‘American Idol’ Hopefuls Sing for America’s Vote Hawaiian Style

The first batch of the Top 26 took the stage hoping to win America’s vote and continue on in the competition. Amid rresting on the beach with Mickey and Minnie, the contestants had to face judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.

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Elise Kristine

The 18-year-old chose to do “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. During rehearsal, Allen said her voice is awesome but feels like there should be more movement on stage. He wanted her to have fun with it

Oliver Steele The 25-year-old cited Allen as one of his musical heroes. Oliver added to the island atmosphere on “Better Together” by Jack Johnson. Allen’s advice was to pull in the audience. Katy thought it was a cool song choice with Jack being Hawaiian.

Matt Wilson The 21-year-old teacher’s aide told Allen he wanted to take on “Speechless” from Dan and Shay because it reminded him of his wedding day. Wife Melisa, his inspiration, was brought in for the rehearsal and a nice serenade. Allen said he thought Matt would shine if he continues to focus on who he is singing it for.

Kaeyra Kaeyra decided to put her spin on “Don’t Let Go (Love)” by En Vogue. Allen named it his favorite song choice out of all the contestants. His critique was to take a moment to step away from the mic stand. Lionel liked how the 21-year-old settled in and owned the song.

PJAE PJAE spoke about being raised in the basement of a gospel church. So no surprise he went with “Golden” by Jill Scott. It got him thinking about his own journey in music and weight loss. Allen encouraged the 23-year-old to give America a big note at the start.

Zachariah Smith The 19-year-old then brought the show and moves to the stage, which got the crowd and judges hyped. Luke and Lionel called him crazy in the best way.

Mariah Faith The 21-year-old hairstylist spoke about her love of Disney, so it was overwhelming to share the magic with her family. She decided upon “You Should Probably Leave” by Chris Stapleton. Allen’s advice was to sing it down a bit but called her an amazing spirit. Lionel said the rasp in the South Carolina girl’s voice is the signature of her success story.