Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

‘American Idol’ Sends Four Singers Into Top 24 After Wild Showstopper Round

Like gladiators entering the arena, 62 aspiring American Idol contestants survived the first round of Hollywood Week only to run into the buzzsaw of Sunday night’s (April 6) Showstopper rounds. Performing live for the first time in front of an audience at the Orpheum Theatre, as judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie worked to trim 38 aspiring stars from the roster, the singers had to turn things up a notch to make the cut.

In the end four made the first cut.

Gabby Samone wowed the room with her passionate, jazzy cover of Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” which showed off her towering range and emotional maturity on the powerful 1966 anthem that tracks four Black women’s journey from slavery to the present. “My skin is black/ My arms are long/ My hair is wooly/ My back is strong,” Samone sang over subtle piano accompaniment before climbing into a crystal-clear high note that had Richie up on his feet in amazement.

The youngest singer in the competition, Eagleville, TN’s Mattie Pruitt, has rolled through the competition so far despite saying in her opening package that she sometimes has had trouble finding her place in a family with 12 siblings. Though feelings of self-doubt continue to creep in — “I’m not pretty enough, I’m not good at singing” — the high schooler said the Idol stage is the first time she’s felt truly comfortable in her skin.

She proved she belongs in the mix with a cover of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World,” making the 1966 soul classic her own by slowing it down to a funky stroll and luxuriating in the notes like a seasoned pro used to having crowds in the palm of her hand.

Another early favorite, 17-year-old aspiring preacher Canaan James Hill, also proved that age ain’t nothin’ but a number with his roof-raising cover of Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It.” The teen poured some Al Green grit on the gospel great’s 2007 ballad, again inspiring Richie to hop up and testify to some powerful vocals. “Go on man, go on do what you gotta do!” Richie said, shaking his head in wonder, with Bryan saying “he is one of the best singers I have ever seen!”

The last of the four to make it through was Zaylie Windsor, who squeaked by in an earlier round, only to prove that she’d definitely earned her spot with a mesmerizing cover of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” The Radiohead-like acoustic take featured Windsor’s emotional vocals, climbing from a near whisper to a roar, filling the theater with ecstatic joy as she wailed the final notes. “Welcome to the Zaylie show!” Underwood said afterwards.

While those four made the cut and will go to the top 24, Jmarie, Will Carter, Santina Madden, Isaiah Moore, Samantha Ray and Jazzy Mae were sent home and the remaining 42 singers will have to fight it out on Monday night (April 7) in head-to-head rounds; that round airs at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Check out the four performances below.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

News

Billie Eilish re-enters the top 10 of the Hot 100. Tetris Kelly:This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated April...

News

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and...

News

SXSW London announced the initial batch of showcasing performers for the first-ever U.K. edition of the iconic music festival on Monday morning (April 7)....

News

Superstar Rauw Alejandro kicked off his highly anticipated Cosa Nuestra World Tour in Seattle on April 5. Produced by Live Nation, the Broadway-inspired set...