Key Points
The top 3 finalists on American Idol season 24 are Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, and Keyla Richardson.
The “Grand Finale” on Monday, May 11, will determine which of them has won a recording contract and a cash prize.
Judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan have repeatedly said this season’s competition is fierce.
This is the American Idol finale!
Tonight, finalists Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, and Keyla Richardson are set to take the stage for the final time as contestants. Fans will vote live during the episode to determine which of them walks away with the crown in season 24.
But before they give the most important performances of their lives, here’s a closer look at the three singers still standing in the competition.
Hannah Harper
Hannah Harper was beloved by the judges from the moment she auditioned with “String Cheese,” an original song penned by the 25-year-old mother of three about postpartum depression. It even moved Carrie Underwood to tears.
“Well,” Underwood said, “that’s about the most relatable song I think I’ve ever heard.”
Fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie were also fans from the start.
Bryan told Harper he heard traces of Kacey Musgraves and Allison Krauss in her voice. Underwood compared her to Dolly Parton.
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.
The church singer from Willow Springs, Mo., won over viewers, too, as the song became one of the most-viewed clips in the show’s history.
Harper explained that, when she was a kid her family traveled for seven years in a bus, singing for the Lord with banjos in hand.
On American Idol, she covered songs such as “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, “Almost There” from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, and Jo Dee Messina’s “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” She also delivered a memorable rendition of Peggy Lee’s “Fever.”
Jordan McCullough
Like Harper, McCullough is used to singing in churches. The 27-year-old from Murfreesboro, Tenn., works as a worship director.
While he auditioned for another music competition show, The Voice, in 2019, it was on Idol that he won raves.
Idol alum Jennifer Hudson, who was a guest judge on Disney Night, was particularly enamored with his take on “Colors of the Wind” from the animated 1995 film Pocahontas. She threw not one but two shoes, much to his amusement.
“I’m not going to lie, that was one of my goals going into Disney Night,” he told TVLine this month. “I wanted to honor the song in the moment, but I also knew Jennifer Hudson was there, and I know what she’s all about — so my goal was definitely having a shoe being thrown at me. I was not thinking she was going to throw two! That’s such a big honor. I felt like I won the night in that moment.”
He later wowed the judges and audience with performances of MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine,” Queen’s “Somebody to Love,” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
Keyla Richardson
The most important thing to know about Richardson, besides that she has an amazing voice, is that her young son, Drew, is adorable. He’s been cheering on the 29-year-old from Pensacola, Fla., throughout the season.
One of her standout moments on the show saw her working with guest mentors Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley in March. Richardson was rehearsing her take on the Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends” when Paisley told the cameras, “Oh, this is the perfect singer.”
Richardson’s voice even moved Palmer to tears.
When she performed live, Richie said Richardson had a “Janis Joplin-sounding, Tina Turner-sounding” voice.
“I don’t know who you are. But that right there was the greatest performance I have ever seen on this stage,” Richie said. “That was ridiculous.”
Palmer said the music teacher reminded her of Fantasia Barrino, who won American Idol in 2004.
Bryan drew laughs when he jokingly asked if Richardson recalled him giving her singing lessons during her audition.
“Why did you let me do that?” he said. “You were just being kind to me. Thank you for allowing me that time, but I hereby relinquish my vocal lessons to you.”
She’s also showcased her pipes on songs such as “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz, and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder.
The American Idol finale airs Monday, May 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
