I'm Here" which received standing ovation from the judges. He sang "
Jar of Hearts
"Jar of Hearts" is the debut single by American singer Christina Perri. The song was released onto iTunes July 27, 2010, a week after its debut on ''So You Think You Can Dance''. The song was included on Perri's debut EP, '' The Ocean Way Session ...
" at the Hollywood rounds. Taylor performed "
This Time" at the Vegas sudden death rounds. He also performed the same song at the semi-finals. He stated in his audition that he and his family were survivors of
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cos ...
. His musical influence is
India.Arie
India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards ...
. After his performance of "
You Give Love a Bad Name
"You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album '' Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover, ...
", he was eliminated on April 4 coming in seventh place.
*Devin Velez (born April 22, 1994) is from
Chicago. He auditioned in Chicago as well. Velez sang "
What a Wonderful World
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. It topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed poor ...
" at the Hollywood rounds. Then, he sang "
Listen
Listen may refer to:
* The action of listening
* Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear
* Listening behaviour types in human communication
Computing
* LISTEN, a TCP connection state on the server side indic ...
" at the sudden death rounds. Velez performed "
Somos Novios (It's Impossible)
"Somos Novios" ( Spanish for "We Are Lovers") is a song first recorded by Mexican songwriter Armando Manzanero in 1968. Originally a French song " J'ai le mal de toi", different versions with unrelated lyrics in different languages have been writt ...
" at the semi-final round. He draws his musical influences from artists including
Israel Houghton
Israel Houghton (; born May 19, 1971) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, producer and worship leader. He is usually credited as Israel & New Breed.
Musical career
Houghton produced an album by Michael Gungor, '' ...
,
Cece Winans
Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer. She rose to prominence as a member of the duo BeBe & CeCe Winans; before launching an acclaimed solo career. Winans has been a ...
,
Smokie Norful,
Donnie McClurkin
Donald Andrew "Donnie" McClurkin, Jr. (born November 9, 1959) is an American gospel singer and minister. He has won three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award and one NAACP Image Awards. He is ...
, Beyoncé Knowles, and his mother. After his performance of "
The Tracks of My Tears", he was eliminated on March 28 coming in eighth place.
*Paul Jolley (born January 27, 1990) is from
Palmersville, Tennessee. He auditioned in Baton Rouge, singing "
I Won't Let Go". He sang Carrie Underwood's "
Blown Away" at the Hollywood rounds. He sang "Tonight I Wanna Cry" at the Vegas sudden death rounds. Jolley performed "
Just a Fool" at the semi-final round. His musical style came from his family. He dubbed himself as the male version of Carrie Underwood. After his performance of "
Eleanor Rigby
"Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with " Yellow Submarine". The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to L ...
", he was eliminated on March 21 coming in ninth place.
*Curtis Finch, Jr. (born August 19, 1988) is from
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. He has previously auditioned in the
fourth and eleventh seasons, where he made it to the Las Vegas round, where he grouped with Amber along with eleventh season finalists Shannon Magrane and Joshua Ledet. He had performed "Jar of Hearts" as his final solo in the Hollywood rounds. Finch sang "
Superstar
A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...
" at the sudden death rounds. He performed "
I Believe I Can Fly
"I Believe I Can Fly" is a song written, produced, and performed by disgraced American singer R. Kelly from the soundtrack to the 1996 film ''Space Jam''. It was originally released on November 26, 1996, and was later included on Kelly's 1998 al ...
" at the semi-final round. His personal musical style is his
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
background. He was the first finalist eliminated on March 14 coming in tenth place.
Mariah Carey–Nicki Minaj feud
A video was leaked to
TMZ
TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 2 ...
in October 2012 which showed Minaj erupting in a tirade against Carey during the audition in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
. It was also claimed that Minaj was heard saying off-camera, "If I had a gun, I would shoot that bitch." Minaj however denied that she had made the threat. Ryan Seacrest said that the dispute "went a little too far", while Keith Urban jokingly said "I was the
UN", and the feud elicited a comment from President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
that Carey and Minaj will "sort it out". In an interview with
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...
on ''
The View'' aired on January 7, 2013, Carey said that, due to Minaj's threats, it "felt like an unsafe work environment," and claimed that she had boosted her personal security. Minaj has stated that Barbara Walters never attempted to contact her for comment regarding her side of the story. Carey also said that she has since made up with Minaj. Carey's then-husband
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
claimed that the feud was used by ''American Idol'' producers to generate interest and ratings. Producer Nigel Lythgoe however denied that he was responsible for leaking the video or that it was a publicity stunt, and said that he had no plans to use the footage in advance of or during the season. Fox executive
Mike Darnell
Michael H. Darnell (born 1962) is an American television executive and former child actor. He is currently the president of unscripted and alternative television at Warner Bros. He spent nearly 19 years at the FOX network as president of alterna ...
described the buzz due to the feud as being great. The aired episode of the Charlotte audition did not show the tirade and what was shown appeared to have no real linear connection with the leaked footage.
In April 2013, Carey noted during an episode of ''American Idol'' that Minaj had not had a number-one song on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The next day, Minaj took to Twitter to post what have been described as "extremely harsh" insults against Carey. She labeled the singer "insecure" and "bitter", while also referencing a widely spread rumor that the producers of ''American Idol'' wanted to bring
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
back to the panel after a significant decline in ratings this season; "All dem #1s but JLo phone ringin? Lol. I guess having a personality, being a secure woman, and giving genuine critique still trumps that", Minaj tweeted. In November 2013, Carey stated that "''American Idol'' was like going to work every day in hell with Satan".
U.S. Nielsen ratings
The Wednesday episodes had an average viewer number of 15.04 million with a 4.6 rating in the 18/49 demo, while the Thursday episodes had an average viewer number of 14.64 million and a 4.3 in 18/49 demo. The average figure represents a 23% drop from the previous year.
References
{{American Idol
American Idol seasons
2013 American television seasons