The Sunday, April 13, episode of American Idol featured half of the top 24 hitting the stage at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawai’i. For the first time in the competition, the artists were singing for America’s votes, hoping to earn a spot in the top 20. They were mentored by Ashanti and artist in residence Jelly Roll.
The pressure was off of judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, who got to sit back and enjoy the show before offering the commentary on each performance. This show was pre-taped, and the remaining 12 artists’ performances will air on the Monday, April 14, episode. The viewer votes will be revealed during the first live show on Easter Sunday.
Scroll down for a recap of the night and to see what the judges had to say about the performances!
Ché
The first artist to perform was Ché. While missing his family back home in the U.K., he gave an electric performance of Stevie Wonder‘s “Master Blaster,” which was different than the ballads we’re used to seeing him perform.
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“You just don’t jump on a Stevie Wonder song and be that cool,” Richie raved. “Some of those notes were ridiculous.” Bryan added, “I keep waiting for you to miss a note and you will not miss a note. I’m just jealous of you. I like you in that space.”
He also urged Ché to keep pushing himself and “giving us new interpretations of what you are.”
Penny Samar
Penny Samar sang Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck Babe.” Ashanti and Jelly Roll urged her to keep her unique facial expressions, even though the judges said during her audition that they can be “distracting.”
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Underwood praised Penny for “occupying [her] own lane in this group of talent” and told her she should be “really proud” of herself. Richie gushed, “What I was most impressed with was you worked the stage. You gave us drama. You gave us attitude. That’s the whole part about being on this stage now. You’re not just singing, you’re actually performing.”
Bryan called her performance “totally the right vibe for Hawaii.”
Kolbi Jordan
Platinum ticket winner Kolbi Jordan was sick during Hollywood week, but she still made it through and knew she had to redeem herself with her performance of “New Attitude” by Patti LaBelle.
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“She’s back!” Bryan declared, calling it “one of my favorite performances I’ve ever seen on this island over the years.” Meanwhile, Richie told Kolbi that she was “on fire” and said that he “loved every minute” of her performance.
Underwood was proud of Kolbi for representing their home state of Oklahoma. “From the first time we saw you, it was like you have this light in you and around you and it just comes out of your mouth,” she said. “I feel like there’s even more in there. I’m so jealous. You’re blowing us away.”
Baylee Littrell
Baylee Littrell chose to sing Pharrell‘s “Happy” because he previously performed it with his dad’s band, The Backstreet Boys, when he was just 9 years old. After getting advice about stage presence from Ashanti and Jelly Roll, he was ready to go.
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Richie noted how the girls were “screaming” from the moment Baylee stepped on stage. “What I’m happy about with you is you’re finally getting comfortable,” he told the country singer. “You’re letting it go.”
Underwood agreed, adding, “I feel like you’re owning your voice and your moment more and I love seeing that. I love seeing you work the stage. Love seeing you interact with the crowd. I want more of that.”
Victor Solomon
Victor Solomon shocked everyone when he said he was going to sing a country song by Luke Bryan for his performance. He performed “That’s My Kind of Night” and said he liked taking risks and being unpredictable.
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“I gotta retire that song after that,” Bryan said. “I’m thrown a little bit. Because that’s what this show’s about. Surprise. … The little nuances of the arrangement, the thoughts behind that made it you and fresh. I’m super honored.”
Underwood also praised Victor for switching up genres and making it “believable” to the crowd. “Your voice is perfect for every genre of music and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that or heard that before,” she said. “I think America’s going to love you.”
Gabby Samone
Gabby Samone took a big risk by singing a Celine Dion classic, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” She made Jelly Roll cry in rehearsals after opening up about wanting to do this for her family. Bryan had a tear in his eye during her live performance, too.
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“I felt all the things,” Underwood raved. “Your voice is so powerful, but you have so many nuances in it. Just when I think you’re gonna wallop us over the head with some giant, full, belting note, you pull back and flip up into your head voice. There’s something so sweet and tender about it.”
Bryan called Gabby a “big star” and Richie told her that she “delivered” the performance “so well.”
MKY
MKY sang “Adorn” by Miguel, and Richie referred to him as a “seasoned pro” after he finished singing.
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“I feel like we are peeling back the onion that is MKY and I love it,” Underwood said. “Every time we hear you sing, it’s like we hear some new texture, some new thing in your voice. I did not know you could sing that high!”
Bryan also noted how “comfortable” MKY looked on stage and urged him to keep leaning on that in the weeks to come.
Zaylie Windsor
Zaylie Windsor worried that her song choice, “Heart of Glass” by Blondie, wouldn’t help her stand out. Ashanti urged her to commit to the song, use eye contact during the performance, and be proud of it. Zaylie took her advice, with Bryan noting, “She looks like a STAR.”
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“I hope you appreciate that, like, professional stuff [you’re doing] that I certainly couldn’t do at 18,” the country singer added. “Hold the room with a guitar? You just did that. I think the sky will be the limit for you.”
Richie praised Zaylie for making the song her own and promised her she made the “right” song choice. Underwood agreed with Bryan’s review of Zaylie’s star power, telling her, “You have sparkle stardust sprinkled all over you.”
Breanna Nix
Breanna Nix sang Lauren Daigle‘s “Still Rolling Stones” and opened up to Ashanti and Jelly Roll about how much she connected to it because she previously turned to drinking and other things she “wasn’t proud of” to deal with her problems.
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“That was amazing,” Underwood said. “So much power. So much heart behind it.” Bryan applauded Breanna’s song choice and confidence and compared her to “when Adele is in her zone.”
Richie added, “You brought something into this whole competition. You actually have been leading in terms of bringing more and more of your faith into it. I’m loving the way you just came out on stage, put your foot down, and killed it.”
Isaiah Misailegalu
With many family members from Hawaii, Isaiah Misailegalu had a big cheering section. He sang a Hawaii reggae song called “You Can Have It All” and continued to show off his silky-smooth voice.
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“You’re doing such a great job without having any professional experience,” Richie noted. “You’re acting like you’ve been doing this your whole life. It’s really great.”
Bryan agreed and told Isaih, “You are blessed with an amazing voice. You never look like you’re working hard. You’re laying it in there, you just pick the right vibe.”
Slater Nalley
Slater Nalley slowed things down a bit with his performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which he dedicated to his younger sister.
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“I think Slater is way out over his age group,” Richie gushed. “I don’t remember you having all of that growl. I think you actually just developed into a first-class artist/singer.”
Underwood told Slater that she predicts he will be considered “one of the finest voices that we’ve ever had in country music” one day. “You’re so good,” she added, and Bryan noted that she was “dead on the money.”
Jamal Roberts
Jamal Roberts closed the night with a performance of Jelly Roll’s “Liar,” which had the mentor crying in rehearsals.
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Richie called his rendition “amazing” and Underwood applauded Jamal for “giving it everything” he has and making sure the crowd could feel it. Bryan concluded, “Every time you sing, you sing like it might be the last time you ever sing, and that’s how you have to approach this business.”
