Megan Danielle has a personal connection to her performance of Alanis Morissette’s “Head Over Feet” on American Idol.
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The singer dedicated the performance to her boyfriend, who she calls “amazing.” “He just made me believe in who I am,” Danielle raves. “He made me start loving myself more. When he came into my life I was like, ‘This is too good to be true.'”
Sitting down with guest judge Morissette (who is filling in for Katy Perry as she performs at King Charles III’s coronation), Danielle explained how the lyrics perfectly explain her relationship with her boyfriend.
“I’d be curious to hear it a little less beautifully if you don’t mind,” Morissette laughed while giving Danielle feedback during rehearsal. “Maybe less performing it or you having a conversation with me or your boyfriend, your own self.”
Danielle took that vulnerability to the Idol stage where she delivered a poignant performance of Morissette’s hit that features such lyrics as, You’ve already won me over in spite of me / Don’t be alarmed if I fall head over feet / Don’t be surprised if I love you for all that you are / I couldn’t help it / It’s all your fault. Danielle injected some country into the pop-rock track, highlighting its sentimental lyrics that also show off her smoky pipes and the range in her voice.
Danielle’s performance won over the judges, with Morissette praising her for, “really expressing that ambivalence of, ‘I’m used to being hard on myself, yet here’s this person across from me, loving me so well,’ and just expressing that really authentically.”
Morissette called the performance “soulful” and “gorgeous.” Ed Sheeran, who filled in for judge Lionel Richie who was also performing at the coronation, admitted that he forgot that they were on American Idol and felt like, “I was watching a classic singer from the ’60s or something,” he praised. “Your tone is incredible and it’s very unique. I was really impressed.”
“The thing about that song is you really just laid it back in the pocket and you made it real inviting,” judge Luke Bryan remarked. “You nailed that, and your voice makes that happen naturally.”
Danielle’s engaging performance secured her a coveted spot in the Top 5 alongside Iam Tongi, We Ani, Zachariah Smith and Colin Stough. The next episode of Idol airs on Sunday (May 14) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Photo Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless
