Katy, dim the lights: Perry’s final ‘American Idol’ season begins
Season 22 will be the “When I’m Gone” pop star's last... but I have a suggestion for who could replace her!
And so, it begins… and ends. American Idol is back, but Katy Perry is the show’s one-that-got-away. Soon, we’re no longer gonna hear her roar. She’s no longer chained to American Idol’s rhythm. Idol’s teenage dream is over. But my Perry puns will last all season!
Over the past two decades of Idol-atry, we’ve bid farewell to Paula, Kara, Ellen, Simon, J.Lo, Steven, Mariah, Nicki, Randy, Keith, Harry… and J.Lo again. But ever since Idol got the reboot by ABC in 2018, Katy has been the show’s consistently sparkly-as-a-firework superstar judge. Yes, sometimes she stole focus with her pants-splitting, Disney-cosplaying, crocodile-tear-shedding, mock-fainting, inappropriately flirting, “wig”-flipping, catwalking, snack-scarfing, mom-shaming antics. But she also doled out honest-but-not-brutal critiques and made for all-around fun TV. Plus, she lured promising, Hotel Café-ready strummers like her mini-me’s Maddie Poppe and Catie Turner to the auditions, which was always a good thing.
But now the California Gurl has officially announced that Season 22 — sorry, ABC, but I refuse to call it “Season 7” and confuse it with Fox’s iconic David-vs.-David era — will be her Last Sunday Night (T.G.I.S.), so to speak.
Anyway, while Idol inevitably producers milk the “If We Ever Meet Again” singer’s long goodbye throughout her final season, I’ll be over here, recapping the episodes as usual. I’ll also be uploading my résumé to Fremantle’s employment portal, along with a snazzy and scrupulously proofread cover letter making it clear that I’m available to fill Katy’s center seat in next year’s “Season 8” for a fraction of her reported $25 million salary. Hell, I’d do it for $25,000! I’d pay them! (In total seriousness, when Idol launched in 2003, the original concept was to have a four-person panel, with the fourth judge being a media veteran like KROQ DJ Ted Stryker, New York radio personality Angie Martinez, or some poptimistic music journalist. So, sure, Fremantle/ABC can replace Katy with an eight-figure A-lister like Lady Gaga or Bruno Mars… but I’ll happily pull up a fourth chair next to Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, who as of this writing are still on board.)
But it seems there may be an entire crew of Idol employees, obviously with seniority over me, gunning for Katy’s gig. When one of Sunday’s standout auditioners, 25-year-old Nashville singer-songwriter Jack Blocker, tried out with his Vance Joy/George Ezra-like original tune “I Was Wrong,” Luke loved it (and even compared Jack to Paul Simon), and Lionel called Jack a “true artist” but was on the fence. Then Katy cast the deciding vote, strangely criticizing Jack’s “bad habits,” saying his affected note-stretching seemed “a little put on.” So, Luke was outvoted, and Jack was already out the door and halfway through his walk of shame… but then Luke, who said he “saw something in that boy,” called for a “crew vote.” And it was a nearly unanimous yes.
One particular member from Katy’s own, Tamra, was actually as feisty as Katy on a bad (or good?) day, hollering at the panel: “What is wrong with you guys?” And so, Jack was summoned back to the audition room, where Lionel was convinced by the crew to change his vote. “Never in the history of this show have we had a managerial mutiny against us,” laughed Luke. So, maybe Tamra will get a big promotion and take her boss’s seat next year.
Anyway, there were some other light-hearted moments Sunday, but of course the premiere ended on a stunningly emotional note, with Katy in tears. And I confess, I welled up too. Below, I recap that magic moment, along with the other Sunday singers who’ll be joining Jack and his new “best friends,” the Idol crew, in Hollywood.
Mackenzie Soul, 23: “Bring It On Home”
With his charmingly rough Geordie accent and peroxided Martin Gore quiff, this tatted-up, Newcastle-bred, Vegas-based TikTok prankster seemed like he was auditioning to be the token “bad boy” fifth member of The X Factor’s One Direction. And he certainly seemed to have what Luke called the “stardust magic personality” to be this season’s heartthrob. Katy even said this “character” has what it takes to be “top 10 material.” Sure, Katy says stuff like that every season, and it was way too early for her to make such bold predictions (during the first 10 minutes of the first episode, about the season’s first contestant). But there was potential here. I don’t think the Sam Cooke classic was the best choice for this kid — Sol doesn’t have that much soul — but his performance got more gritty and less pretty as it went on. Song choice will be key if Mackenzie expects to fulfill Katy’s premature prophecy.
Triston Harper, 15: “Cover Me Up”
This small-down Alabama kid, from the Choctaw Native American tribe, has “been through a lot” (he and his mother were homeless for a while, after they escaped from his abusive stepfather). That is why he came across as such an “old soul” to Katy — stoic and stiff-upper-lipped. His brilliant Jason Isbell song selection allowed some of his raw pain to seep out, and while Katy admitted that Triston’s performance “wasn’t perfect,” it didn’t need to be, because it was “so authentic, so connected… it resonated.” Luke joked that he’d been “out-country’d by a 15-year-old!” and seemed confident that any of this untrained, unpolished young talent’s bad vocal habits could be easily corrected. “You’ve got it,” Triston’s fellow Alabamian, Lionel, smilingly assured him.
Alto Moon, 27: “Lemonz”
This MJ/JB-like showman’s audition didn’t air in full, but his fleeting, interspersed snippets absolutely burned up a mid-episode sizzle reel as he performed his zesty original song and, as Lionel put it, “brought the party to the stage.” He’s got the juice! Now Mr. Moon will be bringing his party to Hollywood, where he’ll surely fit in.
Kennedy Reid, 23: “River Deep, Mountain High”
Kennedy, a Barbie/Dolly-esque mortician with a three-inch fuchsia coffin-nail manicure, might be better suited for a wacky comedy reboot of Six Feet Under than for Idol. While she flaunted a big ole voice that could wake the dead, her Tina Turner cover was pageant-y, according to Lionel. And even after she engaged in an impromptu duet of John Conlee’s “Rose Colored Glasses” with Luke, Luke still said no. But the Conlee song convinced Lionel that Kennedy had a certain “something we need to play with,” and Katy decided to give Kennedy “a break from death and show her what life is all about!” This painted lady’s Idol chances might not be dead just yet. But I think she’d be a lot more interesting if she played with that whole darkness/light dichotomy and leaned into some Southern Gothic country or traditional murder ballads.
Meggie Iyer, 18: “I Can’t Make You Love Me”
Bonnie Raitt’s devastating heartache classic was a grown-up pick for such a young lady, but this smoky-voiced Indiana chanteuse sang the ballad like she’d really lived it. She took her time with it, never rushing, never overdoing it with show-offy runs or ad-libs, and she truly seemed to understand what she was singing. Lionel was grunting in approval throughout, and he later gushed over Meggie’s “amazing vocal choices.” Katy gave her a standing ovation and — wait for it — predicted that Meggie will make the top 10. Katy might be right this time.
Ajii, 27: “Lose Control”
This street-trained Flatbush tough guy with a heart of gold was — to awkwardly mix my jewelry metaphors with Katy’s quote — a “diamond in the rough.” His Teddy Swims cover was so passionate and visceral that it had Katy checking her arms for goosebumps and a pleasantly shocked Lionel yelling, “Hallelujah!” and practically throwing his pen across the room. And the dude was just so damn likable. “You had me on your opening note. You are a light. Everything you do is so real,” Lionel marveled. “We do this show because of people like you. Period. End of story,” said Katy, who — wait for it — predicted that Ajii would make the top 10!
Blake Proehl, 24: “In Case You Didn’t Know”
This guy is sure to be the America’s sweetheart of Season 22. A second-generation NFL player whose three-year run with the Minnesota Vikings ended after he sustained a grievous knee injury, Blake found new fame as a crooner after a video of him serenading his beloved grandmother went viral. This week he showcased his sweet, pure tone on Brett Young’s love song, while his beaming grandma stood next to his white piano and Katy fought back her trademark tears. “Every grandma thinks their grandkid is great… but you’re right!” Katy told Nana Proehl. Host Ryan Seacrest called Blake’s grandmother a genius “talent scout.” Luke said Blake covered Brett’s ballad in “the right way, a believable way” and predicted that Blake would have every girl in America, including Katy, in a puddle “like melted butter.” And of course, Katy said Blake was “going to be top 10” and could even win the whole show. (Man, at this point Katy’s dream top 10 was crowding up so quickly, I wondered if a second auditions episode would even be necessary. The premiere was barely half over, and according to her, there were only six top 10 spots left! Maybe she’s just trying to expedite her final season so she can rush back to recording and touring.)
Micaela McCall, 28: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”
Like Katy, this “28 years young” sultry busker cut her teeth on Santa Barbara’s touristy State Street, and Micaela made Katy “so proud of this town” that Katy nearly cried. (Sunday’s premiere featured auditions in all of the judges’ hometowns, with the other two stops being Luke’s Leesburg and Lionel’s Tuskegee.) Micaela’s ballad version of Stevie Wonder’s hit would surely stop Santa Barbara pedestrians right in their tracks, because it was so uniquely her own. (“I’ve never heard that song done that way,” gasped Katy.) It was a risky move but it paid off, because Stevie has such a signature style that when singing-show contestants try to cover him, the result is often just corny karaoke. This lady was a natural, and she delivered and sealed the deal. Luke couldn’t believe Micaela hadn’t “already had a massive amount of success,” but Lionel just quipped with a grin, “The universe was saving her for us!” I am really surprised Katy didn’t call this one top 10 material.
Odell Bunton Jr., 28: “Bring It on Home to Me”
This father of five started dreaming of being a professional singer at age 6, and was pursuing his dream by age 13. However, he had to defer that dream to support his family, taking a job as an overnight security guard at the Dallas airport. But as Luke, who’d just witnessed 39-year-old Jelly Roll winning Best New Artist at the CMA Awards, noted, “It’s never too late to go after this thing.” Odell was a classic Idol star, a church-trained soulman a la Ruben Studdard or the late Willie Spence — “real tight old-school” is how Lionel described Odell’s own Cooke cover. “I had a chill hit my ribcage, and then you hit another one and my leg went numb!” raved Luke. Katy called Odell “the best soul singer we have this season” — which, again, seemed premature, but obviously the Idol editors didn’t pay much mind to chronology or continuity when cobblingly this episode together. The episode then actually skipped ahead, with Odell finding out that his Golden Ticket had been “upgraded” to Platinum — meaning he’ll get to bypass the first round of Hollywood Week this season.
McKenna Breinholt, 25: “There Was Jesus”
OK, everyone. Get out the Kleenex for this one. McKenna was adopted by a non-musically-inclined family, but when she sought out her birth mother’s information four years ago, she found out that she’d inherited her talent from her bio-mom, singer-songwriter Amy Ross-Lopez of the Bisbee folk duo Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl. Sadly, Amy died in 2013 at age 40 from complications of systemic lupus, but McKenna got to know Amy (of whom she’s the spitting image) by listening to her music and connecting with her bio-relatives through FaceTime. McKenna’s Dolly Parton piano cover was lovely, very Sara Bareilles/Christina Perri, and Lionel loved the “cry” in her voice. But everyone was crying when Amy’s birth family surprised McKenna — they’d never met in person before — and upon Katy’s request, McKenna covered Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl’s “Tumbleweed.” Amy’s poor mother could barely keep it together, and I admit, neither could I: Even after all of these seasons and sob stories, Idol can make me burst into is-someone-chopping-onion-in-here tears, gawd damn it. This segement honestly was almost too much, but it was so sweet, and it seemed sincere, not like contrived or exploitative television. And that’s the magic of this series, 22 seasons in — no matter who the judges are. “That’s the way American Idol family is supposed to work,” Lionel beamed.
See you next week for more auditions, more tears… and hopefully an update on my Season 23 Idol job application.