Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” has been covered countless times by artists of all genres. South Carolina native Warren Peay tried his hand at it on the latest episode of American Idol, giving the audience one final showcase of his vocal chops before they vote on his fate.
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The country singer hit the judges a bit of a curveball with his song choice. “Is this Adele?” a surprised Katy Perry said as Peay launched into the opening line: I let it fall, my heart / And as it fell, you rose to claim it.
Peay then let his raspy voice fly free, meandering around the melody and matching Adele’s note for note. The show-stopping moment came at the end of the performance when Peay held out the final note for a dramatic touch.
Check out the performance below.
With the Top 26 contestants selected, Idol moved to Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii. Their fate is now in the hands of the public. Fans can vote on the American Idol website.
Peay first caught the judges’ – Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie – attention with his uncanny resemblance to Chris Stepleton.
“I thought you were Chris Stapleton’s brother,” said Perry during his audition before Peay responded, “I get that a lot.”
For his audition, Peay took on Zach Williams’ “To the Table.” His deep, gruff voice wowed the judges from the first few notes.
“Warren, you walked in that door, and I was like, ‘Please God, please God answer our prayers, God,” Perry remarked. “This guy looks the part, please let him sound the part. And you sound the freaking part.
“You are authentic—authentic,” she continued. “I love that song a lot. Just because you love the Lord don’t mean you don’t get angry, so I want to hear some of that, paired with that texture in the voice. That’s how you get rid of that anger, you sing about it.”
(ABC/Eric McCandless)
