American Idol 2023 Top 12 Reveal POLL: Vote for your favorite contestant, Which singer was robbed?
Twenty performances in two hours on Monday night’s (April 24) American Idol 2023 Top 12 reveal show. Tensions were HIGH on the first live telecast of the season. (Read our Recap)
Each of the Top 20 singers prepared a performance, not knowing if they would have to sing for their lives or not. Most of the contestants played it safe, but with so much at stake, who could blame them. The night made for some exciting performances. The artists in danger were for the most part better than those who could relax knowing they made it to the next round.
Disappointments and triumphs
Sending home almost half the Top 20 meant disappointments were inevitable. Nailyah Serenity and Kaeyra were both tough losses. American Idol voters grade females on a higher curve than the guys, the judges used their save on two–Lucy Love and Nutsa. Lucy is an interesting singer. I’m not sure she’s going to make it far in the competition, but she deserved to advance after performing an original song Sunday night. Nutsa is talented, but both Nailyah and Kaeyra are better artists. Nutsa, however, brings the drama, so the judges saved her.
The best performances of the night: First Colin Stough advancing annoyed me, because he hadn’t lived up to the hype. But then he absolutely nailed a cover of Robyn’s Dancing on my Own. Singing along with only his acoustic guitar made the difference. But he can’t ditch the band every week. Marybeth Byrd, Paige Anne, Megan Danielle, Nailyah and Kaeyra were all pretty great. But overall, the performances were strong
So many country singers
Also, the judges didn’t need to save a country singer as nearly all of them from the Top 20 advanced (Mariah Faith was the exception). Six country or country adjacent singers advanced to the Top 10 (Colin Stough, Marybeth Byrd, Megan Danielle, Oliver Steele, Zachariah Smith, and Warren Peay). Although several of the country singers are soulful, only We Ani and Lucy Love are purely R&B vocalists. Haven Madison, Tyson Venegas and Nutsa sing pop. Iam Tongi is his own thing. A mixture of folk and reggae. If any singer can knock out one of the formidable country singers, it’s Iam. His streams and likes on social media are through the roof.
Adam Lambert mentors the Top 10
Get ready for Sunday (April 30) when fan favorite alum Adam Lambert mentors the Top 12 on Hall of Fame night. It’s the first Coast to Coast episode, airing at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Fans will vote through the episode. Voters will eliminate two singers by the end of the night to make a Top 10.
