The joyous ride had to come to an end, and it did: “American Idol” witnessed the presence of two talented singers from Alabama in its Top 10. However, the latest episode on Sunday narrowed it down to a Top 8, leaving only one of them in the competition.
Tristan Harper from McIntosh and Mia Matthews from Centre, along with the other participants, received coaching from the superstar Shania Twain. Let’s take a look at how the events unfolded and which contestants are still in the running to represent the state.
Mia Matthews
During the performance, Shania Twain encouraged Matthews to put her own spin on one of Twain’s songs and utilize her higher vocal range. Twain recognized Matthews’ potential and urged her not to shy away from showcasing her talent. “I could hear that she could reach those higher notes,” Twain remarked. “So why not embrace it? It comes naturally to you.”
During her performance, Matthews belted out the song “No One Needs to Know,” a lively and cheerful country hit that reached the top of the charts in 1996. It was evident that Matthews took to heart the advice she received from celebrity judge Katy Perry in the previous episode. Perry had encouraged her to be more energetic on stage. As a result, Matthews decided to leave her guitar behind and fully embrace the advice. With her increased body motion and stage presence, this performance was by far her most dynamic one yet.
Luke Bryan expressed, “We have eliminated the guitar, and now we have you moving around the stage, dancing. And I believe it is essential for you to feel at ease embodying various characters within the country genre.”
During the conversation, Katy Perry directed most of her comments towards Bryan. She reprimanded him for pointing out that Matthews had made a few mistakes with the lyrics. Addressing Matthews, she complimented him by saying, “You looked amazing, your performance was fantastic, and your stage presence was as if you were trying to impress someone. I hope he attends the upcoming shows.”
Lionel Richie expressed, “I noticed you were deep in thought during that song. But don’t worry, it’s all part of your growth. Awkward moments are bound to happen. And let me remind you, the audience didn’t come for the rehearsal, so people like Luke don’t need to point out your mistakes!”
Triston Harper
During a conversation, Shania Twain expressed her admiration for Triston Harper’s talent, stating, “I know it’s country, but you have a lot of soul. Your voice is amazing.” Twain also shared that she could relate to Harper’s difficult upbringing, as both of them had experienced displacement in their lives. She mentioned her own experiences living in battered women’s shelters and acknowledged the hardships that come with such circumstances. Twain saw a kindred spirit in Harper, recognizing his humble beginnings of performing for small earnings and his journey towards finding joy in his performances.
During his performance, Harper chose to sing “She’s Country,” a song that gained popularity when Jason Aldean released it in 2009. Similar to Matthews in the previous round, Harper received similar advice and it appeared that he took it to heart. His stage presence was more energetic and he moved around with greater enthusiasm.
Katy Perry praised the performance by saying, “That was a big, big star performance and you incorporated the notes from last week, thank you for being a student of this game.”
Luke Bryan humorously remarked, “You trying to out-gyrate me? Hey. Heavy lies the crown when you start that. Once you start it, it’s hard to make it go away.”
Lionel Richie exclaimed, “Did I just witness the Triston strut? Be careful now. Be careful. That was impressive.”
