Idol Chatter & Voice Views

At the end of Sunday’s American Idol auditions, host Ryan Seacrest urged fans to “break out the tissues” for next week’s show.

Are you kidding me?

There could possibly be more tears in next week’s Idol episode than there were this week?

If so, someone better alert the fire company. And get Katy Perry some boots. Because there’s going to be a flood on the Idol set.

I mean, if contestants weren’t already crying when they entered the audition room Sunday night, the Idol judges did their best to coax tears out of singers before they left the room.

They also made some very questionable calls on who to advance to Hollywood, though I’m rooting for those same singers to prove themselves worthy later in Season 19.

Between the sobs, the judges did find some amazing talent, just like they promised in their show-opening meditation session.

Here are my picks for five singers to watch from Sunday’s show.

1. Ronda Felton, 19, Milwaukee, Wisc.

Audition song: “One Night Only” from Dreamgirls

Why: The judges prodded Ronda to spill about her difficult background until she had tears streaming down her face. And then she still delivered the night’s most powerful vocal, a great tone and a great cry — no pun intended, I assure you — in her voice. Her vocal was so heartfelt, Lionel wound up teary-eyed as well. As for that difficult background, Ronda said she and her single mom were homeless at times and moved around so much that she’d attended at least a dozen different schools before reaching high school.

Best moment: Pre-audition, Ryan asked Ronda if she and her mom shared a favorite song. The answer was “Zoom” by The Commodores. So Lionel sang the song with them post-audition. It was clearly staged, but still touching.

2. Alanis Sophia, 19, Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Audition song: “Anyone” by Demi Lovato

Why: She delivered a great vocal. More importantly, in a season when Idol seems to be sending lots of singers to Hollywood with little performing experience, Alanis — named after Alanis Morrissette by her mom — has tons, even at her tender age. At 12, she was runner-up on La Voz Kids. In 2017, she signed with Big Machine Records. And she looks like a star. And, judging from her YouTube videos, has a wonderful personality. And did I mention that with all that experience, she’s likely to thrive rather than wilt on the Idol stage.

Best moment: Alanis took an American Idol toy mic to her audition, one her mother bought for Alanis when she was a child. “It even says, ‘You’re going to Hollywood,'” Alanis said. “So we’ll see.” Yep, she sure is.

3. Mary Jo Young, 19, Cleveland, Ohio

Audition song: “You Broke Me First” by Tate McRae and “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi

Why: This young lady won the judges over with her distinctive tone and her powerful voice. Hailing from a musical family, Mary Jo says she’s always liked to sing. Asked by Katy where she performs, her reaction was priceless: “Oh my, no. I’ve never performed.” Outside of posting to TikTok (277,000 followers) and Twitter, that is. That will certainly change if Luke’s prediction proves true. He said Mary Jo has Top 10 potential.

Best line: Mary Jo, as she entered the audition room: “This is very bright. I feel like I’m entering heaven.”

4. Xavier Washington, 22, Atlanta, Ga.

Audition song: Not sure

Why: Xavier was part of a three-singer montage, but showed absolutely incredible range in the tiny snippet of his audition we heard. Certainly better range than any other male singer appearing on Sunday’s show. Little surprise there, actually. A student at Yale, he’s performed with the a cappella group Shades of Yale and with the Yale Glee Club. He was also runner-up in a singing competition hosted by The Terrell Show.

5. Hunter Metts, 22, Franklin, Tenn.

Audition song: “All the Pretty Girls” by Kaleo

Why: Hunter has a nice singer-songwriter vibe and a nice high tone. Why does that matter? Consider last season, when four of the Top 5 Idol finishers were male singer-songwriters who strummed a guitar. A software engineer, according to Idol’s blue bar, this marked Hunter’s third try at the show. Katy said Hunter has Top 10 potential.

Best moment: The judges invited Hunter’s sister, Maddy, into the room. Apparently, she had to quit her job with Disney (which owns ABC) so Hunter would be eligible to advance on Idol.