'Best Vocal': 'American Idol' Season 22 fans slam judges for being overly critical of newly engaged Julia Gagnon
HONOLULU, HAWAII: Julia Gagnon, a 21-year-old Cumberland college student, sang in the April 7 episode of 'American Idol' Season 22, the first of the season in which fans throughout America were asked to vote for candidates they wanted to progress to the top 20.
Julia sang Adele's 'Rumor Has It.' Julia's low tones were pleasant. And then she nailed the high notes, continuing to astound.
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Tori Kelly made the point that people should pay more attention to the narrative. Katy Perry was particularly struck by the final note and her lower range. She liked the last note but felt her bottom notes had too much vibrato.
Luke Bryan felt she should be pleased with her performance. Tori implored Americans to vote. "I would love to see even more of the emotion of the song come out."
Lionel Richie urged that she work the stage more. However, fans do not appear to agree with some of the judges' criticisms. Disagreeing with the judges, fans on Reddit wrote, "really liked this from julia, idk what they’re talking about not “performing” enough." Another person chimed in, "Since this is Katy’s last season, I feel like she is being more critical of the performances this season."
One user noted, "Katy is f*****g killing it with the critiques !" A fourth user argued, "Julia definitely the best vocal so far tonight, she does a lot of interesting stuff to make it her own."
On Instagram, fans sighed, "She did not get the remarks from the judges that she deserved! So good."
Did Julia Gagnon win the Platinum Ticket on 'American Idol' Season 22?
Julia gave an audition in Nashville. She sang Aretha Franklin's 'Ain't No Way' song. She advanced to the next round when all three judges voted "yes".
After much consideration, the judges decided to elevate her Golden Ticket to a Platinum Ticket, allowing her to bypass the Idol Arena.
Was 'American Idol's Julia Gagnon adopted?
Julia was born in Guatemala. When she was two years old, she was adopted from the orphanage and taken to Maine.
Julia's childhood fantasy of growing up in Maine became a reality. It was picture-perfect, with snow on Christmas and pleasant summers. Everything was fantastic.
When Julia entered the school system, everything changed. She was bullied a lot. In Maine, not many people looked like her, which was difficult to deal with. She doesn't think she's ever felt like she belonged anywhere, but she has found her life's support in her family.
When Julia was 18 years old, her father hired a private detective to locate her biological family in Guatemala. She did discover them.
When they located her birth mother, she wrote Julia a letter. Julia thanked God that her parents had raised her for her biological mother, but she was very sorry, she had told Julia that she didn't want her to go, but she was glad she did. The life she could have given Julia would have been nothing compared to the one her adoptive parents had given her. She mentioned she would love to live to see Julia achieve something major.
Who is 'American Idol's Julia Gagnon engaged to?
Platinum ticket winner Julia confessed to guest mentor Tori that she got engaged to her fiancé Nate Haven on Christmas Eve. "It's always been the dream; I'm a romantic," Julia explained.
She stated that celebrating their engagement in Hawaii had been memorable. Katy took the time to congratulate Julia on her engagement.
"Rumor has it that platinum ticket turned into some kind of ring?" Katy said.
Julia's fiancé, Nate, has been her rock during her time on 'American Idol'. The pair recently became engaged after meeting in school.
Nate's unfailing love and support have enabled Julia to pursue her goals.
'American Idol' Season 22 airs on Sundays at 8 pm ET on ABC.