American Idol
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Elleigh Marie Francom is a typical American girl, confronted by difficult circumstances.
The 20-year-old realized a years-long dream when she auditioned on American Idol Sunday night (March 19), and made fans everywhere with her appearance.
Francom is a full-time cosmetologist, a miliary daughter based in American Fork, Utah. Her mom, a singer who teaches theater and has tuned into Idol with Elleigh since the contestant was a kid, is battling multiple serious illnesses.
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“Dad was gone for much of the time,” she said in the prerecorded package. The youngster had to step up. “A lot of the responsibilities did fall on me,” she explained.
On the day of her audition, Elleigh learned that her dad will be deployed for a year, starting from April. How does she feel about that? “It really sucks,” she told the judges, as she burst into tears.
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Elleigh admitted she’s torn by choices. Chase the Idol dream, or go home and help out with her younger siblings when dad is away?
With her performance, the path ahead is now illuminated.
Elleigh channeled her emotions into a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. And drained it.
As she completed the performance, the tears rolled. “Nobody’s ever hit that note at the end,” quipped Katy Perry. “It was great. You gave me the feels. You started off somewhat average, then you landed it. If you sang from that space every time, you would be in superstar territory.”
“I think she’s top 10,” Luke Bryan added. “There’s just really beautiful things going on in your voice.” When she slots into her groove, there were “classy” and “older than your years” tones. “I just loved it.”
Lionel Richie is a believer. “You went to a place that was so pure, so angelic, that it was really one of those moments where we couldn’t keep our eyes off of you.”
The family came out, the judges stood and applauded, Idol had a moment and Elleigh is going to “Hollywood Week.”
Watch below.
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Go west, they said. Scarlett Lee did just that with an audition on American Idol, for a glittering result. Raised in London, the Brit stepped into auditions Sunday night (March 3) and showcased her warm tones and extensive range, performing a cover of Emeli Sandé’s “Clown.”
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The three judges lapped it up.
“Oh, my goodness,” was Lionel Richie’s immediate response. “You do know that your trip was worth it. It was so well executed. I really enjoyed what you did.”
Luke Bryan chimed in: “What I do love is you have a neat personality. You have a neat little aura and vibe going on.”
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Katy Perry admitted she was hesitant when she heard the song choice. “Are we being pranked here,” was her initial thought. No, no it wasn’t. “That is one of my favorite songs,” the “Firework” singer continued. “It’s so vulnerable.”
It’s not the 26-year-old’s first rodeo. In 2018, Lee competed in the 15th season of the U.K.’s X Factor, finishing in second place, behind winner Dalton Harris; and participated in the 14th season, reaching the six-chair challenge.
Wearing a red dress, heels and bringing a “vibe” to the Idol auditions, Lee immediately won fans. “You’re fun and a little bit funky,” Perry continued. “Your personality is so big, and sometimes people don’t take you seriously. But when you sing a song and you sing a song like that, then you cut through all of the layers. It doesn’t matter the makeup, it doesn’t matter the outfit. You become Scarlett Lee the artist. The possible next American Idol. You become serious. So I’m taking you seriously. Your soul is shining through.”
It’s three yeses for Lee. And a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Judges Richie, Perry and Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest have all returned for the current, 22nd season of American Idol, which will be Perry’s last, she revealed in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live! ahead of the season premiere on Feb. 18.
The talent show airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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Having a platinum pedigree is one thing. But showing that you can use it is a whole different ballgame. Emmy Russell, 24 proved more than up to the task on Sunday night (Feb. 25) when the shy Nashville native, and granddaughter of country icon Loretta Lynn, stepped up to her mark on American Idol to perform an original piano ballad called “Skinny.”
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Smiling from ear-to-ear, Russell told the judge’s panel it was a “dream” to be on the reality singing competition as Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan struggled to hear the singer’s quiet speaking voice. “Tell us about yourself, other than being quiet,” Bryan said. “Growing up, I sang music my entire life,” she said modestly.
“I just love writing. I’m 24 years old. Songwriter. I love music,” Russell added. “I don’t really sing out as much anymore, but growing up I sang on the road with — my grandma’s a country singer so I grew up singing.” Which, of course, elicited the obvious question from Bryan, leading to the revelation that Russell’s grandma was the Grammy-winning country “Coal Miner’s Daughter” superstar, who died in Oct. 2022 at age 90. “Your grandma is… what?!” Richie said in disbelief.
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The show then unspooled a montage of Russell taking viewers on a tour of her “meemaw” Lynn’s historic Hurricane Mills, TN ranch and home, where the singer’s mom, singer Patsy Lynn, grew up. “She’s one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me she’s just my grandma, and growing up on the bus and all that was very normal to me,” Russell said.
Embracing her timidity, Russell explained that one of the reasons she is kind of shy is because she wants to be her own person and “own my own voice.” Counseled by Perry that, like her gran, Russell needs to find her own unique path, the singer then went to the piano to perform a moving original she wrote about eating disorders called “Skinny.”
“Haven’t eaten in days/ God I hate how you made me/ So scared to confess, been so hard to undress lately/ These oversized T-shirts don’t work like they used to/ Sleeping on scales is just what I’m used to,” Russell sang urgently on the ballad that had a touch of Olivia Rodrigo’s keyboard-driven confessional songwriting.
Perry was super impressed with the audition, calling Russell an “A+ songwriter… so was your grandma, you’ve got the gift. I don’t think you need to compare yourself to what grandma was… you’re totally different, you shouldn’t give yourself all that pressure. I think you came in like a mouse.”
“A baby mouse,” Bryan added, as Perry asked Russell to say her name again, but louder this time.
Richie agreed, saying, “My dear, you have promise. And I like your promise. Each one of us is trying to battle something that we’re trying to overcome. In your case you have big shoes. Now if I can just get you to put those shoes back in the closet, that’s not your size.” Bryan said the task will be to boost Russell’s confidence and help her “own it.”
It was a tearful yes for Russell, who will advance to the Hollywood round on the current 22nd season of the long-running series, which Perry recently announced will be her final one with the show.
See Russell’s audition below.
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Two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner Luke Bryan’s small-town Southern roots will be on display when the upcoming 22nd season of American Idol premieres on Feb. 18 on ABC.
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Bryan, who has been a judge on Idol since 2018, took his fellow judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on an American Idol “field trip” to his hometown of Leesburg, Georgia (population 3,480 as of the 2020 census), located three hours south of Atlanta. In the process, the affable singer-songwriter brought Perry and Richie into the places and spaces that helped shape not only many of Bryan’s 26 No. 1 Country Airplay hits, but his charismatic stage presence and who Bryan is as a person.
“To be able to bring Lionel and Katy to my hometown was a real big deal,” Bryan tells Billboard via email. “Growing up I was a Lionel fan and he has been such a huge inspiration to my music. So now having Lionel and Katy as a friends, it was so special to show them how I grew up and what made me who I am. I was on 10 the whole day!”
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Of course, Bryan has paid homage to his hometown throughout his career, most notably in the music video for “Born Here Live Here Die Here,” title track of his 2020 album. The video clip features both footage of the artist-writer’s energetic live shows, but also footage of Leesburg.
One of the stops on the Idol tour in Leesburg was a place Bryan spent ample time as a teen: Lee County High School, which he graduated from in 1996. The trio walked through the halls of the high school, and even dropped in on a few classes to greet students. “We took a lot of selfies and saw [the students’] excitement,” Bryan recalls. “The fact that we could disrupt their day, have fun and let them see us in the gym and walking the halls was great. It was really special to interact with the kids in that way.”
“The school felt bigger as more people have moved into the area, but the vibe still felt small and quaint,” adds Bryan. “They did win a state championship in football [in 2017 and 2018] since I went there, but the school still had the heart and soul that existed back then.”
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Bryan also recalls his favorite memories of being at Lee High School, including Friday night football games, playing baseball during his freshman and sophomore years, and regular meetups after school at the local gas station to celebrates high school sports team wins (or commiserate on losses). Bryan had a high school band and was part of his school’s drama program, performing in Annie Get Your Gun, among other roles.
“The main thing was growing up in a small town where everybody knew each other,” he said. “The teachers looked after you and worked with you. It was just a great school to get a well-rounded education.”
Outside of Leesburg High School, Bryan took Richie and Perry to one of his favorite fishing spots, along the Flint River. Bryan’s fans will instantly recognize the name of the 344-mile river that runs from south of Atlanta through the Gulf Coastal Plain, as Bryan immortalized it in songs like “That’s My Kind of Night,” “We Rode in Trucks” and “Huntin,’ Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day.”
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“We only fished briefly as the conditions weren’t great that day, but the river was a place where I grew up fishing as a kid, so it was good to have them get out in nature that day,” he says. “I think they appreciated it and saw that the river was instrumental and inspirational in my songwriting.”
Bryan grew up helping at his family’s peanut mill, so he took joy in showing his fellow judges a local peanut mill–and the visit made for a cool moment with fellow judge Perry.
“Some of my favorite moments were definitely talking Lionel and Katy to the peanut mill, and letting Katy dump a wagon of peanuts and watching the dust fly up,” Bryan says.
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American Idol‘s 22nd season is premiering on Sunday (Feb. 18), marking Katy Perry’s seventh and final season as a judge. The “Teenage Dream” star revealed that she’s leaving the show on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night (Feb. 12). “I love the show so much,” she told the host, “but I want to go see […]
Katy Perry is ready to close the door on American Idol, and open another chapter in her music career.
Idol will premiere on ABC this Sunday (Feb. 18), marking the TV talent show’s 22nd overall season. It’ll be Perry’s seventh and final season as a judge.
Perry broke the news when she stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night (Feb. 12). “I love the show so much,” she tells the host, “but I want to go see the world and maybe bring new music.”
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The “Firework” singer has been a judge on alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan since it was revived by ABC in 2018.
“I think this will probably be my last show, my last season for Idol,” she continues. “I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat.”
Perry is buzzed about visiting Brazil this September to perform at the Rock In Rio festival. “It’s really exciting. It’s a big deal,” she says of her spot on the bill.
By leaving her regular gig on Idol, “let’s just say I’m creating space for my new wingspan.”
Perry can spread those wings far and wide. Last year, Litmus Music, a catalog rights company backed by private-equity giant Carlyle Group LP, said it acquired the rights in five studio albums released for Capitol Records, including her Grammy-nominated Teenage Dream.
Sources told Billboard that Litmus paid $225 million for Perry’s stake in the master recording royalties and music publishing rights to her five albums released between 2008 and 2020 — One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM, Witness and Smile.
Perry remains the first woman and only second artist ever (after Michael Jackson) to send five songs from the same album to the summit of the Hot 100, which she did with 2010’s Teenage Dream (“California Gurls,” “Firework,” “E.T.,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and “Teenage Dream”).
2020’s Smile peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, and is Perry’s last full-length studio album.
During her late-night TV stint, Perry also discusses Usher’s Super Bowl performance (“he was awesome”), singing at King Charles’ Coronation, and lodging at Windsor Castle (her mother tagged along. “That’s like the best gift you could ever give your mom”).
Watch the full interview below.
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Jelly Roll and Tori Kelly are set to appear on American Idol, where they will both serve as guest mentors and perform during season 22 of the long-running musical competition, Entertainment Tonight reports. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Singer-rapper-songwriter Jelly Roll was recently nominated for two Grammy […]
Nearly 16 years after he shot to national fame following a runner-up finish on season 7 of American Idol, Billboard chart-topping pop singer-songwriter David Archuleta is finally telling his story on his own terms. On Thursday (Jan. 11), The Hollywood Reporter reported that the singer signed a book deal with Day Street Books, an imprint […]
Chayce Beckham was crowned the winner of ABC’s American Idol in 2021, and now, he’s officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist.
The country singer earns his first entry on the Jan. 13-dated chart as “23” debuts at No. 71. It opens with 13.3 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 16%), 4 million official U.S. streams (up 10%) and 1,000 downloads sold in the Dec. 29-Jan. 4 tracking week, according to Luminate.
The song, released in 2021 via 19 Recordings/BMG/Wheelhouse, also holds at its No. 20 high on the Hot Country Songs chart. Radio-wise, it stands at its No. 14 best on Country Airplay.
Beckham performed “23” live on-air during his Idol season. He had written the song a year prior, and became the first champ to win the competition performing an original song.
Beckham, from Apple Valley, Calif., joins a long line of Idol alumni to debut on the Hot 100, a list dating back to Kelly Clarkson’s first-season win in 2002 (when the show aired on Fox). Of the show’s 21 total seasons, 14 winners have charted at least one Hot 100 hit.
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Here’s a recap of every Idol winner’s first song to debut on the Hot 100. (Some artists below debuted multiple songs in their first weeks on the chart.)
American Idol Season, Winner, First Hot 100 Entry (Peak Position, Year)
Season 1, Kelly Clarkson, “A Moment Like This” (No. 1, 2002)
Season 2, Ruben Studdard, “Flying Without Wings” (No. 2, 2003)
Season 3, Fantasia, “I Believe” (No. 1, 2004)
Season 4, Carrie Underwood, “Inside Your Heaven” (No. 1, 2005)
Season 5, Taylor Hicks, “Takin’ It to the Streets” (No. 69, 2006)
Season 6, Jordin Sparks, “This Is My Now,” “A Broken Wing,” and “I Who Have Nothing” (Nos. 15, 66 and 80, 2007)
Season 7, David Cook, “The Time of My Life,” “Dream Big,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “The World I Know,” “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing,” “Billie Jean,” “Always Be My Baby,” “Hello,” “The Music of the Night,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “I’m Alive” (Nos. 3, 15, 22, 28, 42, 47, 67, 73, 77 and 99, 2008)
Season 8, Kris Allen, “No Boundaries, “Heartless,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Apologize,” “Falling Slowly” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Nos. 11, 16, 37, 66 and 94, 2009)
Season 9, Lee DeWyze, “Beautiful Day,” “Hallelujah,” “Falling Slowly” with Crystal Bowersox, “The Boxer” and “Beautiful Day” (Nos. 24, 44, 66 and 88, 2010)
Season 10, Scotty McCreery, “I Love You This Big” (No. 11, 2011)Season 11, Phillip Phillips, “Home” and “We’ve Got Tonight” (Nos. 6 and 97, 2012)
Season 12, Candice Glover, “I Am Beautiful” (No. 93, 2013)
Season 14, Nick Fradiani, “Beautiful Life” (No. 93, 2015)
Season 19, Chayce Beckham, “23” (No. 71 so far, 2024)
The Idol winners who haven’t yet debuted on the Hot 100 are Caleb Johnson (season 13), Trent Harmon (15), Maddie Poppe (16), Laine Hardy (17), Just Sam (18), Noah Thompson (20) and Iam Tongi (21).
“23” became Beckham’s first overall chart entry when it debuted at No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales in 2021 after his Idol win. He has charted one additional song on Country Airplay: “Can’t Do Without Me,” with Lindsay Ell, reached No. 46 in 2022. Also that year, his EP Doin’ It Right hit No. 21 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
Paula Abdul is suing Nigel Lythgoe over claims that the former American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance producer sexually assaulted her while she was filming the competition television shows.
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The singer-dancer claims in the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday (Dec. 29) and obtained by Billboard, that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her on two occasions. The first instance allegedly occurred during one of the early seasons of American Idol and the second took place in 2014 when she was in talks to judge So You Think You Can Dance.
Abdul, 61, alleges in the suit that Lythgoe, 74, first sexually assaulted her in an elevator of a hotel where they were both staying while traveling for one of Idol’s “initial seasons.” It does not state a specific year the alleged incident occurred.
“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” according to court documents. “Abdul attempted to push Lythgoe away from her and let him know his behavior was not acceptable. When the doors to the elevator for her door opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. In tears, Abdul quickly called one of her representatives to inform them of the assault, but ultimately decided not to take action for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol.”
Abdul’s complaint claims that Lythgoe sexually assaulted Abdul again in 2014 when she was approached for a judging position on So You Think You Can Dance. The alleged incident took place during a dinner at his home where the two were supposed to discuss her professional opportunities, according to the lawsuit.
“Toward the end of the evening, however, Lythgoe forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple,’” the complaint states. “Abdul pushed Lythgoe off of her, explaining that she was not interested in his advances, and immediately left Lythgoe’s home.”
The suit also alleges that Abdul witnessed Lythgoe sexually assault one of her assistants while filming So You Think You Can Dance in 2015. Lythgoe allegedly “pressed himself” against the woman and “began to grope her” without consent, court document states.
The “Strait Up” hitmaker’s suit further claims that Lythgoe taunted her on the phone about his alleged assaults and states that he “clearly knew that his assaults of Abdul were not just wrong but that he held the power to keep her silent.”
In addition to Lythgoe, the lawsuit names the shows’ production companies American Idol Productions, Dance Nation Productions, 19 Entertainment and Fremantlemedia North America are also listed as defendants. Abdul is suing the defendants for sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.
Representatives for Abdul and Lythgoe did not immediately reply to Billboard‘s request for comment at press time.