Katy Perry joked that a performance by Willie Spence on Sunday’s episode of American Idol was so good it might have undone her cosmetic surgery.
She’d just watched 21-year-old caretaker Willie sing an original song called Never Be Alone, then do a soaring version of Beyoncé’s I Was Here to great applause.
‘Every time, I get chills,’ marveled Katy, 36. ‘Tonight, I got chills on places on my face that I thought I had frozen. Okay? You brought the chills back. It was a Lazarus moment on my face.’
Top four: Katy Perry joked that a performance by Willie Spence on Sunday’s episode of American Idol was so good it might have undone her cosmetic surgery
‘You have that connection to the next realm,’ she told the Douglas, Georgia, resident. ‘And it’s been so beautiful to see you come in—kind of shy, with this big voice, not so sure—and you are stepping into your power and you are walking in the light.
Caleb Kennedy, the 16-year-old high schooler from Roebuck, South Carolina, who had made up the Top Five, left the show before the episode was filmed.
Video from 2018 of Caleb standing next to a friend in a white hood circulated on the Internet, and allegations of racism prompted his departure.
‘Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,’ he wrote on Instagram. ‘There was a video that surfaced on the Internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse.’
Powerful performances: Willie sing an original song called Never Be Alone, then do a soaring version of Beyoncé’s I Was Here
Early exit: Caleb Kennedy, shown earlier this month, dropped out of the competition
Internet video: Video from 2018 of Caleb standing next to a friend in a white hood circulated on the Internet, and allegations of racism prompted his departure
Top five: ‘Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,’ he wrote on Instagram. ‘There was a video that surfaced on the Internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse’
Show host Ryan Seacrest, 46, barely mentioned Caleb’s exit.
‘Now, Caleb Kennedy will not be continuing in the competition, so tonight you’re voting on your top four,’ Ryan said at the top of the show without any further explanation.
The two-hour show found the Top Four singers debuting their first singles, performing a song made famous by a personal idol, and revisiting a past performance.
Barely mentioned: ‘Now, Caleb Kennedy will not be continuing in the competition, so tonight you’re voting on your top four,’ Ryan said at the top of the show without any further explanation
Their mentor for the week was Finneas, 23, the producer who rose to fame working with his sister Billie Eilish, 19, before collaborating with artists such as Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato.
Willie earlier had unveiled his ‘softer side’ on John Legend’s Glory, with Finneas saying he had ‘one of the best voices’ he’d ever heard.
Luke Bryan, 44, was equally moved when he heard that song and his praise made Willie cry.
High praise: Luke Bryan, 44, was equally moved when he heard that song and his praise made Willie cry
Best voices: Willie earlier had unveiled his ‘softer side’ on John Legend’s Glory, with guest mentor Finneas saying he had ‘one of the best voices’ he’d ever heard
‘I wanna talk to you for three minutes but I can’t,’ Luke relayed. ‘I can’t have 30 seconds to tell you what that performance just did to my soul. One thing I thought about is: You’re literally gonna save people’s lives with your voice.’
Luke called Willie, the show’s reported front-runner, a ‘teddy bear, a sweetheart,’ but he pointed out that when the cameras came on, the singer flipped ‘into beast mode.’
He had to be: The evening reduced the show’s Top Four down to three, with Casey Bishop, a 16-year-old high schooler from Estero, Florida, eliminated after a very competitive night.
Talented teenager: Casey Bishop, a 16-year-old high schooler from Estero, Florida, waas eliminated after a very competitive night
Still in the race were Willie, Chayce Beckham, a 24-year-old machinery operator from Apple Valley, California, and Grace Kinstler, a 20-year-old college student from Lakewood, Illinois.
All of them will compete in next Sunday’s grand finale.
First up was Chayce, who currently has a number-one hit on the country chart with his single, 23.
Moving forward: Chayce Beckham, a 24-year-old machinery operator from Apple Valley, California advanced in the competition
He’d played that tune for Finneas in rehearsal before unveiling it on the Idol stage, telling a story in his gravelly voice about drinking too much as a young man.
For his ‘idol’ cover, he picked Zac Brown Band’s Colder Weather, stripping it back on Finneas’ advice and garnering praise from Luke for how ‘real’ and ‘authentic’ it was.
Chayce then revisited his Hollywood Week song, Chris Stapleton’s You Should Probably Leave.
Hollywood song: The singer, who currently has a number-one hit on the country chart, then revisited his Hollywood Week song, Chris Stapleton’s You Should Probably Leave
‘How do we create another way to say ‘great job, amazing, oh my God?’ Luke asked.
‘From the beginning to now, it’s a complete transformation,’ agreed Lionel Richie, 71. ‘You have stepped into your light to the point where I now know exactly who you are, I know your sound, I know your demeanor, everything is lining up for what’s it called? Number-one showbusiness.’
Next up was Casey, who covered her idol Billie Eilish’s Wish You Were Gay, delighting Finneas, who’d co-written the song and leading Luke to say she ‘crushed’ it onstage.
Music legend: ‘From the beginning to now, it’s a complete transformation,’ agreed Lionel Richie, 71. ‘You have stepped into your light to the point where I now know exactly who you are, I know your sound, I know your demeanor, everything is lining up for what’s it called? Number-one showbusiness’
‘You found in your stardust and you’re rolling around in it,’ Katy affirmed. ‘You look up to Billie Eilish, but whether you win American Idol or not, you are going to be your next hero, honey.’
Casey’s original was a soaring rocker called Love Me, Leave Me, followed by her audition tune, Mötley Crüe’s Livewire, which had the judges dancing and grinning ear-to-ear.
‘You can be so whimsical, and right in the middle of this whole thing, you dropped the bomb,’ Lionel declared. ‘I want front-row seats and backstage passes.’
Wide range: Casey’s original was a soaring rocker called Love Me, Leave Me, followed by her audition tune, Mötley Crüe’s Livewire, which had the judges dancing and grinning ear-to-ear
When Grace hit the stage, she first sang Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment Like This, aiming to show young women of all types that they could succeed.
Finneas called her voice ‘incredible’ and urged her to ‘be in love with the song’ as she sang.
After listening to Grace, Katy revealed that her cousins back home were voting for her, while Luke called her a ‘superstar’ and praised her confidence onstage.
Graceful voice: When GraceKinstler hit the stage, she first sang Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment Like This, aiming to show young women of all types that they could succeed
Grace’s original was a romantic pop ballad called Love Someone, while her third song was Demi Lovato’s Father, which she sang in memory of her late dad, who died in February 2020.
‘Rendered speechless once again,’ Luke said, and Katy added, ‘I felt you. I felt that.’
Willie then took his turn, leading Lionel to call him ‘a giant voice, and a giant presence.’
Giant voice: Willie then took his turn, leading Lionel to call him ‘a giant voice, and a giant presence.’
During the show, Grace and Willie also dueted on Finneas’ song What They’ll Say About Us.
Finneas said that he’d been inspired to write the song last summer after hearing the story of Amanda Kloots, 39, whose late husband Nick Cordero, 41, was in the ICU with COVID-19.
He’d wondered, he said, what it must be like to sit by a loved one’s bed as they struggled to live, and then look outside to see protests and tanks.
Dynamic duo: During the show, Grace and Willie also dueted on Finneas’ song What They’ll Say About Us
‘I started it when Nick was still alive, and then I finished it when he passed away,’ Finneas told the duo. ‘I felt like I was losing a loved one that wasn’t even my loved one to lose.’
‘Had I known about your voices, I would have given this song right to you when I first wrote it,’ he emphasized.
Casey and Chayce also sang a surprisingly gentle version of Finneas’ Break My Heart Again, which the songwriter said was influenced by Frank Sinatra and his penchant for lingering notes.
Gentle sides: Casey and Chayce also sang a surprisingly gentle version of Finneas’ Break My Heart Again, which the songwriter said was influenced by Frank Sinatra and his penchant for lingering notes
During the evening, Finneas and ASHE performed their own hit Till Forever Falls Apart, while Luke sang Waves, from his latest album, Born Here Live Here Die Here.
Season 18 finalist Michael J. Woodard, 23, who’d been signed by his ‘mentor’ Katy since appearing on the show, returned to tell the crowd about the 130 songs he’d written over the past year and promote his single Why You Texting Me, out Friday.
American Idol will return next week on ABC for the season 19 finale.
Country star: Luke Bryan sang Waves, from his latest album, Born Here Live Here Die Here
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
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