Mattie Pruitt’s talent was on full display Monday night. The youngest American Idol contestant this season, Pruitt wowed with a performance of “Always Been You.”
The theme of the night was the Judges’ Song Contest. Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan each picked a song for every single contestant to sing. The contestant then picked their choice out of the three options, without knowing which judge suggested the tune.
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Pruitt decided to forego “I Need You” and “Parachute” in favor of singing Bryan’s choice for her, “Always Been You” by Jessie Murph.
“When I see Jessie Murph perform, it is all sass,” Bryan said, encouraging Pruitt to display even more of that going forward.
Underwood agreed, telling her, “I think we’re taking baby steps in the sass department and we just need more.
Mattie Pruitt’s Strategy for American Idol‘s Final Episodes
In an interview with the Fox affiliate in Illinois, Pruitt revealed her strategy as the competition winds down.
“I’m gonna really try to stick to my genre so that people aren’t confused anymore,” she said. “And I really want them to know that I wanna be a country/ soulful artist. I’m gonna try to just like stay in that area.”
She did just that during her Top 8-securing performance when she sang “The House That Built Me” by the night’s mentor, Miranda Lambert.
“She’s honestly like my idol because my whole family’s obsessed with her and her music,” Pruitt gushed of Lambert. “She’s just an amazing artist.”
Photo by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
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