Dim the lights! American Idol celebrates Easter when the Top 20 are revealed on Sunday, April 20. Each contestant will perform a song of faith, but four unlucky hopefuls will be eliminated based on last week’s vote. Adding to the celebration, judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan take the stage as voting continues.
The “Songs of Faith” episode of American Idol airs live coast-to-coast at 8p.m. ET/5p.m. PT. The night will feature uplifting performances from Grammy winner CeCe Winans alongside Idol alum Roman Collins, American Idol‘s artist in residence Jelly Roll, acclaimed Christian artist Brandon Lake, and The Brown Four. Viewers can vote after the show, helping determine which finalists advance to the Top 14 on Monday, April 21. Follow along with our live blog below — and vote for your favorite in our poll once the entire Top 20 has performed!
8:00 p.m. — Previously, on American Idol: The Top 24 finalists were divided into two groups of 12 and — for the first time — performed for America’s vote from Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa in Hawaii. At the end of Night 1, Slater Nalley, Jamal Roberts, and Breanna Nix won Gold Derby’s poll as your favorite performers. At the end of Night 2, Thunderstorm Artis, John Foster, and Mattie Pruitt were voted the top singers. Based on the same polling, Gold Derby predicts the four artists eliminated tonight will be Ché, Penny Samar, Kyana Fanene, and Desmond Roberts. Let’s get started!
8:05 p.m. — Lionel opened up the show singing “Eternity” with the Top 24 singing backup. Next, Ryan wished everyone a “Happy Easter ” before the competition got started. One-at-a-time, the Top 20 were announced and performed their own inspirational anthem. See the order they were called below.
Canaan James Hill
Age: 17
Hometown: Dallas
Performance: “Better Days” by Le’Andria Johnson
Carrie’s comments: “You understood the assignment. This is definitely your wheelhouse.”
Lionel’s comments: “That was a performance to be remembered for a very long time.”
Luke’s comments: “I have not heard a voice like yours. Make it look a little harder, please.”
Drew Ryn
Age: 28
Hometown: Chino Valley, Ariz.
Performance: “Yellow” by Coldplay
Carrie’s comments: “I love that you took the theme and found something that was unconventional. Solid performance.”
Lionel’s comments: “You made that song so much yours. Your deliver was 100 percent you. I love what you just did.”
Luke’s comments: “You’re our diamond in the rough. You keep surprising us.”
Desmond Roberts
Age: 26
Hometown: Corona, Calif.
Performance: “Worship” by Jon Batiste
Carrie’s comments: “That song had a lot of switching gears. You sang the heck out of it.”
Lionel’s comments: “I don’t know what register you sing in, but if there’s a ‘Z flat’ — it was amazing.”
Luke’s comments: “I don’t know how I’m supposed to judge that. So many tools and tricks in your bag.”
Filo
Age: 23
Hometown: Dublin, Calif.
Performance: “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel
Carrie’s comments: “You went from zero to a million in a short timeframe.”
Lionel’s comments: “You aced it. You took it from a whisper to a crescendo that was unbelievable.”
Luke’s comments: “That got back to your original audition. It felt theatrical in the right way.”
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