Season 23 of American Idol continued with another round of performances on the Sunday, April 20, episode. In honor of Easter, the contestants all sang songs of faith in hopes of earning enough votes to make it to the next round.
After last week’s top 24 performances, viewers voted for their favorite contestants, and the top 20 were revealed during the Easter episode. Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie weighed in on all of the performances, but the decisions are in the hands of viewers going forward.
Scroll down for a live recap of all the Easter performances on Season 23 of American Idol and to find out who made the top 20!
Canaan James Hill
One of this season’s platinum ticket winners, Canaan James Hill, was up first with a rendition of “Better Days” by Le’Andria Johnson. The judges were on their feet to celebrate.
“Young man, do you have any idea what you just did?” Richie asked. “Let me just say this. That was a performance to be remembered on American Idol for a very long time.”
Underwood noted, “You understood the assignment! This is definitely your wheelhouse. Incredible vocals, incredible performance.” She also urged Canaan not to be “afraid” to approach the crowd and “work the stage” with his body as much as he does with his voice.”
Drew Ryn
Drew Ryn performed “Yellow” by Coldplay for her top 20 performance. Richie gave her a standing ovation after she finished.
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Underwood noted the interesting song choice for the “songs of faith theme” and told Drew, “I love that you kind of took the theme and found something that was a little unconventional. That is what music is all about. It was a very solid performance.”
Bryan added, “You’re kind of our little diamond in the rough. You keep surprising us. I love that. That’s what this competition is bout.”
Desmond Roberts
Desmond Roberts was the next artist to make the top 20. He sang “Worship” by Jon Batiste.
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“I don’t know how I’m supposed to judge that,” Bryan said. “It’s far beyond my knowledge level. Wow. So many tools and tricks in your bag and then the entertainment value of that was really, really great.”
Richie praised Desmond for his “amazing” performance, while Underwood said, “That song had a lot of switching gears and it was really nice to kind of brng that excitement and sing the heck out of it.”
Filo
Up next was another platinum ticket winner, Filo. He sang “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel and brought the house down. It earned him a standing ovation from all three judges.
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Richie applauded Filo for starting the performance with no band and then “delivering” when he hit his crescendo. Underwood added, “You went from zero to a million in a short timeframe. We know you have the big voice and the high notes and all that stuff, but you reminded us that you can get intimate as well. That was a nice reminder.”
Josh King
Josh King earned his spot in the top 20 and performed “You Are so Beautiful” by Joe Cocker.
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Josh had Underwood melting when he revealed that he was thinking of his mom as he performed. “I love that you displayed your sweet and soft side,” she told him. Bryan said, “We have a sneaky little devil in the room! You got so many of the tools to really be something. And that’s what’s really cool about you. You keep us guessing and surprised every time you perform.”
Thunderstorm Artis
The next singer to make the top 20 was Thunderstorm Artis, who sang “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury. His wife and kids were in the crowd cheering him on.
“I loved it because you really gave us an energetic rock side,” Bryan said, pointing out that it was something different from Thunderstorm that we haven’t seen. “That felt like a big Christian rock concert. That was amazing. I loved seeing that new side of you and seeing that energy.”
Amanda Barise
Amanda Barise also made it to the top 20. For her next performance, she sang “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Key.
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After a standing ovation, Richie said, “You went from the second half of that song and turned it into your song. Absolutely. What was so amazing was from that growl, I don’t know what that was where you found somebody down inside, but you went from that growl and out. It was amazing.”
Underwood continued, “The year I tried out for American Idol, everybody and their mama was singing that song and they were trying and failing to be Alicia. Incredible arrangement. It took you completely out of that space of the great Alicia Keys. You made it your own and crushed it.”
Bryan called it Amanda’s “shining moment” on the show so far.
John Foster
John Foster sang an original song called “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” which he wrote for a friend who died.
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“You’ve kind of been a wildcard for me the whole time,” Bryan admitted. “But what you just did there removed all doubts in my mind that you deserve to be here. I don’t know why I was that way!”
Mattie Pruitt
Next up was the youngest in the competition, Mattie Pruitt, who sang “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle.
“Wow, wow, wow. You’re going through the star wash. We like it. Great job,” Bryan raved. “That cry in your voice is so great to listen to. But still make sure we hear every word and dig, dig, dig. You are so incredible. Sixteen. What a great job.”
Richie said, “What you have in your voice, in that cry Luke was talking about, is that instant identity. Don’t lose that. You’ve got the signature voice.”
Olivier Bergeron
Olivier Bergeron earned the final spot in the top 20 from the 12 artists who performed on night two in Hawaii. He sang “Stay” by Rihanna.
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The judges were happy with the performance and seeing Olivier’s growth, but they urged him to keep “pushing” himself. Richie specifically noted that Olivier needs to open his eyes and connect more with the audience. “But your intensity is enjoyable!” he added.
Breanna Nix
The artists who performed on night one in Hawaii learned their fate next, and Breanna Nix was the first to make it into the top 20. She crushed her performance of “Up to the Mountain.”
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As Underwood put it, “If there is one word I think I would use to describe your time here with us, it’s solid. And that’s a big deal in this industry. You want to deliver every time you step on stage and you do.”
Bryan pointed out that the theme of this evening was “tailor made” for Breanna, and Richie assured her that there was not one thing wrong with her performance.
Victor Solomon
After finding out he made the top 20, Victor Solomon sang “For Every Mountain.”
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“You just get every aspect of entertainment,” Bryan admitted. “From your look tonight — your outfit is so unique to you. It doesn’t scream faith night and Easter night, it screams Victor Solomon night. I love your approach to this. You give it your all and you have fun doing it.”
Meanwhile, Richie called the performance “electrifying,” adding, “That was a great performance. I love how you carried us along and walked us to the end with a standing ovation.”
Baylee Littrell
Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell‘s son, Baylee Littrell, made the top 20 and sang his dad’s song “Gone Without Goodbye.”
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“Vocally, I think that was one of your best performances so far,” Underwood gushed. “I love how that song had some more soaring notes because I feel like we haven’t gotten a whole lot of that from you so far. You have a really nice tone when you turn it on.”
The judges urged Baylee to keep “putting pressure” on himself as he moves forward in the competition.
Isaiah Misailegalu
Isaiah Misailegalu brought his Samoan silk to the top 20 with a performance of “Give You Blue” by Allen Stone.
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“You were having a good time with it and so we were [too,]” Underwood complimented, while Bryan called it Isaiah’s most “relaxed delivery” so far.
“Remember, too, to dig in and give us more,” Bryan added. “But you have such a great instrument of a voice. It’s really great.”
Gabby Samone
After finding out that she made the top 20, Gabby Samone sang “I Am Changing” from Dreamgirls.
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Everyone was on their feet after she hit her last note. “That was a better breakout moment than your last breakout moment,” Bryan said. “I think you’re a star. I really do. I was just captivated by what you did.”
Richie agreed and told Gabby, “You are a star.” However, Underwood said she had to “disagree” because, as she said, “Gabby, you are not a star. You’re a superstar.”
Slater Nalley
Slater Nalley got his top 20 spot and celebrated with a performance of “Soulshine” by The Allman Brothers Band.
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“You got here because you stayed in your lane and you’re solid,” Richie assured Slater. Underwood added, “You got the goods. I feel like you were very comfortable. You were at ease behind the guitar. Just keep doing you, man. That’s all I got. It’s great.”
Zaylie Windsor
Zaylie Windsor has come a long way in the competition, and she proved it with her top 20 performance of “Silver Springs.”
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The judges seemed to feel like Zaylie didn’t deliver as much as she had a few weeks back and urged her to bring some more in the future. “You are dialed in your artistry, but really lean into those big vocal songs becuase you know you have that in there,” Bryan explained. “But that was a good job.”
Jamal Roberts
Next up was Jamal Roberts with a performance of “Forever” by Jason Nelson.
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The performance brought the judges to their feet. “Jamal, you just got the magic,” Bryan insisted. “There are so many wonderful things that you do, but what I really love the most is that it’s current but its old school, too. It’s so fun to watch somebody do. You’re slaying it, buddy.”
Richie told Jamal that his singing was “outrageous” and called the performance “amazing.”
Ché
The next artist to earn a top 20 spot was Ché, who sang “Redemption Song” for his Easter performance.
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“You delivered that song so well. Congratulations on joining this class,” Richie said. Underwood added, “You just are a great vocalist and you did a great job.” Bryan said that Ché has “one of [his] favorite voices” ever.
Kolbi Jordan
The final artist to make the top 20 (although they were named in no particular order) was Kolbi Jordan, who was also a platinum ticket winner. She belted out “Amazing Grace” for her performance.
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“Thank you for that. That was amazing,” Underwood gushed, while Bryan called the performance “breathtaking.”
Who was eliminated?
The first two singers eliminated were Kyana Fanene and Grayson Torrence. They earned the least amount of votes from the group that performed on night two in Hawaii and were sent home. In the second group, MKY and Penny Samar were the two artists eliminated.
After America’s votes, 14 artists will move on during the Monday, April 21, episode.
American Idol, Sundays and Mondays, 8/7c, ABC
