Idol Chatter & Voice Views

As promised, American Idol’s Top 5 dropped original songs Friday.

But they apparently will not be performing those songs this week on the show, but during the May 22 season finale.

Two members of the Top 5 wrote or co-wrote their new singles, which are available now on streaming sites.

Here’s a look at those songs.

Leah Marlene, “Flowers”: She told Billboard she wrote her song after Hollywood Week, when she learned she’d made the Top 24. She added on Instagram: “After 2 years of some pretty crippling depression and anxiety, in 2021 I slowly but surely found my way back to myself … I wrote a song reflecting on the wild journey that life has taken me on the past few years. More than anything, it’s an encouragement to any past self that no matter how far gone you may feel, there’s always a way out.”

HunterGirl, “Red Bird”: HunterGirl co-wrote her songs with Matt McKinney and Austin Goodloe. She explains it on Instagram: “When I was a little girl my family always told me ‘when you see a red bird, it is a sign from Heaven that a family member is looking after you.’ Cardinals have been a big sign in my life and really important to my family. Red Bird is a song that I wrote from my heart with Matt and Austin. I cried in the writing room with this song. I want people to know that we are never alone and the ones we love are always watching over us. Sometimes you just need a red bird.”

Fritz Hager, “Hearts Align”: Fritz’s performed two songs he wrote on the show last week, but his single was written by Francisco Martin (from Idol Season 18) and Drew Pearson. In a press release, Fritz said: “I think this song perfectly describes a moment that everyone has felt. It’s about the moment when two people fall out of step with each other, but you aren’t ready to let go … holding on to those final moments and the fear and uncertainty of what comes after.”

Noah Thompson, “One Night Tonight”: Noah’s song was co-written by Brett Sheroky, Jered Griffin and Trannie Anderson. “I fell in love with ‘One Day Tonight’ as soon as I heard it, just by the sound of the melody,” Noah said in a press release. “The lyrics are beautiful, the song has so much meaning and it is also so catchy! Can’t believe I get to sing it, to be honest, it blows my mind. I hope so many people love it just like I did when I first heard it.”

Nicolina, “Glitter”: Nicolina chose to remake a song by Patrick Droney. “It’s about how grief is something that we can deal with, but we can never truly escape,” she told Billboard. “And I feel like everyone processes grief in different ways and grief means so many different things and the lyrics of that song resonated with me so heavily that I thought it would be a cool idea to take a song that people already love and reinvent it and give it a little Nicolina flavor.”