“American Idol” The participants rely on trust, trust and a little bit of fairy dust to get to the next round.
After taking a break for the Oscars last week, the ABC reality singing contest returned on Sunday with a live show that featured the ten best songs from Disney movies.
As usual, the singers received feedback from the judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, who celebrated the theme of the night by dressing as Tinker Bell from “Peter Pan”.
In a virtual Q&A after the show, Perry spoke about the inspiration behind her costume and revealed that she had borrowed it prosthetic ears from partner Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas in “Lord of the Rings”.
“I just love that she has a bit of bullshit and a sense of humor,” the singer said of Tinker Bell. “It’s always kind of scratchy, and so I resonate with this character. I always want to be playful and believe in magic and find the best in every single person.”
At the beginning of the episode, Ryan Seacrest revealed who was the previous candidate after the Comeback show to get back to the competition and round out the top ten. That singer was Arthur Gunn, who finished second last year. (Because it’s completely fair for the current contestants to bring back a runner-up … right?)
Fans voted for who they wanted to see in the top 7 during the show, which was broadcast live from coast to coast.
Here’s what happened, including the three that were eliminated:
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Caleb Kennedy
Caleb Kennedy stuck to his sturdy country house and sang “Real Gone” from “Cars”.
Channeling her inner Tinker Bell, Perry told the 16-year-old student that “this thing is really Peter standing up for you”.
“You have real fire on the stage,” she continued. “Every time you hire us, we lean on you.”
Richie said Kennedy’s energy is “what the performance is about”.
“It has to shine off the stage and that was a brilliant performance,” he added.
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Willie Spence
Willie Spence, 21, used his powerful voice on a rousing performance of “Circle of Life” from “The Lion King”.
“You have that voice. You can sing the phone book and literally make it yours,” Richie told him. “God bless you, man. God bless you.”
Perry offered more Tinker-Bell-inspired support: “Willie, you’re not a lost boy anymore. You’re a bonafide idol.”
Deshawn Goncalves
Deshawn Goncalves, 20, gave a jazzy performance of When You Wish Upon a Star by Pinocchio, starting with the piano and later getting up to make some gentle movements.
All three judges praised the student for feeling more comfortable on stage.
“This is show business,” said Richie. “You’ve hit the nail on the head.”
Bryan said he was grinning “so big” and watched Goncalves come out of his shell.
“You’re not the same person who showed up at auditions,” he noted.
Casey Bishop
Casey Bishop, 16, proves again that she’s not your typical teenybopper. She is amazed at the haunting rendition of “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2.
The judges praised the teenage girl, who usually plays rock songs, on her route.
“Your singing will take you to infinity and beyond,” said Perry. “I love that you can do almost anything. You can actually do anything. You just have to believe. “
Bryan added that he undoubtedly believed in Bishop. “I just think that you are a superstar,” he said.
Chayce Beckham
Chayce Beckham, who announced after the show that he would sing “On My Way” by “Brother Bear” before switching at the last minute, took the soft “Baby Mine” from “Dumbo” and gave it in his gritty voice a certain sharpness.
“This service is just for you,” said Bryan to the 24-year-old machine operator. “It was really great in the ears.”
Perry also praised Beckham for transforming the lullaby.
“Listen, I think all you need is a little trust, trust and fairy dust,” she added, throwing some glitter in the air.
Alyssa Wray
The student Alyssa Wray rocked a sparkling ball gown and delighted with a magical performance of “A dream is a wish your heart makes” from “Cinderella”.
Richie and Bryan were pleased that Wray was saving her belt and vocal acrobatics for the end of the song, while Perry described the singer as “elegant and exalted”.
“You are a permanent princess,” she added. “You will never turn into a pumpkin again.”
Arthur Gunn
Former runner-up Arthur Gunn wanted to remind “Idol” fans of his vocal skills and sang “Remember Me” by “Coco”.
“That was one of your best performances I’ve ever seen,” said Perry to the 23-year-old musician. “It was amazing and I always love it when you do your own thing because you are.”
Bryan praised Gunn for his authenticity, while Richie said the musician owned his sound.
“It’s the greatest part of being a stylist when you can take a song and make it yours,” he added.
Cassandra Coleman
Cassandra Coleman was open on the show about her struggles with nerves. But the coffee shop manager channeled her inner hero and released “I Can Go The Distance” from “Hercules”.
Bryan said Coleman delivered her “solid voice from top to bottom” and was “the most comfortable we’ve ever seen”.
“Your confidence has surely gone from zero to hero, and any other doubts you have, just leave them in the fairy dust,” added Perry, maintaining her feedback on the subject.
Hunter Metts
Before taking the stage, Hunter Metts, 22, spoke about his emotional performance in the final episode, where he fumbled up the lyrics at the end of his song.
“To mess up the words at the very end, I thought I was going home,” said the software developer, adding that the experience was a “hard pill” to swallow.
After the show, Metts said he was determined not to make the same mistake. “I can’t tell you how many times in the past week I’ve just sat and read my lyrics and wrote my lyrics down,” he said. “There is something about that fear that it will happen again.”
The practice has paid off – Metts rose from Tarzan’s “You will be in my heart” and was highly praised by the judges.
Perry even made another attempt at clever puns.
“It was so great to see you on stage with such a full smile,” she said. “You really swung that.”
Grace Kinstler
Grace Kinstler, 20, ended the show with a powerful rendition of “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II”. The student said the song spoke about how she felt about “Idol” and how unsafe it was to get into the music industry.
After the show, Kinstler said she wanted to pick a song that speaks to what she and all of the “Idol” contestants are feeling at this stage of the competition.
“Our performance is really about what I can show our audience about myself as a person,” she said. “It was so important to me to sing this song because I feel like this song reflects a lot of how we feel when we go into this industry and choose that path.”
Bryan told Kinstler that she had “the eye of the tiger”.
“You had controlled the whole room with your voice,” added Perry. “It was fantastic.”
Who went home
At the end of the episode, Seacrest revealed who was safe in no particular order. Last place in the top 7 went to Gunn, which is the end of the road for Wray, Coleman and Goncalves.
The three dropouts reflected on their “idol” trips after the show, saying that their “idol” experiences had boosted their confidence.
“I got into this competition thinking that I was just worthless,” said Wray. “These people, this competition, America – they really taught me that I am so much more valuable than I could ever dream of and that all I have to do is be myself. I just have to do what I love and that’s enough. “
And the singers said you didn’t see the last one: Coleman plans to put out an album, Goncalves wants to win a Grammy, and Wray’s goal is to get EGOT status.
“Idol” returns on Sunday at 8am EST with an episode about Coldplay and Mother’s Day.
