'American Idol' Season 18: Lauren Spencer-Smith, Makayla Phillips and Cyniah Elise are show's female frontrunners
The latest episode of 'American Idol' just premiered on Sunday night, April 5, and for most unfortunate contestants, it was the end of the road. The pack of Top 40 singers was steadily being cut down by the judges based on their showing in the Hawaii round, and for many talented female singers, like Genavieve Linkowski and Shannon Gibbons, it was the end of the road.
There were plenty of tears and shattered dreams and a lot of fan backlash too. On any other singing competition, someone like Shannon would deserve to be a Top 5 finalist. However, the judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan made it clear that it was not just about singing talent - they were looking for the complete package, someone who they knew would tick all the boxes and go on to become a megastar in the future.
We already have a good idea about which girls the judges currently favor. There are currently three vocal powerhouses vying for the 'Idol' crown and on the basis of their showing on tonight's episode, they certainly have what it takes to win it all. The teenagers Lauren Spencer-Smith, Makayla Phillips and Cyniah Elise are all young, exceptionally mature for their age and blessed with incredible voices. They have raw power, superlative range and incredible vocal technique, making it hard to pick a clear favorite among the three of them. All three singers have also consistently been delivering the goods week after week on the singing contest, so it looks like it will be up to America to decide who will eventually win it all in the coming weeks.
In the Disney resort of Aulani, Hawaii, these three teenagers did not disappoint with their song choices. The 17-year-olds Cyniah and Makayla sang pop diva staples 'Lady Marmalade' and 'Sorry Not Sorry' respectively with gusto and pizzazz, while 16-year-old Lauren sang a phenomenal version of Aretha Franklin's 'Respect'. All three judges were significantly impressed by their performances and put the three girls through to the next phase of the singing competition and now only 21 singers remain.
They've certainly got a strong following on social media as well. One fan said, "Cyniah Elise is definitely a top contender!" while another admirer posted "Cyniah's an absolute star." Other fans were saying, "Voting for Lauren Spencer-Smith (judges say she's the next Kelly Clarkson)," while another viewer claimed, "Lauren Spencer-Smith is better [than Shannon Gibbons]. She’s just more memorable in her range and control." Still more supporters were plumping for Makayla, saying "She's the next Ariana Grande - it's just a matter of time before she becomes a superstar," and another fan gushed, "Makayla Phillips gives off BIG Kacey Musgraves vibes and I’m LIVING."
It'll be really hard to decide who's the best singer of the lot; it looks like we'll just have to leave it up to the American public. Catch the next episode of 'American Idol' on Sunday night 8 pm ET on the ABC network.