‘American Idol’ Live Blog: Who Will Make the Top 5 After Taylor Swift Night?

The Top 7 celebrated Taylor Swift on the April 27 episode of American Idol. The remaining contestants all sang songs from Swift’s catalogue, and also saluted California’s biggest artists throughout the night.

Nikki Glaser joined the judges’ panel alongside Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie to give the artists commentary and critiques. However, the power was in the hands of the viewers, who got to vote for their favorites over the course of the live episode.

At the end of the night, the two singers with the lowest amount of votes will be eliminated, leaving just five contestants to move on to next week. Scroll down for live updates of the performances and check back at the end of the show to find out who’s going home and who’s heading to the Top 5!

Jordan McCullough

Jordan McCullough kicked off the night by performing Swift’s first-ever single “Tim McGraw” from her debut album, released 20 years ago in 2006.

ABC

“That is the way to put barbecue sauce on Taylor Swift,” Richie began. “I am telling you, that was so well done. You put the curls in, I just love that. I can’t even hit that note. I loved everything you did.”

Underwood applauded the fact that Jordan sounds “beautiful on everything” he sings, and Glaser gushed, “I am so grateful I just got to hear you sing live. It feels like a real privilege to listen to you.”

Chris Tungseth

Chris Tungseth chose to sing Swift and Bon Iver’s collaboration “Exile,” which is on her 2020 album Folklore.

ABC

Underwood commented on the “tender quality” of Chris’ voice. “I think you picked a really great song to showcase that,” she added, while Glaser said she got goosebumps throughout the entire performance.

“I love that you were really locked in on that. You had me focused and locked in,” Bryan raved. “I loved your character, the way you delivered the song, you had your own imagery and character that you created.” Finally, Richie said it was one of his favorite performances of Chris’ from the entire season and said the delivery was “spot on.”

Hannah Harper

Hannah Harper took things back to Speak Now to perform Swift’s Grammy-winning hit “Mean.” And she even broke out the banjo for her performance!

ABC

Glaser praised Hannah for her song choice after dealing with criticism for her performance two weeks ago. Bryan said Hannah is “being authentically you” and agreed that the song choice was “great.”

Richie added, “This is how you do it. You’re true to yourself. You don’t come out as a gimmick. You come out true to who you are,” and Underwood said she “loved everything about this performance,” from the look to the banjo and more.

Brooks Rosser

Brooks Rosser honored Swift’s Fearless era with a performance of “Love Story.” Considering he launched his own love story on the show just last week, this was the perfect song for the night!

ABC

“I just love hearing your interpretation of that,” Bryan raved, but also advised, “Just force yourself to always give more energy. You took that energy up there at the end, but I just wanted a little more.”

Richie said he’s “enjoying” seeing Brooks “having a great time” on stage. “Your voice is so unique. The storyteller part of that voice you have is so fitting for the song you just did,” he continued, but also gave some advice on how to “give some attitude” in his performances.

Underwood made sure to let Brooks know that everyone “loves him,” but urged him to “just breathe” so he’s not trying to catch up with his songs moving forward. “I know it will just come with time, but just breathe and sync into it and let it come out of you,” she shared.

Daniel Stallworth

The Taylor Swift celebration continued with a performance from Daniel Stallworth, who sang “Fearless” with his own gospel twist.

ABC

“What I love about you is that you walk out on this stage … and you picked the right song, you are fearless, man, when you walk out,” Richie gushed. “You not only sing, you perform. The crowd is right there with you.”

Underwood praised Daniel for putting his own stamp on the theme, and Glaser added, “You brought something totally different to it. I just had the best time watching you.”

Keyla Richardson

For her Taylor Swift performance, Keyla Richardson sang “Lover,” another title track. “We do not ever have to worry about you,” Underwood admitted. “We just get to sit back and watch you perform. Your melodic choices … you impress me every single week.”

Glaser said she couldn’t even recognize the song because Keyla “brought something new to it I didn’t even know could be brought to it!” She also applauded her for making it “look so easy” when she’s on stage. “I’m honestly speechless,” she added.

Meanwhile, Bryan raved over Keyla’s confidence. “It’s become kind of your thing,” he said. “To watch you, week after week, get even more confidence and deliver that message … everything is channeling perfectly for you. So proud of you.”

Braden Rumfelt

The final performance from the first round was from Braden Rumfelt, who sang “Cardigan” from Folklore.

ABC

Glaser told Braden he “ate that song,” despite not knowing it before he chose it to sing on the show. “You took me there with the music. It was really, really beautiful,” she confirmed.

Bryan said it was his “favorite thing” he’s seen Braden do in the entire competition so far. “You totally took me on the emotional journey of that song. I loved it, man,” he raved.

Keep refreshing throughout the episode because we’ll be updating with live updates from the show…

American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c

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