‘American Idol’ Recap: 12 Hopefuls Perform Solos & 1 Earns An Emotional Hug From The Judges

‘American Idol’s 11th episode of the season is here and it’s full of more epic solo performances from the remaining 12 contestants. Find out how they did here!

American Idol is back with its 11th episode and we are super excited! 12 of the remaining contestants are all set to sing their hearts out in more solos that will hopefully earn them a spot in the Top 14. Radio host Bobby Bones is back to coach this second set of hopefuls and the three judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, are ready to decide the contestants’ near future musical fate.

Amelia Hammer Harris is up first. After Katy told her that she should show her personality more in her previous performance, she’s ready to hit the stage and express herself this time. She sings “Believer” by Imagine Dragons with a lot of passion in her voice and attitude in her demeanor. The judges tell her that they like her style and she should keep going with her talent. Garrett Jacobs is next. Bobby shows him a little bit of dance moves before he hits the stage to sing “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes. He strums his acoustic guitar while crooning the lyrics and gets the attention of some lucky ladies in the audience. Luke tells him that although he’s not the best singer on the stage, he’s a total heartthrob and he just needs to work on his voice a bit. Katy thinks he should let his voice flow when he sings instead of thinking about it too much.

Maddie Poppe talks about her fear of failing on stage while talking to Bobby. After he gives her some encouragement she’s ready to hit her vocals. Her song of choice is “Brand New Key” by Melanie and as she naturally flows throughout the song, the judges look impressed before she’s finished. Luke tells her that the song made him want to skip around and Katy thinks she’s infectious. Lionel tells her she has the right looks, sound and attitude and Maddie definitely looks pleased with her feedback. After host Ryan Seacrest points out that her dad, who is in the audience, was singing every word during her performance, he invites him up on stage to sing it. He amusingly forgets the words but gives it a good attempt and seems happy for his daughter.

Ada Vox is ready to make her move next. She sings “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone and shows off her vocal range with a powerful performance. Katy falls to her knees and tells her she’s here to win. Lionel thinks her talent is grand and Ryan talks about how after auditioning 13 times for the show, she didn’t give up. Ada leaves feeling pleased and grateful.

Caleb Lee Hutchinson is next and talks about his love for season 11 American Idol contestant and winner Scotty McCreery. Bobby surprises him when Scotty walks in the room to meet him. The former winner talks to Caleb about country music and tells him to just take a breather and he will do fine. Caleb goes on to sing “Die A Happy Man” Thomas Rhett while playing his acoustic guitar. Lionel is impressed by his voice and Luke tells him to keep delivering his style. Caleb ends the segment talking about how he lost 70 lbs by drinking water and taking walks and Katy loves him for it.

Effie Passero talks to Bobby about her struggles with her mom and gets emotional. He tells her to use her vulnerability to her advantage so others can relate. She then sings the rock song “Barracuda” by Heart and shoes off her talent with her amazing vocals. Luke tells her she deserves to be here because she’s one of the best singers in the competition. Katy sees stardust sprinkling all over her and advises her “just jump into it.” Lionel tells her to keep it going. 16-year-old Alyssa Raghu is next and she talks to Bobby about trying to own the stage. He then teaches her how do a walk off before she hits the stage to sing “Stay” by Rihanna. She’s clearly worked on her stage presence as she belts out the lyrics and interacts with the audience. Katy hilariously tells Luke to stay off her Raghu sauce before the country singer tells Alyssa she didn’t have him until tonight. Lionel talks about how she’s evolved since entering the competition. Alyssa leaves the performance being super excited that all three judges are now on her side.

Marcio Donaldson is next and talks to Bobby about how he’s terrible at social media. Bobby gives him a challenge to upload a profile picture and to post two pictures a day to let people in his life. He accepts and then goes on to sing “Inseparable” by Natalie Cole. His soulful voice leaves all three judges standing with applause. Lionel tells him that he knew the late Natalie and she was watching him sing that song which leaves the contestant in tears. Katy tells him that every song that he chooes to sing speaks to his soul and it’s so right for him. Luke calls him a survivor and all three judges are so touched by his talent and emotions that they walk over to him and embrace him with a hug.

Mara Justine is energetic around Bobby and they watch videos of her performing and flipping her hair. He tells her that he loves her passion but thinks she should scale it back just a bit so she chooses to sing “Run To You” by Whitney Houston. Her passion comes through with the powerful ballad and she surprises the judges with her wide vocal range. Luke is spellbound because she’s often shown them an edgy rambunctious side and this time it was different, which shows what she’s capable of.  Katy compares Mara’s energy to frosting on a cake and now that she’s baked the cake first with that performance she can put her cherry on top. Lionel tells her that unlike her previous performances with the hair flips and the moving around to the audience, she stood still with this performance and the audience went to her. She’s brought to tears and expresses her gratitude.

Jurnee is up to impress the judges next. Her song is “Flashlight” by Jessie J and she chose it because she wants to empower other women. She seems to ease through her incredible performance and the judges give her a standing ovation. Katy says “wow” and tells her she’s singing circles around everyone and her confidence is great but she wants her to sing something that brings her to her knees next time. Lionel thinks she’s talented beyond her age of 18. He tells her to give attitude on stage because she’s got it to give. Luke tells her to not make it looks so easy next time and Katy tells her to connect her head to her heart.

Shannon O’Hara talks to Bobby about her family’s financial struggles and her dad’s poor health and he tells her that at 17, she’s still just a kid so she doesn’t need to put too much pressure on herself. She bravely sings “All I Ask” by Adele and puts her own touch into the vocals. Lionel thinks she did a great job and Luke tells her that she’s always delivered up until that point. Katy likes her song choice and loves her versatility but she wants to see more identity and advises her to study her competitors so she can find out what makes her the most unique and to play off of that.

Ron Bultongez is the last performer of the night. Bobby tells him to show off his personality a bit more and smile. He admits his insecurity about having braces before he goes on to sing “Dancing On My Own” by Robyn. His emotional voice helps his passion shine through and the judges look touched. Luke thinks his performance was the best they ever heard him. Lionel agrees and reminds him of how far he has come. He tells him to keep it going. Katy thinks he has style and is intelligent but also thinks he still has some nerves and she wants him to remember they brought him back for a reason. They couldn’t forget him and she tells him to own it.

All 12 contestants will go on to perform duets with some superstar musicians and the top 12 will be chosen on Apr. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.