L-R: Finalists Alejandro Aranda, Madison VanDenburg and Laine Hardy; ABC/Eric McCandless(LOS ANGELES) — We’re one step closer to crowning this season’s American Idol.
On Sunday night’s penultimate episode, the remaining five contestants performed three songs each. The first was a song chosen by season-long mentor Bobby Bones; the second was an Elton John song in honor of the upcoming Rocketman movie; and the third was a song dedicated to the contestants’ personal heroes.
At the end of the night, America picked its top three: Laine Hardy, Madison VanDenburg and Alejandro Aranda are going to next week’s finale. That means that we had to say goodbye to Wade Cota and Laci Kaye Booth, the latter of whom the judges saved from elimination last week.
In a nail-biting moment, Alejandro was the last person announced for the top three — and it would have been criminal had he not made it. All three of his performances Sunday night were standouts, as he transitioned seamlessly from guitar to piano, and from classic hit to original song. Lionel Richie called Alejandro a “diamond” and a “phenomenon,” and Luke Bryan predicted he would “change music.”
Laine also delivered some his best vocals of the competition, while Madison hit notes the judges had never heard from her before.
Tune in next week for the American Idol season finale at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, to see which of the top three will take the title.
Here’s what the contestants performed last night:
Alejandro Aranda
“No Woman No Cry” — Bob Marley
“Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” — Elton John
“Blesser” — original song (dedicated to his musical mentor)
Laine Hardy
“Can’t You See” — Marshall Tucker Band
“Something About the Way You Look Tonight” — Elton John
“Hey Jude” — The Beatles (dedicated to his brother)
Madison VanDenburg
“What About Us” — Pink
“Your Song” — Elton John
“Make You Feel My Love” — Bob Dylan (dedicated to her mom)
Wade Cota
“You Are the Best Thing” — Ray LaMontagne
“Rocketman” — Elton John
“Hard Luck Woman” — KISS (dedicated to his mom and stepdad)
Laci Kaye Booth
“The House That Built Me” — Miranda Lambert
“Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” — Elton John
“Dreams” — Fleetwood Mac (dedicated to her grandma)
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