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'American Idol' Season 18: Grace Leer shows off vocal chops with 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and fans love it

Grace Leer pulled off the performance of the week on Sunday night, showing a powerful and different side to her than most country music fans were expecting

Grace Leer was the star that shone the brightest on Sunday night's episode of 'American Idol'. Due to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions, all the contestants are performing from their respective houses as the remote access home edition of the singing competition marches on. Although Grace was made to anxiously wait along with Lauren Mascitti after the Hawaii episode to see if she had made it through to the Top 20, the American audience had clearly been charmed by her effortless country music style. 

Although Grace has made the spiritual home of country music, Nashville, her home, she decided to wait out the coronavirus quarantine by moving back to her family home in Danville, California. We were even introduced to her mother Christie, a physician's assistant, whom Grace described as a "bada**". Her hometown of Danville definitely held a lot of memories for Grace, considering she grew up there with her brothers and sisters. She also received plenty of love from her neighborhood as they organized a drive-by parade for Grace to celebrate her making it through to the Top 20 voting rounds.

It looks like there will be another parade in near future because the audience has been so enamored by Leer's country music chops as they voted her into the Top 10 tonight. It looks like she's going to be the next Carrie Underwood success story, based on all the votes she's been getting so far.    

The home theme continued on 'American Idol' with the contestants being asked to sing a song that reminded them of home in some way. Grace decided to sing the nostalgic tune 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' from 'The Wizard Of Oz' because she's been singing that classic for as long as she can remember. We even saw some grainy footage of a three-year-old Grace singing that song for a singing competition. So, it was clear even way back then that she was destined to be a singer. 

But what Grace managed to pull off tonight was something special. She elevated 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' into the stratosphere and beyond, belting the song out in her backyard with power, elegance and emotion in her luscious voice. The judges were clearly blown away by her incredible soaring rendition, as it was certainly awe-inducing and inspiring to say the least.

Katy Perry noted that she'd never heard Grace's voice sound so big and bold before, comparing it to a performance that you would expect in front of a packed stadium. Luke Bryan also loved her big voice and was glad that she had shown America a different side of her vocal abilities. Lionel Richie also observed that since she had a sweet country voice that most fans were tuning in for, it was probably best to focus on her strengths, but even he couldn't fault tonight's flawless performance from Grace. 

Her fans certainly were amazed by the jaw-droppingly good rendition as well. One fan tweeted, "These contestants are killing it with song choice tonight on #AmericanIdol. Grace Leer with 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow', can't go wrong." Another viewer stated, "GraceLeer nailed it with a twist," while another supporter declared, "Grace Leer should win the show!"

If you'd like to vote for Grace, make sure you do that now. Voting is currently open till 9 am ET on May 4, so make sure you cast your vote via text message or the American Idol app. Tune in next Sunday at 8 pm ET on the ABC network to see who progresses through from the final 11 contenders left in the singing competition.