The American Idol 2018 Top 14 will be singing for their lives this Sunday night with hopes of making it into the Top 10 on Monday night. Watch closely and you might see some of their biggest musical influences coming through.
Billboard recently released a “Get to Know the Contestants” article, and it included who each of the American Idol finalists listed as the artists who they listened to while getting into music. We thought that would be an interesting angle to take a closer look at, so we pulled those all together on one list, courtesy of Billboard.
Gabby Barrett: Whitney Houston, Etta James, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Carrie Underwood, Guns N’ Roses, KISS, Eagles
Jonny Brenns: Frank Sinatra, Khalid, Shawn Mendes
Marcio Donaldson: Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison
Cade Foehner: Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings
Caleb Lee Hutchinson: Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith
Garrett Jacobs: Chris Stapleton, Brandon Heath
Jurnee: Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Katy Perry
Mara Justine: Carole King, the Supremes, Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, P!nk, Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross
Dennis Lorenzo: Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Boyz II Men, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, a-ha, Pink Floyd, Toto, Yes
Maddie Poppe: Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor
Michelle Sussett: Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff, Belinda (Peregrín), Ha*Ash
Catie Turner: Stevie Nicks, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin
Michael Woodard: Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, James Brown, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Justin Bieber
Ada Vox: Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Selena, Eydie Gorme
I’m most impressed by Mara Justine’s list. It’s so diverse, so that helps explains why she seems to be able to adapt to any musical stylings thrown her way. I also think Cade’s favorites make perfect sense for the artist he is. Dennis’ list is also very interesting. I’d love to see him take on some AC/DC. That would be interesting for sure.
I do hope we see some of these contestants take on some of their favorite artists. There are definitely some good names on this list.