Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nina Daig with the brother who inspired her original song on American Idol (ABC Photo)

The ladies stole the show on American Idol Sunday night.

Nina Daig and Drew Ryn dazzled the judges with original songs.

And Mattie Pruitt, just 15, dazzled the judges with her talent at such a young age.

Follow the links below for more on advancing contestants.

Nina’s story is fascinating, a songwriter who never shared her music and would only sing it for her husband.

Drew finished Top 6 on a televised singing show 14 years ago!

BEST OF THE NIGHT

Mattie Pruitt, 15, Engleville, Tenn., “How Could You” by Jessie Murph: Mattie has 12 siblings. She’s singing a song by one of her favorite artists. She has an impressive cry in her voice for someone so young. Hell, yes, she belongs in Hollywood. The emotion in that performance was super impressive coming from someone so young. Carrie thinks she performs beyond her years. Lionel loves her range and her rasp. And Mattie is a unanimous “yes” to advance.

Nina Daig, 25, Beaverdam, Va., “Average Joe” (an original): Nina writes songs, but doesn’t share them and doesn’t perform. That said, she’s about to release her debut single. Learn about that by following the link. She wrote this song about her brother, born with a disability because of a lack of oxygen. Nice country voice. Great, really great, original. And a hearfelt performance. Luke loves her voice. Lionel wonders if she’s too inexperienced to advance. He says she’ll be amazing if she gets confidence behind that voice.

Drew Ryn, 27, Chino Valley, Ariz., “Walk on Water” (an original): Fourteen years ago, Drew Ryniewicz was Top 6 on the first season of The X Factor. Yep, she can sing. And this is another impressive original. One she’s already released. Luke loves her “whisper” singing. Lionel thought it was a great song and a great vocal. He called her believable. Carrie loved it too. Drew calls it her “full-circle moment.”

Freddie McClendon, 19, Greenwood, S.C., “You Never Loved Him” (an original): His dad was a homicide victim, killed by a jealous ex of the woman he was dating. And Freddie has released an album about his life. This is one of the songs from that album. Freddie shows off a nice voice on a touching song. The performance brings Carrie to tears. Carrie says she could feel Freddie’s heart in the performance and like the throwback sound of his voice. Lionel says the performance was moving.

ALSO MADE THE SHOW

Sam Sparks, 25, Dardenelle, Ark., “Colorado Gray” (original song): Sam was paralyzed from the waist down in an auto accident about two years ago. He says music helped him get through. He delivers a heartfelt original, showing off grit in his vocals. In fact, Luke compliments him on the “rock grit” in his voice. Carrie liked the song and his “cool voice.” Sam breezes to Hollywood with three “yes” votes.

Penny Samar, 23, Williamsport, Pa., “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan: She really did create her own Pink Penny Club. Just check out her socials. Carrie said she has a beautiful voice, but the performance had a little too much sauce and her facial expressions were distracting. Still, the voice wins out, with Carrie casting the tie-breaking vote.

Sophia Humbert, 22, Anthem, Ariz., “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood: She performs from the piano. Another nice voice. And she goes big on the chorus impressively. Carrie, though, wants to see more aggression, more anger. So they take Sophia out to an old red pickup truck, hang her a baseball bat and ask her to start hammering on a truck. The judges join in. And Sophia heads to Hollywood.

Jamier Jones, 19, Buffalo, N.Y., “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims: He went viral with this song on TikTok. Hey, great voice from the word go. Lionel said he delivered the longest run he’s ever heard. Luke complimented the silky nature of his voice. Jamier, deservingly, breezes to Hollywood with three “yes” votes.

John Foster, 18, Addis, La., “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” by Alan Jackson: He displays a nice country voice. But Carrie asks for a second song that shows off his voice a bit more. He launches into “Goodbye Time” by Conway Twitty. The judges are clearly pleased. Carrie compliments the “sweet spot” in his voice. He winds up with a unanimous “yes” to advance. Surprised Idol didn’t go for a tear-jerker moment. John has released a song about two friends killed in a police chase in which they were not the suspects.
Desmond Roberts, 25, Corona, Calif., “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone: He works at the School of Rock in L.A. And he’s singing a song by an artist who auditioned for Idol, then ditched. Wow, Desmond performs with passion. Luke calls him an incredible singer. Lionel says he “invented notes” during the performance.

Jamal Roberts, 26, Meridian, Miss., “Mary Jane” by Rick James: He’s a physical education teacher. Lionel says Jamal “has some stuff in there” and calls it “amazing.” Luke likes the way he “sang from the heart.” He sails to Hollywood, though Carrie says he needs to develop more confidence.

Lola Bonfiglio, 19, Northridge, Calif., “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgrave: Lola brings in Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips to sing with her. Lola handles the solo parts of “Hold On” with Carnie and Wendy joining in on the harmonies. Then Lola sings “Rainbow” by herself. Luke likes the gone, pureness and quality of her voice. Carrie likes the honesty in her voice. She gets three “yes” votes.

Freddie McClendon shares his golden ticket moment on American Idol with his mother and two sisters. (ABC Photo)