The Australian Idol’s Live Shows continued tonight as the all-star judges selected one song for each of our Top 10 to perform.
Picking from the judges’ shortlist, the contestants rose to the challenge while the judges flexed their competitive edge, tallying their successful song selections.
Placing in the bottom four last week, Noora H, 28, proved her place in the competition with a dazzling performance of The Voice Within by Christina Aguilera. Judges Kyle Sandilands, Meghan Trainor, Amy Shark and Harry Connick Jr were left in awe by her astonishing performance, with Meghan stating it was her favourite performance of the competition. All judges agreed to award Noora the save, advancing her to next week’s Top 8 show.
Rose farmer Josh Hannan, 21, moved the audience by singing Forget Me by Lewis Capaldi. Amy commended the Victorian for being consistently amazing, echoing Kyle’s comments that Josh was “radio ready”.
Far North Queensland student Royston Sagigi-Baira, 23, showed his vulnerable side performing I Won’t Let You Go by James Morrison, a song he sang at his mother’s funeral. After receiving a standing ovation, all judges applauded Royston for showing a raw and vulnerable side to his artistry. There was not a dry eye in the house when Ricki-Lee also revealed that Royston’s brother Richard had flown down for the show, surprising him in the audience.
The recipient of last week’s judges save, high school student Phoebe Stewart, 15, returned to the stage with a mesmerising, stripped-back rendition of ABBA’s Dancing Queen. Kyle exclaimed Phoebe’s performance was so good that the judges might as well crown her the winner of Australian Idol now.
The pressure of the competition proved too much for Western Australia’s Sash Seabourne, 25, as he performed Phil Collin’s classic In The Air Tonight. Meghan and Amy labelled his performance pitchy and underwhelming. Student Angelina Curtis, 15, was also off her game as she put a funk twist on Harry Style’s hit As It Was. The judges critiqued Angelina’s stage presence, noting she looked uncomfortable stepping away from the piano.
Proving he is a rock star in the making, Brisbane’s Ben Sheehy, 24, performed Beggin’ by Måneskin. While Ben nailed the vocals, both Harry and Kyle critiqued his performance skills, Kyle likening his off-beat dancing to an awkward artificial intelligence cyborg.
Harry Hayden, 18, was in the firing line again this week after singing Sam Sparro’s Black and Gold. Harry Connick Jr said he seemed crippled with nerves, while Kyle served up some home truths, stating Harry’s skill level wasn’t good enough for the competition.
Meghan proved victorious in the judges’ song choice competition, totalling four songs over Harry’s three, Amy’s two and Kyle’s one.
Tomorrow night on Australian Idol: Voting is now open! Australia decides which artists will proceed to the next round of the competition and American Idol mega-star Adam Lambert performs live on the Idol stage.
