Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Bryant Thomas, a golden ticket in hand, prepares to propose to girlfriend Alyona on American Idol. (ABC Photo)

Yep, American Idol is back, with great singers and tear-inducing segements.

The show provided both on its Season 24 premiere.

Along the way, Idol introduced us to The Pickle Girl (Genevieve Heyward). It reintroduced us to two former Voice standouts (Jacquie Lee and Kyndal Inskeep) who have found their way to a better singing show.

And it unveiled a guy who’s amassed an impressive following singing in the background while his girlfriend does her makeup.

It ended the night by showcasing Khloe Grace, a 15-year-old singer-songwriter who went viral with an original song called “Forever 13.”

The song was written as a tribute / anti-bullying message in honor of Aubreigh Wyatt, who committed suicide at age 13. And Khloe got to meet Aubreigh’s mom at the audition.

Here’s a recap:

Editor’s note: Follow the links for more on each singer, including information on music they’ve already released!

Best of the Night

Bryant Thomas, 26, Mobile, Ala., “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins: This guy has a great voice, filled with grit. Carrie Underwood calls his voice outrageous. Lionel Richie says he has star power vocals. Luke Bryan is blown away as well. He gets three yeses. And then drops to his knee to propose to girlfriend Alyona. She gives Bryant a fourth “yes” for the night.

Runners-up:

Kyndal, 29, Nashville, Tenn., 29, Fishers, Indiana, “Prayer of a Trying Daughter” (an original): Her rasp and emotional singer-songwriter vibe is better suited for Idol than The Voice, where she advanced to the live playoffs in Season 17. Before she sang, a 16-year-old singer-songwriter named Lainey Grace auditioned with Kyndal’s song “Honest.” Kyndal joined Lainey on the Idol stage. Carrie says Kyndal “has stuff.” Lionel Richie says she has “artist written all over you.” Luke Bryan likes her range. Kyndal gets three yeses.

Jesse Findling, 19, Long Island, N.Y., “In the Stars” by Benson Boone: Jesse has struggled with stuttering, but doesn’t when he sings. He immediately shows off a very nice tone. Carrie called his voice beautiful, loved his emotional connection to the song and thinks he could go far in the competition. That was after he got a standing ovation from the judges.

Also got golden tickets:

Brooks Rosser, 22, Bel Air, Md., “Your Place at My Place” by Joshua Sloane: He has unique high-pitched vocals that make you listen. Carrie Underwood called him a “unicorn” because of his unique sound. He sings a snippet of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and sounds even better. Lionel Richie calls his vocals “major stuff.”

Khloe Grace, 15, Jacksonville, Fla., “Forever 13” (an original): She sings a song she wrote about Aubreigh Wyatt, a 13-year-old who committed suicide after being bullied. Carrie Underwood likes the maturity Khloe shows in the performance and that fact that she could relate to someone else’s heartbreak. Khloe got praise from Luke and Lionel as well to go along with her golden ticket.

Daniel Stallworth, 27, Moss Point, Mississippi, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey: Sitting at the piano, Daniel delivers a fine cover of the classic, showing his ability to sing softly and belt. Luke said his music students are lucky to have him as a teacher. He gets three yeses.

Genevieve Heyward, “Magic Man” by Heart: She’s “The Pickle Girl,” so dubbed because of her love of pickles. She recently released an EP called “Sprinkles” and ate sprinkles on a pickle to promote it. She showed off a big voice and a flair for the dramatic. Carrie Underwood likes her cool rasp and wants to hear more. Lionel Richie says she has the tools to do well on the show. Carrie called her the “real dill” as she advanced with three yes votes.

Jayson Arendt, 24, North Carolina, “Fire Away” by Chris Stapleton: He’s a member of the Texas Tailgators in the Banana Baseball League. Lionel Richie said he has a nice distinguishable voice. Carrie Underwood said she wants to here more from Jayson the artist, not the baseball player. Jayson got three yeses to advance to Hollywood.

Keyla Richardson, 29, Pensacola, Fla., “Glitter in the Air” by Pink: She displays a great tone from the opening note. Not to mention ample vocal firepower. Lionel Richie loves her range. Keyla’s young son enters the room and says hello to the judges. Luke says Keyla has a voice that will make people “stop in their tracks.” She got a golden ticket. Then her son Drew sang a snippet of “God Only Knows” for the judges.

Lucas Leon, 17, Gallatin, Tenn., “Fall in Love Someday” (an original): He displays a unique sound and a nice rasp on a fine original. Carrie called his baby-faced and adorable, but with odd awesome maturity. Lionel called him “pure, honest and very relatable.” He got three yeses.

We also saw snippets of performances from Brianna Yancey, Ricky Boyce, Talon Cardon and Jacquie Lee, all of whom advanced.

Jacquie, runner-up on The Voice way back in Season 5, auditioned with “I Put a Spell on You.” Lionel complimented her on a “bring the house down” kind of voice. Guarantee, she’d be in my Top 3 above had Idol shown her full audition.

Khloe Grace is congratulated by Lionel Richie after her audition on American Idol. (ABC Photo)