The top 7 took the stage for double performances during ‘American Idol’s Mother’s Day episode. The end of the night was a total shocker when fan-favorites were sent home.
For the first time ever, Chris Martin is allowing the Coldplay catalog on American Idol for the first time. Tonight, the top 7 will perform two songs, one Coldplay song and another in honor of Mother’s Day. Chris will be serving as a mentor to the top 7 contestants. At the end of the night, the top 5 will be revealed.
‘American Idol’ Top 7 Performances
Casey Bishop is the first up, and she’s singing Coldplay’s “Paradise.” Chris admits that he “can’t teach” Casey anything. She’s got that powerful of a voice. Her voice sounds tremendous, but there’s a bit of a sound issue going on behind her. Nevertheless, Katy says the performance was “perfect.” Luke tells Casey that he’s “never heard you hit a bad note,” and she “keeps delivering night after night.”
Chayce Beckham is up next with his rendition of Coldplay’s “Magic.” The performance definitely stays in Chayce’s lane. Luke loves that Chayce is always “having fun” in his performance. He also notes that there are always so many “artistic signature things” in his performances.
Willie Spence tackles Coldplay’s “Yellow,” and it’s one of the best performances of the entire season. The performance solidified his frontrunner status. Lionel raves that Willie’s performance was a “religious experience.” Katy says it’s a “special thing week after week” just to be able to listen to Willie.
Caleb Kennedy puts a country spin on Coldplay’s “Violet Hill.” Before this week, Caleb had never listened to Coldplay before. His performance is good, but it’s not anything groundbreaking. Katy says the performance “scared” her but “in a good way because it was that good.” Lionel admits he saw Caleb’s “confidence dip a little bit” in the middle of the performance, so he encourages Caleb to keep it up.
Arthur Gunn chooses Coldplay’s “In My Place” and once again puts his own spin on the song. Arthur is dead-set on his version. “I always thought the melody was the best bit, and that’s the part you’ve thrown away,” Chris says during their mentor session. Arthur sticks to his guns and changes the melody, but it’s nothing mind-blowing. Luke commends Arthur for walking to the beat of his own drum. Katy says Arthur “sounded good” but sometimes it’s about “playing along a little bit” with the original song.
Grace Kinstler’s torn between “Hymn for the Weekend” and “Fix You.” She starts out with “Hymn for the Weekend,” but Chris tells her that he doesn’t know if the song is good enough for her. He wants her to try “Fix You” and be super vulnerable with it. Chris’s suggestion is the right move because Grace’s version of “Fix You” is simply stunning. Katy praises Grace’s “intimacy” during that performance. “I think you finally arrived with that song,” she says.
Hunter Metts is the final contestant to perform, and he takes on Coldplay’s “Everglow.” His performance is full of feeling and perfectly Hunter. Katy reveals that she’s gotten so many texts about Hunter. “You are beloved by the world,” Katy says. Lionel says Hunter is in the perfect position in this competition. He’s a storyteller with a unique voice.
Now it’s time for the Mother’s Day tributes. Casey is up first and rocks out to Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic.” She really gets to showcase that edgy side of her voice and owns the performance. Lionel raves that Casey’s stage presence and song selection was “right on the money.” Katy urges Casey to “keep bringing that stage presence and energy” to every performance.
Chayce performs an original song he wrote for his mom. This performance is miles ahead of his Coldplay performance. Lionel confesses that Chayce had him crying. He tells Chayce to put out that song now because it’s a “smash record.” Chayce tears up a little bit when Lionel says this. Willie performs a gorgeous rendition of “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker. Katy praises Willie’s performance and says it sounded like it “came straight from the heart.” Lionel tells Willie, “The way you navigate the notes, it’s unbelievable.”
Following Chayce’s lead, Caleb also performs an original song called “Mama Said.” Luke tells Caleb that he’s a “true anomaly.” Katy loves that Caleb showed more emotion in this performance. “Wearing your heart on your sleeve looks real good,” Katy says.
Arthur performs Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” for all the moms out there. Lionel tells Arthur it was another “great performance.” Katy says that song was “really great for your voice.” Grace slays with a touching performance of Adele’s “When We Were Young.” Katy is wowed by the performance. “You really stepped up your game,” Katy tells her. Lionel says the performance was “perfectly done.”
Hunter closes out the night with a beautiful performance of his original song “The River.” Luke gushes that the performance was a “musical experience.” Lionel goes so far as to say that Hunter has “drifted over to pro status” now.
‘American Idol’ Top 5 Revealed
After two performances, America’s votes are in. Only 5 contestants will be moving forward to the semi-finals. That means 2 contestants are going home this week. At this stage of the competition, it’s razor-thin margins between the votes.
The first person to make it into the top 5 is Casey Bishop, followed by Grace Kinstler. The other 3 to make it into the top 5 are Chayce Beckham, Willie Spence, and Caleb Kennedy. That means Arthur Gunn and Hunter Metts are going home.