American Idol Recap: Grace Leer Performs Faith Hill’s ‘Cry’ From Home

The word for 2020 is “unprecedented” and ABC’s American Idol stepped up in their own unprecedented way. With the threat of the coronavirus still high and most of the country adhering to shelter-at-home orders, the live rounds for season 18 took a hard left turn. Utilizing the best technology, host Ryan Seacrest, mentor Bobby Bones, coaches Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and the Top 20 contestants were all coming from their own living rooms, bedrooms, patios and garages.

Katy, dressed as a bottle of hand sanitizer, pointed out that each of the contestants had been sent the same gear in order to deliver the best possible performance — the same microphone, the same ring light – and they all had the same resources with music production. However, each contestant infused their own personality and vibe with personalized backdrops, lights and even family standing off camera with posters and applause. Many of the singers sang in bare feet while some of the young ladies had on sneakers with their dresses.

With the playing field as level as possible, the decision was turned over to America to select the Top 10 after hearing the Top 20 perform.

KIMMY GABRIELA – Lakeland, Florida

• Performed “Leave Me Lonely” by Ariana Grande featuring Macy Gray

KATY: “First and foremost, when you showed up on the screen, I didn’t even really recognize you. I feel like you’ve done a little character evolution since we’ve been apart. Your style, the way you looked into the camera at the end, I felt that you’re starting to know who you are and take it seriously.”

LUKE: “Kimmy, I kept waiting for the neighbors to peek over the fence, but great job. I tell you what I think is really impressive is how well you navigate the notes. Your falsettos into your full voice and even that low note at the end was done really perfectly. You’re a world class singer.”

JOVIN WEBB – Gonzales, Louisiana

• Performed “With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker

LIONEL: You have the instant identity. I know that’s you when you open your mouth. Of all the contestants on the show, I know you have that sound that is only yours on this show and you are delivering it with absolute feeling. You gave me what I wanted.”

KATY: “What’s so cool about this process is that I think every contestant gets sent the same stuff – you get the same mic, you have access to Chris Pooley, you get the same ring light, but not everybody sounds the same at the end. You’re in a garage, there is no ambiance, there is no reverb, you have got texture galore in your voice. You separated yourself even with all the same equipment.”

FRANKLIN BOONE – Durham, North Carolina

• Performed “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears

LIONEL: “You know Franklin, I love your voice. I love the way you just delivered it, the little attitude you gave me, but more importantly, you were true to yourself. Your look, your voice, your presentation was right on point.”

KATY: “You know how we’ve been talking about the ‘it factor,’ can you feel that through remote locations? You can feel it, it transcends. You either have it or you don’t. I think this is a great example of it.”

OLIVIA XIMINES – Manifee, California

• Performed “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish

LUKE: “I just love how you always bring the show. It’s so fun to see you dancing and having fun in your living room, and thanks for making me have fun in mine.”

LIONEL: “For 16-years-old, you have everything to be a superstar. I’m telling you, I love what you’re doing, congratulations, keep that going.”

LOUIS KNIGHT – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Performed “If the World Was Ending” by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels

LUKE: “What I loved about that performance – two things. Great song choice for you. It really gave us a clear glimpse of who you can be as an artist. You really, really gave a very, very artistic, beautiful performance. I have never been more proud of you than right now.”

LIONEL: “Your voice was stellar, your falsetto was absolutely incredible, the way you carried yourself with that. And the second part, that cry that you have in your voice, that cry that makes it believable was right on point. Loved it.”

MAKAYLA PHILLIPS – Temecula, California

• Performed: “Greedy” by Ariana Grande

KATY: “This situation that we’re in is so unique, but it also reminded me of what it was like to be at home and practicing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush. I mean, for a lot of us, that’s where we were starting and it just looked so natural for you. It was so cool. It made me really see myself in you. I thought the song was a good choice, I think there are other songs that you could really lean into or pull at the heartstrings of the people that are watching. I would just push yourself, as far as song choice, if you get to go to the Top 10.

LUKE: “I loved the youthfulness and the fun of the song. I really loved when you showed us the star power and your amazing vocals at the end of the song. You’ve got to remember, you make hard stuff look really, really easy, and you can never over-animate those big notes because you hit them so effortlessly.”

ALIANA JESTER – Tampa, Florida

• Performed: “Run to You” by Whitney Houston

KATY: “You put so much passion into it and you gave it incredible dynamics. I’d like to hear you lean into it a little more because I know you can. I’m so glad you chose that song.”

LIONEL: “Not too many people can say, ‘I’m going to do a Whitney Houston song,’ and not only pull it off, but turn it into your own song. Honestly, I almost forgot at one point about Whitney and just started watching your performance. I am really so proud of you.”

FAITH BECNEL – Destrehan, Louisiana

• Performed “River” by Bishop Briggs

LUKE: “Little Miss Personality just showed us she can hit some big time notes. We’ve heard that song done many, many and that was my favorite rendition of that song. I loved it.”

KATY: “We’ve talked about your vibrato being too present and I think that was the first performance I really heard that note stick. I’ve never heard you belt like that in a song.”

NICK MERICO – Woodland Hills, California

• Performed “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White Ts

LUKE: “I would have loved to see you dig in a little bit more, but I really think it was a big step stripping it down with just you and the piano. And it was nice to see you have the whole moment on piano.”

KATY: “I got to actually hear the subtleties of your voice and how beautiful it is, and I don’t know if that’s because we are in a more intimate setting, but I thought that was one of your better performances.”

LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH – Vancouver Island

• Performed “Mamma Knows Best” by Jessie J

KATY: “You sound so great and it’s incredible. You’re growing during a quarantine. You, somehow, have figured out how to continue to grow as a star and that’s really impressive. You sound great and you look great.”

LUKE: “Lauren, your voice gets better and better and better. When we’re in the studio filming Idol regularly, there’s so many fans and crowds, we sometimes miss the nuances in your voice, but your voice is amazing.”

CYNIAH ELISE – Atlanta, Georgia

• Performed “Warrior” by Demi Lovato

LUKE: “I think that you’re one of the best singers in the competition, but we still have to focus on really, really making people connect with what you’re doing. That was a great song choice and you’re certainly growing. The sky’s the limit, girl.”

LIONEL: “You make it look so effortless, I’m kind of envious of the fact, you’re just going anywhere you want to go. You have the voice of life.”

FRANCISCO MARTIN – San Francisco, California

• Performed “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry

KATY: “What a dice roll to do that song. Good for you because it really works. I thought it was really beautiful at the beginning. That one note that you hit was amazing and then it was all the way uphill. I would have liked to have seen you come down a little bit and bring it back to that sultry ‘Teenage Dream’ subtle part, but that’s just me being overly critical of a song I’ve sang tens of thousands of times. But you did it real justice.”

LUKE: “I was nervous. I was like, ‘Please do not let this kid cover a Katy song and mess it up’ and you didn’t. You made it you and you had the magic. You have the magic.”

SOPHIA JAMES (formerly known as Sophia Wackerman) – Long Beach, California

• Performed “Burning” by Maggie Rogers

KATY: “You’re just so talented and it was so pleasing to hear. And a wood-burning fire behind you? Ambiance, ambiance.”

LIONEL: “Sophia James, I think you’re learning your looks now. When you look into that camera, you can melt hearts right away. I saw a couple of times you looked right into the camera and it dissolved, it killed us. And, of course, your voice – you hit one note there that was so ridiculous, I don’t even know what that note was.”

DEWAYNE CROCKER JR. – Pensacola, Florida

• Performed “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown

LUKE: “Man, a really, really impressive run at the end. I must say, when you’re doing a James Brown, you kinda want to hear a little more gravel. It was a little too slick for me, but the end note showed us so much talent. I’m really glad you did the end run.”

KATY: “Doing this James Brown song, he goes on stage after drinking a ton of whisky, he’s got that growl and that grit, so I think you’ve got a really good voice, but it needed to be a little bit dirtier for me to connect emotionally. But I thought it was really amazing to see your family dancing in the background.”

DILLON JAMES – Bakersfield, California

• Performed: “Let It Be Me” by Ray Lamontange

LIONEL: “I must tell you something. Your look, your sound your attitude, your presentation, you look like a world class artist. That performance right there was totally believable to the point I had to go back and say, ‘How many records has he had so far.’  You’ve got the look, you’ve got the sound.”

KATY: “Gabby Barrett just had a number-one country song last week from American Idol and she didn’t even win the show. If you get to be Top 10, that could be your future next year. It’s all what you make of it. Your dreams are in your hands at this point. I thought you did really great though.”

ARTHUR GUNN – Wichita, Kansas

• Performed “Lovin’ Machine” by Wynonie Harris

KATY: “From the beginning of that performance, you’re definitely giving us such a vibe. One thing to keep in mind, try to connect with your eyes and look at the camera like we’re right there in front of you. That’s going to be your advantage.”

LUKE: “What is undeniable is your vocal quality and your vocal sound and your natural ability. And once you really start understanding how, potentially, ginormous of a star you could be, it’s going to be like a wildfire. Great job.”

JULIA GARGANO – Staten Island, New York

Performed “Human” by Christina Perri

LIONEL: “We have a lot of singers in the world, very few stylists. Stylists make careers. That was an amazing performance in your style. You stay right in your wheelhouse and you deliver the goods as yourself. You did your job. I just loved every minute of it.”

KATY: “I’ve been such a big believer in you from the moment you arrived singing your original song, ‘Growing Pains.’ You check all the boxes. I love that you played in your socks. Way to deliver a beautiful performance.”

GRACE LEER – Nashville, Tennessee

Performed “Cry” by Faith Hill

LIONEL: “We’re not finding singers, we’re discovering true artists. And Grace, I’m just so proud of the fact that you rose to the occasion and, I’m telling you, I felt every bit of it.”

KATY: “You rode that bull real well. You really played with those dynamics. I loved how big it got at the end. And I think that you’ve got a lot of the boxes checked to be a big country star. I think it’s going to be up to America to make it and then to see what you do with that.”

JUST SAM – Harlem, New York

Performed “I Believe” by Fantasia

LUKE: “You own every aspect of your range from the top to the bottom. And you have grown your confidence. This is what this show is about – giving somebody a chance and seeing how much a chance can change them, and you’re that person for me right now.”

LIONEL: “If there’s ever been an inspirational figure in this whole group. It’s not where you come from, it’s where you want to go. And you have let nothing stand in your way. It’s such a pleasure to watch.”

JONNY WEST – Murrieta, California

Performed “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong

LUKE: “I heard ten deviations of a music career right there. You can take your career wherever you want to take it. But man, I heard Randy Newman in there, I heard movie soundtracks, I heard so many things. Just don’t stop your music journey no matter what happens. Please.”

KATY: “It was so moving, it was so emotional. I think if the show continues to film from home for the rest of the show, it’s kind of in your advantage because you can play your subtleties and it’s so beautiful to hear these subtleties coming from your voice. Top two favorite performances today.”

When American Idol returns next week, the Top 10 singers will again compete from home with songs that are about home.