‘American Idol’ Recap: The Top 20 Is Revealed & Katy Perry Cries Over Epic Performances

The contestants who made ‘American Idol’s top 20 were announced throughout the 3-hour episode, and several performances had Katy Perry in tears.

The first person to make the American Idol top 20 is Emyrson Flora! She kicks things off in a strong way with her powerful performance of Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me.” Lionel Richie notes that Emyrson’s “stage presence is out of control.” Katy Perry admits that the 16-year-old is one of the “most talented” of the season, and Luke Bryan adds that Emyrson is a “superstar in the making.”

The next contestant to make it into the top 20 is Mike Parker. He stays on the country route with “Chasing After You” by Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd. Katy loves how “silky and smooth” Mike’s voice is. Lionel is a big fan of Mike’s “storyteller’s voice” and tells the singer that he’s “on fire.”

‘American Idol’ Top 20 Revealed

Tristen Gressett celebrates making it to the top 20 with his fun and lively performance of The Weeknd’s “Sacrifice.” Luke tells Tristen that he loves his energy, but that song put him “in a box vocally.” Sage dazzles the judges with her rendition of “Rihannon” by Stevie Nicks. Lionel raves that Sage did a “masterful job” of bringing her character to the stage. Luke commends Sage on her “great song choice” and “amazing vocals.”

Jay Copeland brings the heat with his sensational performance of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good.” Luke raves that Jay just “really solidified” why they gave him a Platinum Ticket. Lionel adds that Jay has really “lived up to that potential” the judges saw in him.

Nicolina Bozzo rightfully gets a spot in the top 20 and slays her rendition of “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks. The judges have nothing but praise for Nicolina, and Lionel notes that Nicolina has a “way of bringing the absolute peak of a song to its finality.” Jacob Moran’s name is called next. He sings Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing.” Lionel says that Jacob really showed his range but wants even more from him. Katy tells Jacob that he may be the “best singer in the competition” but doesn’t want to see any more fear from him.

HunterGirl Sings Original Song

After making the top 20, HunterGirl decides to take a risk with her original song “Heartbreak Down.” Luke raves that HunterGirl has a “magic sound” and then writes original songs to back it up. Lionel thinks HunterGirl is a total “natural” and gives her an A+ on her writing skills.

Elli Rowe showcases her unique voice with her performance of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.” Lionel tells Elli to “lean into who you are,” and Luke has so many great things to say about Elli’s “beautiful performance.” Dan Marshall takes the stage next to sing “Friends In Low Places” by Garth Brooks. “That’s as good as it gets,” Lionel says. Katy admits that Dan had the “best stage presence” of the night with that performance.

Ava Maybee switches things up with her performance of Demi Lovato’s “Anyone.” Luke appreciates Ava showing the judges a “different side” of herself with that “great performance on a very tough song.” Lionel adds that he respects Ava didn’t play it safe with her song choice.

Allegra Miles has a standout performance with her rendition of “Free Fallin'” by Tom Petty. Luke goes so far as to say that was his “favorite performance of the night so far.” Katy tells Allegra that she just “leveled up in such a massive way.”

Katy Perry Cries Over Two Performances

Noah Thompson sings a country version of “Falling” by Harry Styles. The judges are in love with Noah and his whole vibe. Luke notices that Noah is more confident than ever and “getting better and better” each week.

Leah Marlene gives her best performance yet with her stellar rendition of “Heal” by Tom Odell. Katy is completely stunned. Luke calls Leah’s performance “above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined.” Lionel continues the praise over Leah’s “crazy good” performance and says this group is the “strongest class ever.”

Christian Guardino wows with his performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Katy is brought to tears over Christian’s performance. “You just slayed that performance,” Luke tells Christian. “I didn’t hear anything but perfection.”

After his idol Phillip Phillips performs, Fritz Hager makes the top 20 and brings his A-game with his performance of “when the party’s over” by Billie Eilish. Lionel calls Fritz’s performance “stellar,” and Katy cries again over Fritz’s performance. Luke has some tears in his eyes as well and declares the performance “perfectly done.

And The Final Top 20 Contestants Are…

Katyrah Love slays her performance of “Dream” by Bishop Briggs. Katy loves seeing how effortlessly Katyrah can work the stage. Luke gushes over Katyrah’s “great energy” and equally “great performance.”

Cameron Whitcomb slows things down for a hot second with his rendition of “Changes” by Black Sabbath. He ends the performance with yet another backflip. Luke sees growth in Cameron’s performance, but Lionel wants to see Cameron slow down even more.

Cadence Baker shines with her rendition of “Train Wreck” by James Arthur. Katy believes this is one of Cadence’s best performances yet. Luke acknowledges that Cadence has struggled over the last few weeks, but this performance got her “back to that audition level and even better.”

The final singer to make the top 20 is… Lady K! She ends the night with a terrific performance of Rihanna’s “Love On The Brain.” Katy notes that Lady K’s talent keeps building and building.