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UPDATE: See which Alabama contestants made it through competitive Hollywood Week on American Idol
*Cue American Idol theme song* After seeing our Alabama representatives nail their auditions, we were on the edge of our seats to see if they would make it to the next round. Although only two Alabama natives got their performances televised, all four are still in the running to be the next American Idol. Keep reading for all the details.
Welcome to Hollywood Week
For these next American Idol hopefuls, getting a golden ticket at the audition is just the beginning.
In the first elimination round, Hollywood Week, contestants must pick a genre + song that they feel represents them the most and perform live in front of the judges. The six genres to choose from are indie-folk, pop, rock, R&B, soul and country.
Both of our televised Alabama performers, Tristen Gressett of Pell City and Cadence Baker of Muscle Shoals, chose soul as their genre.
Hollywood Week moves pretty fast, so we get a much shorter performance + TV appearance from each contestant.
Before their performances, the contestants are mentored by the experts—previous American Idol winners and finalists. Cadence and Tristen got advice from 3rd place finalist Haley Reinhart.
Cadence Baker and Tristen Gressett
Without her dad by her side, Cadence was much more nervous to take the stage. When she stepped in front of the judges, Katy Perry mentioned that she looked like she’d been crying.
Cadence revealed that she wasn’t used to being in a big city like LA and was missing her family back home. After a quick Facetime with her dad, she was feeling ready to perform and sang a cover of First Heartbreak by Tori Kelly.
Her strong vocals shined, but the judges remarked that she may have picked the wrong song to sing.
Before Tristen Gressett graced the stage, Luke Bryan said, “We beat this next guy up pretty good.”
If you recall at his audition, the judges were a little taken aback by Tristen’s rambunctious spirit, advising him to dial everything back so his talent shines through. Mentor Haley Reinhart, former American Idol finalist, gave him similar advice, saying “You’ve obviously got some quirk in you, but maybe make them wait a second, give them your voice, and then trickle in those beautiful, unique parts of you.”
He sang a cover of Try Me by James Brown and His Famous Flames. It was clear that Tristen got the message, his performance was much more laid back and it impressed the judges.
Both Tristen and Cadence were declared safe and will move on to the next round.
Lady K and Tyler Allen
Lady K from Montgomery and Tyler Allen from Mobile were not televised this week, but they did make it through to the next challenge—duets.
Next week, each singer will be paired with another contestant to see who will move on to the next round.
Tyler announced on Facebook that he made it to the next round despite being absent from last week’s episode, to the relief of his many supporters.
Hopefully, we’ll get to see more screen time for the incredible voices of Lady K and Tyler Allen in the next episode this Sunday, April 3rd!
American Idol airs every Sunday at 7PM C.T on ABC.
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