER STEELE
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC The guy’s got range! Steele’s bouncy, fun take on Jack Johnson’s “Together” revealed a less country, more playful side to this fan favorite.
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MATT WILSON
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Just when we thought we couldn’t love him more, Wilson dedicated his performance of Dan + Shay’s “Speechless” to his wife, reliving their wedding (aka the best day of his life). His smooth vocals oozed romance, and he’s definitely becoming more at ease on stage.
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KAEYRA
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Stone was psyched about Kaeyra’s song choice, En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go,” and she did not disappoint, with off-the-charts vocal trickery and an overall engaging performance.
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PJAE
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC PJAE put every ounce of his signature stank on Jill Scott’s “Golden,” a song about reclaiming your freedom, which he connected to his personal weight loss journey.
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ZACHARIAH SMITH
Smith saw Wilson’s tribute to his wife and raised him a tribute to his grandma Lucille, performing — what else — Little Richard’s “Lucille.” The judges were having a blast watching Smith tear up the stage, bringing a showmanship that’s truly on its own level. Whether America wants to get on that level will soon be revealed.
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MARIAH FAITH
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Faith’s swag, rasp and Stevie Nicks-level coolness were in full force for her performance of Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave,” which is exactly the opposite of what I’d say to her at this point in the competition.
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EMMA BUSSE
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down” took the mood down a bit, but only for a second. Once the judges got a taste of Busse’s beautiful sound, including those several chilling runs, they were stunned.
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WARREN PEAY
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC One of the night’s most surprising choices was Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” for which Allen suggested that Peay throw his hat. His vocals were strong, but Peay ultimately decided not to toss his good luck charm, instead only briefly taking it off his head.
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NAILYAH SERENITY
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Serenity paid homage to Minnie Riperton, the godmother of whistle tone, with that timeless classic “Lovin’ You.” I’ve always enjoyed her voice, but this was simply jaw-dropping. What even was that incredible final note?! Richie was absolutely correct in calling her voice “Martian-like.”
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HAVEN MADISON
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Madison took a slight risk with Maren Morris’ “The Middle,” a more upbeat number than we’re used to seeing from her, but she seemed pretty comfortable come showtime.
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LUCY LOVE
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC We got the full Lucy Love experience tonight, folks. Her take on Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” was electric. The head banging? This queen is a rock star!
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IAM TONGI
The stars truly aligned for Sunday’s last performance, with Tongi taking the stage in his home state for a beautiful, breezy rendition of Spawnbreezie’s Don’t Let Go.” The island vibe was strong with this one.
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Most Commented
Where are your grades for the performances?
There are some really good contestants this season, but Kaeyra is the whole package & her song choices have been excellent! She should definitely win this competition & if she doesn’t, I have no doubt that she’ll have a music career. She definitely gets my vote!
it was a good night, I don’t think any of them were bad. Many excellent performances. I wonder if tomorrow night will be as good. If so there will be some good singers going home.
This was a little tricky for me…they all did great tonight, &think they ALL deserve to keep going! However, I wasn’t quite as impressed with: Haven, Emma, Pjae, Mariah & Lucy, mainly due to song choice, I guess. I thought Lucy sounded a little off-key, as did Haven? Something’ sounded off with Haven’s vocals, but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe her voice is too “young” for that song?
My favorites of the night: Iam, Warren, Oliver, Matt & Kaeyra, and yes…Zachariah. lol.
I agree with you with regards to Haven and Lucy. They both sounded off to me.
The real question is: why was Haven dressed as a waitress at a Scandinavian-themed restaurant?
She looked like non binary Alice in Wonderland.
Nailyah, Emma, Elise, Kaeyra, Lucy and Iam were my favorites from last night! Will def be voting and rooting for them!
MY PICKS FOR TONIGHT are 1. Iam Tongi 2. – LUCY LOVE 3.Warren Peay 4. Emmy Busse 5. Haven Madison 6. Matt Wilson 7. Nailyah Serenity 8. Elise Kristine 9. Kayra 10. Mariah Faith 11. Oliver Steele — 12. Pjae 13. Zacariah Smith — probably be cut out of the Top 20 – ??
ELISE KRISTINE – 85 –
Lucy is frintbout very small of the DELTA. I know she’s singing for her kiddos but she’s she’s also singing for ALL of us in “the Delta”!
Pretty much agree with this list
Is everyone going soft? I don’t think we need Simon level nastiness about appearance/clothes/etc. but what’s the point of the judges if they don’t critique vocals and song choice? And then TV LINE does the same. No grades, no real opinions…
I thought Lucy Love and Haven sounded screamy and missed several notes; PJAE’s song choice did not do him any favors.
Haven is too pitchy. She’s too raw. Needs more practice. She was sharp most of her song. There are 10 people that are better. Sorry. Iam, Zach, Lucy, Warren, Emma, Kaeyra, Mariah, Nayileah, Matt, and Oliver should be the top 10 from this group. The others aren’t there yet. Even some of these 10 aren’t there but closer than the others.
Producers are pointing at Iam Tongi as their new Idol winner and he will take it
I don’t think he will win but he will make it far. Top 5 for sure
I though Warren was in a different league than the rest of them.
Love American idol, always look forward to watching it every year
Iam Tongi has touched my heart and soul .