American Idol Recap: Meet Your Season 2 Top 20
It was tough to watch some of our favorites go home...
Boy, did American Idol throw this season’s contestants for a loop! Instead of returning to Los Angeles after the Hollywood rounds, they flew all 40 contestants to Disney’s Aulani Resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii for those oh-so-important showcases where half of the Top 40 would be cut. So, even though they were eliminating half of the field, they at least got a trip to Paradise out of it…which wasn’t necessarily a consolation to those sent home.
For the showcase round, the remaining contestants were able to perform a song of their own choosing with a full band and background vocalists in front of a live audience that included family. This gave them all an opportunity to not just demonstrate their vocal prowess, but also their showmanship and entertainment ability.
It was brutal. Judge Katy Perry even said, “It was not easy to get to that 20.”And it was exciting. “But that 20 is a smokin’ 20,” Lionel Richie added. In fact, it was an emotional rollercoaster. There were tears, disbelief, and boundless joy.
Some of the eliminations came as quite a shock. Early frontrunners and favorites of the judges, like Myra Tran, Shayy, Nate Walker, Drake McCain, and Kai the Singer were sent home with the judges as broken-hearted as the contestants. All were given encouragement to continue their musical careers, hone their crafts, and even return to the competition as soon as possible.
But for now, that “smokin’” Top 20, as Lionel called them, is getting ready for the next round of solo performances when Idol continues on April 1.
Here are your Top 20 American Idol finalists and the songs they sang:
Alyssa Raghu (16) – Orlando, Florida
“Dear Future Husband” – Meghan Trainor
Madison VanDenberg (17) – Cohoes, New York
“Who’s Lovin’ You” – The Jackson 5
Logan Johnson (20) – Boise, Idaho
“Sorry” – Justin Bieber
Dimitrius Graham (27) – Baltimore, Maryland
“Disclosure” – Latch featuring Sam Smith
Ashley Hess (27) – Fremont, California
“Gone Away” – H.E.R.
Laci Kaye Booth (23) – Livingston, Texas
“Georgia On My Mind” – Ray Charles
Walker Burroughs (20) – Birmingham, Alabama
“Youngblood” – 5 Seconds of Summer
Ryan Hammond (25) – Modesto, California
“A Song for You” – Donnie Hathaway
Evelyn Cormier (19) – Claremont, New Hampshire
“No Roots” – Alice Merton
Kate Barnette (23) Kennesaw, Georgia
“Royals” – Lorde
Uché (24) – Sugar Land, Texas
“Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry
Alejandro Aranda (24) – Pomona, California
“Yellow” – Coldplay
Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon (26) – Catonsville, Maryland
“Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac
Riley Thompson (16) – Mabank, Texas
“Mama’s Broken Heart” – Miranda Lambert
Raquel Trinidad (21) – Tampa, Florida
“Rich Girl” – Hall & Oates
Shawn Robinson (22) – Atlanta, Georgia
“Rock With You” – Michael Jackson
Bumbly (27) – New York, New York
“Baby” – Clean Bandit featuring Marina & Luis Fonsi
Wade Cota (27) – Phoenix, Arizona
“Work Song” – Hozier
Eddie Island (25) – Nashville, Tennessee
“Don’t You Worry Child” – Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin
Laine Hardy (18) – Livingston, Louisiana
“Come Together” – The Beatles
Following the Top 20 Solos round, the contestants will be paired up for two nights of All-Star Duets. After that, the Top 14 will be announced on April 14 and then the Top 10 on April 15.
ABC’s Season 2 is going by faster than we could have ever expected. Check back in after each show for a follow-up to the excitement.