The Top 10 became seven as three more contestants were eliminated on American Idol after a Disney-themed night of performances on May 1.
Videos by American Songwriter
Everything about the evening was centered around Disney, right down to Katy Perry’s Ariel-inspired outfit from The Little Mermaid, which required her to be wheeled out in a hand truck. Throughout the evening, the Top 10 performed songs from hit Disney films—everything from The Lion King hit “Circle of Life” to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story—before the cuts were made, leaving the final seven contestants of Season 20.
In the end, Lady K, who performed “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana, Emeryson Flora with her rendition of “Carried Me With You” from Onward, and Mike Parker, who sang “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Tarzan, were eliminated.
Here’s a rundown of the Top 7 on American Idol with their performances:
“I See the Light,” Huntergirl
Huntergirl’s tender performance of “I See the Light” from the 2010 Disney film Tangled marked another breakout moment for the country singer, leaving judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan —and voting viewers—blown away, and earning the singer a spot in the Top 7.
“Remember Me,” by Jay
Jay initially wanted to sing “I 2 I” from A Goofy Movie but settled on “Remember Me” from Coco. Perry gave Jay points for his use of the entire stage, while Bryan called Jay’s past two performances “timeless.”
“When She Loved Me,” Leah Marlene
Deciding not to play piano while singing, Leah Marlene instead focused on her vocals for the Toy Story 2 song “When She Loved Me.”
“Poor Unfortunate Souls,” Nicolina
Dressed in more villainous attire for her performance, Nicolina performed “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” from The Little Mermaid taking on the persona of villain Ursula and winning the vote. “That was so good, it was scary,” said Perry, following the performance.
“You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” Noah Thompson
Staged around a Toy Story-inspired backdrop, Noah Thompson took on the Randy Newman-penned “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” which Perry called a “reinvention” of the Toy Story hit.
“Go the Distance,” Fritz Hager
Taking on the Hercules song “Go the Distance,” Hager sang through the song, originally recorded for the 1997 film by Roger Bart, who starred as (the voice of) Hercules, and again by Michael Bolton for the end credits of the film.
“Circle of Life,” Christian Guardino
Singing through the Elton John and Tim Rice-penned “Circle of Life,” from the 1994 film The Lion King, Christian Guardino took a bigger song and nailed it. Complete with pyrotechnics, Guardino’s voice shined through all the dazzle.
Photos: ABC
