American Idol is back!
The whole gang — judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest — have returned to search for the next singing sensation.
Here’s a look at the night’s talent:
Haven Madison, 16: Accompanied by her dad on the piano, Haven sang her original song, titled “15,” for the judges and immediately blew them away with her talent, earning herself a ticket to Hollywood.
Lucy Love, 28: Second time was the charm for Lucy, who was given another chance to impress the judges after her audition of Marvin Gaye‘s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” fell flat. She redeemed herself and earned a golden ticket with Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.”
Lyric Medeiros, 21: The daughter of singer Glenn Medeiros had to prove she could bring some grit after playing it safe with Kelsea Ballerini‘s “Love Me Like You Mean It.” After some coaching from Katy and Luke, she was able to bring out the fierceness with Carrie Underwood‘s “Before He Cheats” and secure a ticket to Hollywood.
Michael Williams, 21: This Ohio native had the judges mesmerized with his audition of “Talking to the Moon” by Bruno Mars, so much so, that Katy even deemed him “Top 10” worthy and sent him through to Hollywood.
Megan Danielle: Megan got the surprise of a lifetime when, while singing Lauren Daigle‘s “You Say,” the Grammy winner and former Idol contestant appeared and joined her for a duet. After singing together, Megan was given a ticket to the next round of competition.
Tyson Venegas, 17: Tyson showed off his piano and vocal skills on Billy Joel‘s “New York State of Mind,” leaving the judges so impressed that they handed him the first platinum ticker of the season, which allows him to skip the first day of Hollywood week.
Kya Monee: A returning contestant, Kya was inspired to return to the competition by runner-up Willie Spence, who she was paired up with during duets week in season 4. She delivered an emotional performance of “I’m Here” from The Color Purple as a tribute to Spence, who died in a tragic car accident last year. She received a unanimous vote to go to Hollywood.
Other contestants who made it through to Hollywood include Zachariah Smith, William Guy Tongi, and Colin Stough.
It wouldn’t fully be American Idol if there wasn’t a bit of comedic relief, which viewers got in the form of a montage of singing hopefuls that bore the same first and last names as Katy, Luke, Lionel, and even Ryan. There was also a contestant who brought his bird with him to the audition.
American Idol airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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