8 months ago
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Katy Perry revisits her roots busking on the streets of Santa Monica as she kicks off her final season with a former NFL player, a TikTok prankster and the performance that had the crew up in arms against the judges.
Katy Perry's final season of American Idol kicked off Sunday night with plenty of emotional wallop and an extra dollop of talent, to boot!
The most impactful moment came right at the end when a contestant -- and the judges -- were surprised by her birth family having come to her audition, marking the first time she would ever meet them face to face. To make it hit even harder, she sang one of her late birth mother's original songs for them.
It was one of several powerful and beautiful moments that left Katy Perry struggling with her emotions. But it wasn't all positivity, as the premiere also featured another first for the long-running show. Has there ever been a time where the crew outvoted the judges? Yep, that happened!
As always, we've gathered the best auditions from the two-hour premiere so we can all revisit them as the season goes along. It's always fun to look back at how they started. One of these faces could be the next American Idol and/or a huge superstar in the future!
Fair warning, since I'm safe at home, I'm probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.
And just for fun, I'm going to rank the performances from worst to first to see who my favorites are each week. That way I can see who's the best and then see how they fare as the season progresses.
Kennedy Reid
("River Deep - Mountain High," Ike & Tina Turner - 23, New Albany, IN) Kennedy took her cosmetology skills to her work as a mortician. She brought her best friend Jean Ann to accompany her on piano, with both displaying tons of personality throughout their video package.
When Lionel mentioned "the slumber room," Katy marveled that he knew what that was. "Well, he's a little closer than us to getting prepared than us," Luke quipped. After her performance, we somehow wound up with Luke singing a John Conlee classic while lying like a corpse on the table.
Alas, the most fun part about the audition was everything that happened around Kennedy singing. She's got the volume and was able to find the pitch, but the audition was still somehow lacking (even son such a high-energy performance). It just seemed like a showstopping performance at a local dive bar. Katy did what she could to pull as much as she could out of her, with the performance improving.
She didn't get in with overwhelming support, but Lionel saw more confidence from her when she was singing Conlee with Luke. She barely eked by with support from Lionel and Katy, with both acknowledging that she needed a lot of work.
Results: Y, Y, N
Triston Harper
("Cover Me Up," Jason Isbell - 15, McIntosh, AL) "I've been out-countried by--" Luke started, with Katy finishing, "a 15 year old!"
Triston was honoring both his hometown and his heritage as McIntosh is mostly Choctaw Nation, even though he and his mother had to flee their home due to abuse and wound up homeless when he was just 12 years old. After his story, Lionel really hoped he had the goods, as well.
He was capable enough, but this wasn't a performance that left us breathless or hanging on the edge of our seats. You could definitely hear his youth in his voice, but we didn't quite hear him challenging his life experiences into his vocals. That said, the raw goods are there and he's definitely got the potential to grow and learn his way into someone people will root for.
Results: Y, Y, Y
Alto Moon
("Lemonz," Alto Moon - 27, Alpharetta, GA) His audition was used as the background music of some other contestants who made it through, which is a huge testament to the power of his voice and original song. What a great showcase, and what a commanding R&B tone he dropped from the very first note. This was relentless power but Alto had control of it from the start, taking us on a journey where we wanted to dance right along with him. With that charm, smile and rhythm, who are we to stand in his way?
Results: [yes]
Mackenzie Sol
("Bring It on Home to Me," Sam Cooke - 23, Las Vegas, NV) A little -- okay a lot -- shaky at the top due to his nerves, Mackenzie nevertheless has a natural richness to his voice that was compelling. With a slow vibrato that draws you in, he wound up in total command of the performance and the moment. If he can keep the nerves at bay, he's really got everything this show looks for.
Before he began, Mackenzie said he couldn't allow his mom Nicki to come because he'd have been too nervous to perform in front of her … so we kind of liked discovering that she was hiding outside to surprise him after. We also totally knew it was coming (subtlety, thy name is not Idol), but it was still very sweet. As he broke down crying, Mackenzie lamented, "Why do you have to do this. Girls are gonna be watching this?"
"Girls love a cryer," Luke said as Katy agreed, shouting, "We love it!"
Results: Y, Y, Y
Blake Proehl
(""In Case You Didn't Know," Brett Young - 24, Charlotte, NC) From the gridiron as an NFL player for three years to the humble audition stage, Blake is no stranger to scrutiny and huge crowds, but could he handle three music superstars judging him? His NFL journey ended after an injury where running again wasn't even a certainty. Music helped him through his recovery and helped him get back on his feet.
His grandmother is his inspiration for this, with Blake sharing an adorable viral video where he surprised her with his ability to play piano and sing. She joined him to recreate that moment for his actual audition and immediately it was the gentle tenderness of his voice that stood out. On top of that, the authenticity and the ache.
This was the first audition of the night that touched us solely based on what he was doing vocally. It's the subtlety and intelligence of his choices to let the song take the lead. He's just the messenger of this story. It's a little raw in places, but the raw talent is unmistakable.
Results: Y, Y, Y
Micaela McCall
("Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," Stevie Wonder - 28, Santa Barbara, CA) After Katy went back to State Street to relive her days busking, in came a busker living her experience all these years later, though she's apparently never been paid in avocados. She went viral singing from Les Miz in a parking garage where we got a glimpse of her power.
Then she reined it in for an immediately unique and fresh take on one of the most difficult artists out there to cover. She stripped it down, slowed it up, and yet didn't take away the recognition factor. Her voice is a storyteller's and this was her moment and her story to tell. What's exciting about an artist who does what Micaela just did is that you immediately want to see them again on another song just to see what they'll do with that one.
Results: Y, Y, Y
Jack Blocker
("I Was Wrong," Jack Blocker - 25, Dallas, TX) This is just the kind of sound that's been sailing up the charts over the past decade. We loved the raspiness and overall artistry he displayed throughout, as well as his more gentle tone as he invited us into his story. Jack is the real deal when you talk about unique artists who know exactly who they are and what they're about.
Fascinatingly, only Luke seemed fully enamored, while Katy was bothered by the way he moved his face and mouth while singing. Luke, though, wondered what Paul Simon's audition would have looked like -- he thinks it would have looked like this. He quickly gave a yes, but Katy and Lionel weren't feeling it. But that's when Luke and the show broke.
Results: N, N, Y
"I saw something in that boy," Luke lamented. "Y'all let him go. Can we get him back?" Katy thought he was "too much," but Luke called out for a vote from the crew and almost all of their hands went up. "What is wrong with you guys?" asked Tamra from Katy's team and that was it for Lionel, who demanded he be brought back in. Does this make him the people's contestant? He's certainly the crew's champion right now.
Results (Take 2): [Yes]
McKenna Breinholt
("There Was Jesus," Zach Williams & Dolly Parton - 25, Gilbert, AZ) McKenna opened up about her adoption and how she sought information from her birth family at 21, learning that her mother had passed away. Her birth mother, though, was a musician, which clearly was where McKenna got her own passion, drive, and talent for music. She then came to meet her birth family, who'd also been looking for her, but she's never met them in person yet.
What's incredible is what her parents did to surprise her. She thought she was going to finally meet her birth family in three weeks, but actually they were here for her audition moment. Thankfully, and wisely, the family opted to not reveal this secret until after she'd auditioned. Can you imagine those overwhelming emotions?
At the piano, McKenna had a gentle earnestness in her delivery that was perfectly suited for the storytelling side of country music. She was so gentle and clear, her choices touched our emotions as she chose to soar. There's a subtlety to her performances, but her talent still demands to be noticed. We love an artist who lets the artistry carry the moment.
Adorably, McKenna was sent out to grab her daily for the Final Judgment only to find that her birth family was present, too. Even the judges had no idea they were all out there, making the moment even more impactful.
Then, she played one of her mother's songs, "Tumbleweed" for her entire family, which broke her birth grandmother all the way down. In truth, we found ourselves even more drawn to this original song written and performed by her mother, and apparently with almost the same exact sound. Katy called it "healing" amid streams of tears for the whole beautiful moment.
Results: Y, Y, Y
Odell Bunton Jr.
("Bring It on Home to Me," Sam Cooke - 28, Dallas, TX) Odell has been chasing this dream since he was six years old, hitting his first stage in the church and then shifting to a more professional setting at just 13 years old. Family then took center stage as he welcomed five children. Life hasn't been easy, with his family currently living in a hotel as he works overnight in security at the airport.
So he definitely has the drive to make a better life for his wife and his kids and decided to see if he could do it with his lifelong dream. He's a beautiful soul and brought plenty of that soul and struggle into the timbre of his voice. He displayed an impressive range from the basement and up to unexpected heights.
Throughout, it was clear he had so much more power (that's the church) he was withholding, which is to be respected. It's easy to belt all the time if you can, but Odell let the song pull it out of him at the right moment. This was classic soul and his time is now.
Then, in an unexpected twist a week later, he was upgraded to Platinum Ticket status live on the air at a local news station. That means he gets to skip the first round of competition in Hollywood Week. Clearly, they couldn't stop thinking about what he did, either.
Results: Y, Y, Y
Maggie Iyer
("I Can't Make You Love Me," Bonnie Raitt - 18, Carmel, IN) Immediately liked the tasteful little flares Maggie was putting on this well-known classic. She had a beautiful vibrato and rich tone, but it was the little bits of artistry and passion she put into the performance that helped it stand out. It also didn't come across as calculated, so if it was she has the skills to mask that and make it look like she's letting the music be her guide. We heard volume and pitch and power and control and everything worked.
Her audition was so exciting, apparently, that Miley's "Wrecking Ball" became the soundtrack as Luke was knocking over drinks and stools and everything else in his own hometown of Leesburg, Georgia. But the wreckage behind them was nothing to the talent in front of them as Maggie is poised to be a real contender.
Results: Y, Y, Y
Ajii Hafeez
("Lose Control," Teddy Swims - 27, Brooklyn, NY) It took Ajii's co-workers at the nursing home to convince him to audition, but sometimes it takes that outside influence to get people to believe in themselves and take a chance on their own dreams. After hearing him sing in the halls, they knew what was up.
The moment he opened his mouth, we knew right alongside the judges. This is not an easy song to sing as it's so stylized, but from the first note, Ajii proved the power and compassion he can convey through his instrument. With just a bit of gravel around the edges of this incredibly full-throated sound, we felt every line as he owned each moment of his moment.
Results: Y, Y, Y
"American Idol" auditions continue Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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