‘American Idol’ judges drop major hints about Top 12 as one Season 24 singer emerges as a standout
Things are starting to get very real on ‘American Idol’. As the second half of the Top 20 took the stage during Ohana Week, the judging panel, consisting of Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, with Keke Palmer joining them, didn’t hold back as they revealed a few favorites through their reactions. 10 hopefuls performed during the March 23 episode, including Philmon Lee, Rae, Lucas Leon, Jordan McCullough, Abayomi, Madison Moon, Chris Tungseth, Ruby Rae, Julián Kalel, and Keyla Richardson. While everyone brought something to the table, a handful of performances sparked comments that felt like early predictions.
Rae, for one, had a moment that stole the show. Taking on Aretha Franklin's ‘Respect’ is no easy task, but she performed it with confidence. Bryan didn’t dance around his reaction at all, calling her “one of our best singers.” Then came Julián Kalel, who went in a completely different direction with Zach Bryan's ‘Tourniquet’. Bryan again didn’t hesitate, saying the performance pushed Julián into “frontrunner” territory. Abayomi also established her individuality, singing ‘Mamma Knows Best’ with a distinctive style, and Underwood, clearly impressed, tossed out a prediction that almost sounded like a career roadmap. She said she could easily see Abayomi as “a Disney star in the making.” But there was a slightly awkward moment, too. Chris Tungseth decided to flip OneRepublic’s ‘Apologize’ on its head, and Underwood’s feedback took a turn she didn’t quite plan.
“You’ve got this mysterious, sexy vibe going, and I feel like you need to know that,” she told him, before immediately laughing it off with, “Sorry if that was weird! I’m sorry; I love my husband!” However, if there was a moment that stole the show with its electric intensity, it belonged to Keyla Richardson. Her performance of ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ had the judges in awe. Palmer, clearly moved from earlier rehearsals, described her voice as “ancestral.” Richie, who has seen just about everything this stage can offer over the years, didn’t hold back either. “I've been on ‘American Idol’ since I was that big,” he said, gesturing to a child’s height, before adding, “I have never had any contestant walk out on this stage and tear the place up. The place got blown up.”
He said, “That Janis Joplin-sounding, Tina Turner-sounding – I don’t know who you are. But that right there was the greatest performance I have ever seen on this stage.” Richie then added, “The last time I’ve seen somebody make me feel like this and get people turned up like this, her name was Fantasia Barrino, and she won ‘American Idol’.” Meanwhile, voting has changed this season: Fans can head to the website, send texts, and even drop votes through social media comments, with up to 10 votes per contestant on each platform allowed before the cutoff on March 24. The next episode, titled ‘Songs of Faith,’ airing on March 30, will reveal the Top 12.
