American Idol 2026 Top 20: Braden Rumfelt’s Vocals Have Everyone in Awe in Hawaii
American Idol Season 24 voting rounds began on Monday (March 16) with the first half of the Top 20 taking the Disney Aulani stage in Hawaii. Singer and actress, Keke Palmer, and country singer, Brad Paisley mentored the contestants. Keke also joined the judges table. The Top 20 are vying for a spot in the Top 14, and there were a few standouts of the night. One, Braden Rumfelt, I am ready to declare the best vocalist of the season. Yes, I know, that’s a bold statement.
The Murphy, North Carolina native, who gave the penultimate performance of the night, told Brad and Keke that he has been singing since he was able to speak. Keke and him relate to each other as pastors’ kids. He chose a song that his girlfriend suggested, “Love On The Brain” by Rihanna. Keke is stunned the moment he opens his mouth due to his powerful, soulful sound. Braden asks about stage movement, and Brad responds, “You don’t have to worry about anything you are doing,” because he has that special of a voice. Braden also speaks with his twin brother Kellen who is super supportive of his journey. He has accompanied him for both the audition round and the Ohana round.
Some of his vocal choices remind me of Season 15 winner Trent Harmon
From the opening note, Braden brings it with some serious vocal chops. I’m picky on this song too as it is an all-time favorite of mine, but Braden kills it, from building dynamics, hitting the adlibs with finesse, and overall, just bringing soul. He even shows some soft stuff to build the ending which for me was a new side of him. I think where he will truly shine is when he takes on something unexpected like a rock song or a jazz standard because he has the vocal chops to do it all. Some of his vocal choices remind me of Season 15 winner Trent Harmon, and that’s huge props as Trent is a great vocalist.
“You just have an incredible voice”
Carrie Underwood tells Braden, “You just have an incredible voice, and you have like this ‘aw shucks’ thing about you that just makes people like you.” Luke Bryan says when he starts singing it makes you go “woah”, and he wants him to “get some swagger.” Lionel Richie jokes about ancestry.com that Braden isn’t who he say he is. He added, “That was so soulful it scared me to death”. Keke tells him, “I loved watching you in your flow state”, calling it “golden.” She can see his passion for music.
Braden gave one of the standout performances of the night, but there were a few others that had me in awe too. Kyndal continues to deliver artistic emotive performances, and she did that once again with “Call Your Mom” by Noah Kahan. Brooks Rosser, although not his best vocal, had a vulnerable emotional performance on “Dancing On His Own” that was a moment for him. And although not talked about a lot, I thought Genevieve Heyward pulled off “Pink Pony Club”, after seeing quite a few lacking Chappell Roan covers in recent years on competition shows. She brought both grit and stage presence and some rock vocals to the song.
