Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Mara Justine during the pre-taped Top 24 semifinals on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

The semifinals kick off Sunday night on American Idol.

So it’s time to run down the performers we’ll be hearing from over the next two weeks.

And take a look at how young the Top 12 ladies are. Eight are still in their teens. Six are still in high school.

Does that mean the veterans of the group — Amelia Hammer Harris and Effie Passero — have an edge.

After hearing Alyssa Raghu and Mara Justine — and listening to Catie Turner’s original — I wouldn’t be so sure.

Here’s how the next two weeks will work. Each Sunday episode will feature solo performances by 12 of the Top 24.

Each Monday episode will feature celebrity duets.

More on the celebrities later. Now, let’s take a look at the Top 12 Idol ladies.

Sunday’s semifinal opening show will feature performances by Catie Tuner, Michelle Sussett, Kay Kay Alexis, Gabby Barrett and Layla Springs.

Alyssa Raghu, 15, Orlando, Fla., high school student

You’ll remember her as: The teenager who told Idol her parents divorced when she was young and her dad has become the biggest supporter of her musical aspirations.
Released music: No
Assessment: Every time I’ve heard this young woman, I’ve thought, ‘Wow, what a voice!” And she’s only 15! My only complaint: We didn’t get to hear her final Hollywood or showcase solos.

Amelia Hammer Harris, 26, Lexington, Kentucky, musician

You’ll remember her as: She’s the daughter of Jack Hammer, who wrote “Great Balls of Fire.” Amelia says she didn’t meet her dad until she was 16. He passed away in April 2016.
Released music: It doesn’t appear so.
Assessment: Amelia was certainly impressive covering “Gimme Shelter” in her blind audition. And she has an experience edge among this youthful group of Idol ladies. She’s been performing around L.A. for several years.

Catie Turner, 17, Langhorne, Pa., high school student

You might remember her as: The young woman who makes great TV because of her exuberant personality. She was also the very first contestant we met on ABC’s Idol revival.
Released music: She released a six-song EP called “Teen Angst” in 2015, but it doesn’t appear to be available now.
Assessment: Don’t forget that there’s a talented musician behind all that personality. She’s performed two originals on the show already — “21st Century Machine” and “Pity” — and impressed both times. Oh, and her blind audition has been viewed 2.5 million times.

Effie Passero, 26, Modesto, Calif., assistant property manager

You might remember her as: The only Top 24 contestant with a mohawk. But no one is going to confuse her with the second coming of Sanjaya Malakar.
Released music: It doesn’t appear so.
Assessment: She auditioned with an original, “Troubled Mind,” and her originals on Soundcloud are among my favorites from the Season 16 cast. Just check out “Oregon Air.”

Gabby Barrett, 17, Pittsburgh, Pa., high school student

You might remember her as: The Carrie Underwood fan who punked her dad by pretending to be upset because she didn’t get a golden ticket. Of course, she had.
Released music: My, yes. She released 12 singles — a combination of originals and covers — in 2017 alone. And she’s recently released two new singles, “Young Blood” and “Jesus and My Momma.” Current contestants releasing new music was forbidden in Idol’s old days.
Assessment: She identifies herself as a pop-country singers, but the wide range of music Gabby has released indicates a versatility that might come in very handy on Idol. Her covers range from “Jolene” to “Bibi Bibi Bom Bom” (Selena) to “Ave Marie.”

Jurnee, 18, of Denver, Col., hostess

You might remember her as: Yep, Jurnee is her real name — she auditioned for Season 15 as Jurnee Manley — and her wife, Ashley, is a soldier in the U.S. Army.
Released music: No.
Assessment: This young lady has one hell of a voice. She blew the judges away with her audition (“Rise Up”) and might have been even better in the showcase round (covering “Never Enough” by former Voice contestant Loren Allred).

Kay Kay Alexis, 17, Nashua, N.H., high school student

You might remember her as: You might not. I don’t believe we were even introduced to her during the audition shows.
Released music: No.
Assessment: We’ve seen so little of Kay Kay, it’s hard to determine how she matches up with the rest of the field. But she’s been pursuing music for a long time having appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and Maury (Povich) and performing in the “Lion King” in Vegas for two years as a child.

Layla Springs, 16, Marion County, Kentucky, high school student

You might remember her as: She’s the young lady from the “heart of Kentucky” who took her adorable younger sister Dyxie, age 7, into the audition room to perform for the judges.
Released music: No.
Assessment: Luke Bryan calls her “a little star,” and he won’t get an argument from me following that spunky performance of “Proud Mary” during the showcase round. And in spite of her twang her repertoire seems to go beyond country music.

Maddie Poppe, 20, Clarksville, Iowa, college student

You might remember her as: The singer-songwriter who got her start performing with her dad’s bluegrass band. Oh, and her last name is pronounced “poppy.”
Released music: In 2017, she released a seven-song album called “Songs from the Basement” that includes “Don’t Let Your Children Ever Grow Up,” the original she sang during Hollywood Week.
Assessment: She’s got a distinctive tone and a bit of quirkiness, sort of like a toned down Joey Cook for those who remember Idol Season 14.

Mara Justine, 15, Galloway, N.J., high school student

You might remember her as: The teen whose audition performance of “Love on the Brain” was so great that judges deciding it didn’t need critiquing. In fact, they gave her a standing ovation.
Released music: She released a seven-song, self-titled album in 2015.
Assessment: Young contestants have wilted on the Idol stage many times in the past. After her blistering showcase performance, I think Mara will be immune to the pressure of performing on the Idol stage. And, hey, Katy, I wouldn’t have asked Mara to tone down that cover of “Something’s Got a Hold On Me” one bit.

Michelle Sussett, 22, Miami, Fla., waitress

You might remember her as: She’s the young woman from Venezuela who got the Idol judges up and dancing. You might recall that Katy fell. And almost couldn’t get back up.
Released music: No
Assessment: I’ve yet to be blown away by Michelle’s vocals. But she says her specialty is delivering a good time when she performs and there’s no doubt she’s adept at that. Don’t be surprised if we hear more Spanish from her too.

Shannon O’Hara, 17, Mooresville, N.C., nanny

You might remember her as: She’s the young woman who has done most of her singing in church, sat behind a piano and blew the judges away with her cover of Adele’s “When We Were Young.”
Released music: No.
Assessment: As good as her audition was, I enjoyed her stripped-down version of Katy’s “Unconditionally” during the showcase round even more. Katy called her an “old soul” during the auditions, and she comes off as more mature than her age.

Catie Turner performs during the pre-taped semifinals on American Idol. (ABC Photo)