It’s a big night for American Idol and its fans. We’re finally shifting from the audition portion of Season 22 to Hollywood Week. This week famously pushes the contestants to perform at their best. Hollywood Week is my favorite week of the competition because it highlights the contestants’ strengths. It also separates those who just cannot handle the pressure of Idol from those who thrive on it.
Additionally, we get to see the contestants sing new songs, perform in groups, and challenge themselves musically. It’s one of the first sneak peeks at how they’ll perform during the live shows. It also may be the last time we see some of the contestants on American Idol 2024. This season has had a strong start, so it’s exciting to see who will thrive and who will crumble during Hollywood Week.
It also marks the return of some of our favorites from the American Idol auditions. We’ll see some thrive and others fall before reaching the top 24 but it’ll be an interesting journey either way. By the end of this week, we’ll know the top 24 finalists. American Idol also teased a change in Hollywood Week format. It seems to be some sort of showdown-style round, similar to what we’ve seen on The Voice.
This week also kicks off two episodes airing a week. There is the episode airing tonight then another airing tomorrow night. That’s four hours of American Idol a week. That also means more American Idol recaps from us.
We’re in for an exciting Hollywood Week kick-off, so let’s start the recap.
Hollywood Week Day 1
The show starts with the Platinum winners singing “California Dreaming” just to show the other contestants their competition. The judges then tease that this is their biggest cut ever. Contestants will also be called randomly.
The first called is Triston Harper. He sings an original song called “Wrapped Up in Jesus.” Luke Bryan says he carries himself like someone older. Katy Perry says it’s good to go first to get it out the way.
The contestants won’t know if they made it until the end of the show.
We then see a few contestants singing, including Hailey Mia and Quintavious Johnson.
Emmy Russell talks about living in her grandmother’s, Loretta Lynn, shadow, but finding her own identity. She performs another original song called “Like That.” Katy says if Emmy makes it, she wants her to push her range. Jack Blocker feels he needs to prove something to the judges because he was originally cut, but the crew stuck up for him. However, he doesn’t plan to change his singing style. He says when he tried to change his facial expressions, his singing got worse. Jack sings “Your Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams. Luke tells him to stay true to himself.
Kayko sings his original song “What If?” about feeling like having imposter syndrome. We see how he joined the show after helping his friend audition. Luke says he’s glad he took a chance. His friend Abby Blake goes next. She sings “Vienna” by Billy Joel. Katy says the nerves got to her a little but it was a step up from her audition,
Jennifer Jeffries gets called next. She sings an original song called “You Were A Child” about her siblings struggling with mental health. Katy says it’s a little rough, dirty and not perfect but awesome. She tells her that she’s going to be a star. Nya sings “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin. Sisters Mia and Jacy Matthews are next. Jacy is called first. She sings “Up to the Mountains” by Patty Griffins. Luke says she is better than he remembers. He says this is an improvement from auditions. Mia sings “Mama’s Broken Heart” by Miranda Lambert. Lionel Richie says she came in swinging
KBlocks tells her story and how her father’s sudden death shocked her life. She sings “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. Katy calls her a star. She says she’s fun and a solid alto. She tells her to push herself. McKenna Faith Breinholt talks about the bond she has with her birth family now. She sings “When We Were Young.” by Adele. Luke says it was one of his favorites he’s seen all year.
Ajii sings “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lionel says that they never had an Ajii before. Madai Chakell sings “Tattooed Heart” by Ariana Grande. She stops her performance and starts over. She then decides to sing it acapella. She talks about not feeling 100 percent. Luke says it was shaky in some spots. She gets another chance to perform. There then is a segment on people who messed up during this round.
Kaibreanne “KB Richins sings “How Could You” by Jessie Murph. She breaks down while singing. They say she really channels her emotions in the song and they’re proud of her.
Ziggy arrived late because he had some problems with his visa. Will Moseley sings “Whiskey and You” by Chris Stapleton. Katy says he’s a real country singer. She tells him to lean more. Then there is a segment on how good this season of singers are. The segment shows Justice Murphy, Roman Collins, Mackenzie Sol, and Blake Proehl.
Kennedy Reid gets compliments for how she has transformed herself.
Ziggy talks about rebuilding his relationship with his father. He passed away in September of 2023. He sings “All I Want” by Kodaline to honor his father. Katy says he breaks judgments.
The judges have to cut 80 people.
Mia, Kayko, Quintavious, Triston, Will, MacKenzie, KBlock, Kennedy, Ziggy, Jack, Emmy, McKenna, and Jennifer are among the ones who stay. 56 make it to the next round.
Showstopper Round starts tomorrow and we’ll know the Top 24.
Join us tomorrow for another American Idol 2024 recap. Add us on Facebook and Twitter (formerly known as X for everything American Idol).