The three finalists on American Idol are so close to the final, they wanted to impress the judges and America on Wednesday to ensure they aren’t sent home now. They got to do this through three performances each of songs that were chosen for them by Jimmy Iovine, the judges and Idol production. We also got to see the girl’s emotional return home, which brought the judges, the crowd and the girls to tears.
Round One – Songs chosen by Jimmy Iovine
Kree Harrison sings “Perfect” by Pink. Keith Urban says, “That song choice proves to me that you’re a county girl. I love the fact that no matter what you sing, you have such a strong signature sound. And I think that’s important.” Randy Jackson says it was “a little flat” while Mariah Carey says “it was an interesting song choice” and to make sure to give it her all in her next performances.
Candice Glover then sings U2’s “One.” Nicki Minaj says, “I do have to give a shout out to my secret husband Jimmy Iovine for choosing that song for you. You did that justice. The competition just started. That did not feel like American Idol, that felt like I was on your show. Work it.” Jackson also adds, “I don’t know if it was perfect, but what was perfect was the emotion you brought to it.”
Angie Miller finishes round one by singing “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” by Elton John. Urban says, “I would’ve been happy with you holding back a little more. Don’t underestimate the power – you can break people’s hearts by singing really gently too. You really can. And that would’ve been a perfect song to do that. Not to say I wasn’t emotionally affected by that, because I was, but you can even hold back a little more. And if you’re going to do big notes, choose when to do that.”
Round Two - Songs chosen by the judges
Glover starts the round by performing Emily Sande’s “Next to Me.” Minaj says, “That video was so emotional and so hard for me to watch. You have come out swinging in this competition and I am just so proud of you. Congratulations.” Jackson also adds, “That was amazing vocally. I love you and I love that we judges chose that song because it shows people how you can be in the modern world in the charts today.”
Miller then sings “Try,” another song by Pink. Urban tells her, “Here’s the thing, I love that you didn’t play the piano. That was a bold move. For me, you’ve never looked as comfortable performing without the piano as you did in that moment.” Minaj agrees with him, also randomly adding that Miller is Miley Cyrus’ long lost twin. Jackson also says, “I totally agree that you performed like never before. She’s really found herself at home, and it’s on the stage.”
Harrison then performs Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye.” Minaj says, “You can’t underestimate or deny the power of a true genuine emotional trigger. When you went back home, you were able to regain something you could actually feel. I don’t think people realize how much strength you have to be this young and have no parents. I just want to say again, I am so super proud of you. I’m so happy for you, you sang it like a pro. This was one of your best performances to date, because you felt every word.” Jackson and Carey also call it “brilliant.”
Round Three - Songs chosen by Idol Production
Miller sings “Maybe,” another song by Emily Sande. Carey says, “I think you did an amazing job with a song that’s not that easy for everybody to sing.” Minaj adds, “You’ve come full circle now. You become what we’ve been preaching about. If nothing else, your growth has surpassed my expectations. You are out of your head, you aren’t pageanty, you’re feeling it, you’re not staring in the camera like a zombie. You’re emotionally connecting every time and you feel it now. As long as you feel it, we’re going to feel it.”
Harrison then sings The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two.” Minaj says, “That’s not your comfort zone. Whoever picked that for you should be stoned. I didn’t like that song for you, I didn’t like it at all. We know what your comfort zone is, and that’s wasn’t it. But whenever you leave this show, I am buying your album. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.” Jackson agrees with her, saying “it was too ordinary” for her.
Glover then ends the show with a powerful performance of “Somewhere” from West Side Story. Urban says, “Oh my goodness, what was that? What happened? How do you do that? What is that? This is what’s going to happen: If you want vote for Candice, dial the number on your screen. If you don’t want to vote for Candice, call your doctor, you probably don’t have a pulse.” Minaj then simply tells her, “Four words: See you next week.” Jackson also says, “She had one of the best vocals in Idol history. Guess what? She’s got another one.”
We also saw Iovine talk about each of the girls’ performances after each round. He says round one goes to Miller, round two goes to Harrison, and round three goes to Glover. He does add that with that last performance, Glover won the night.
Do you agree with Iovine that Glover won the night? Who do you think is going home on Thursday?