Megan Danielle secured her place in the Top 3 on American Idol Sunday night (May 14) with two powerhouse performances that the judges could only rationalize as having come from the heavens.
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The 21-year-old Douglasville, Georgia native has become a standout in the competition show with her rough alto and dazzling range. Her two Disney Night picks were the perfect foil to showcase exactly what has made her a talent to watch throughout this season.
For her first performance of the night, she took on “You Can’t Stop The Girl” from the 2019 Disney sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Originally sung by pop vocalist Bebe Rexha, the Idol hopeful gave the piano-driven song a chilling grit. Megan flexed her power throughout the display, one that had the panel—comprised of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan—in awe. It was a performance the judges said differentiated the all-out vocalist from the mere singer that exists within her.
However, it was her second performance of the night that had the judges believing she was showing off gifts from God. She took on “Carried Me With You” from the 2020 Disney movie, Onward. Brandi Carlile is the song’s original performer, but Megan may have given the Americana superstar a run for her money.
With a steely confidence and sturdy voice, the contestant wowed with the twang-filled tune, the perfect backdrop for her impressive vocal runs and overall brilliant delivery.
It was a performance Bryan called “so effortless, so natural” at the song’s close. “You just got it,” he told her. “God gave it to you when you were born and you just got the magic voice.”
“You know what you pray for in this business is a thing called ‘instant identity,'” Richie told the young performer, “which means 15 nanoseconds into the first time you open your mouth we know who you are.” Her distinctive vocal cry gives her her instant identity, the veteran artist said. “It’s a fabulous tool and you’re working it amazingly well.”
Perry echoed their sentiments, adding “I think that when God calls on people, a lot of people go ‘Why me?’ but I think you just need to accept it. You are the one.”
Photo by Eric McCandless/ABC
