'American Idol' Season 22 fans dub 'backup singers' highlight of Mackenzie Sol's Hawaii Round performance
HONOLULU, HAWAII: Mackenzie Sol, 23, of Henderson, Nevada, walked the stage on April 8 to perform Nick Jonas' 'Jealous' during the Hawaii Round of 'American Idol' Season 22. Even though the judges were satisfied with his performance, fans say they dislike the song arrangement.
Mackenzie planned to change the arrangement. Jelly Roll, his guest coach for the week, recommended that he warm up before attempting the falsetto passages.
View this post on Instagram
He slowed the song down, making room for soulful runs and riffs. He avoided using his falsetto till the conclusion of the song.
He must have followed Jelly Roll's guidance since he hit the notes. He was not bashful on stage and had his rendition of the song, which listeners did not enjoy hearing.
He is not their favorite vocalist, even though the judges believe he has a lot of charm and should receive a lot of votes. On Reddit, fans wrote, "A strong start for Mackenzie but the arrangement is kinda lame." Another user agreed, writing, "yeah i think he sounds great just don’t love the arrangement."
Some fans claimed, "The backup singers are the highlight of Machenzie’s song arrangement tbh." A fourth user quipped, "Mackenzie thinks he’s a better singer than he is and IMO, an early “Idol” version of Simon would give him a critique over his arrangement."
One fan complained, "Mackenzie’s singing wasn’t bad but I didn’t like that arrangement." "Mackenzie’s outfit, TikTok dance moves…it’s a no for me," wrote another.
ABC judges claim Mackenzie Sol brought 'sexy' to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry described it as Mackenzie's greatest performance yet and complimented his "hammer pants." "Mackenzie, that was your best performance since being on the show," Katy said.
Luke Bryan mirrored the emotion, telling him it was his favorite performance yet. He praised his stage presence and ability to control his falsetto.
Mackenzie blew Jelly Roll away, and he hopes the contestant finishes in the Top 20. "I don't know what to say," the guest mentor expressed.
According to Lionel Richie, Mackenzie "brought sexy to 'American Idol'." "Keep them screaming for another 40 years."
Who is Mackenzie Sol on 'American Idol' Season 22?
Mackenzie is a 23-year-old pop singer-songwriter from North East England who is currently living in the United States and aspiring to international stardom. And he comes with a sizable social media following—1 million on Instagram and roughly 800,000 on TikTok.
While the majority of his work focuses on music, it also includes some comedy, such as Mackenzie performing culinary pranks on his mother.
Mackenzie has released roughly a dozen solo tracks since 2015, as well as a few collaborations. One of the latter, 'After Midnight' featuring Slushii, has received over 1.4 million streams on Spotify.
Mackenzie's solo tracks have had over 400,000 streams, including 'Happy Ever After All' from last year.
Mackenzie's parents are both singers who perform around England, and he recalls traveling with them whenever feasible as a child.
Mackenzie Sol got rejected by Simon Cowell in 'The X Factor UK'
Mackenzie made his television debut at the age of four, auditioning for 'The X Factor UK' in front of Simon Cowell in 2005. Simon told him to come back in twelve years. This is not his first trip to the United States.
Last summer, he played in seven cities throughout the United States, including New York and Philadelphia, as part of the What's Next tour. Last November, he was asked to sing onstage at a Teddy Swims event.
'American Idol' Season 22 airs on Sundays and Mondays at 8 pm ET on ABC