Tonight’s the night. A new “American Idol” will be crowned and Georgia’s own Megan Danielle is in the running. The three-hour finale will air live coast-to-coast on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
And if you missed it, here’s our story about Danielle getting a hometown celebration this past week: Finalist Megan Danielle gets ‘American Idol’ hometown visit in Douglasvillle
Original story:
Douglasville Christian pop singer Megan Danielle will be in the finals of “American Idol” on Sunday.
She will be battling for the season 21 crowd with Hawaiian favorite Iam Tongi and country singer Colin Stough.
It was Disney night this past Sunday, which forced the contestants to pick songs from any Disney movie.
Megan said she chose “You Can’t Stop the Girl” from the relatively obscure 2019 film “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” because it spoke to her and the struggles she and her mom and siblings went through after her dad left. She sang the rather unmemorable song well.
At this late juncture, the judges are in full-stop rave zone with everybody.
“That was a stellar performance,” said Lionel Richie. “That high note you hit in the middle of the song was amazing.”
Katy Perry: “I think this is the most you stretched your vocals. That was like you were competing with all the big ones this time. ... Your confidence is on another level.”
Luke Bryan: “You are a vocalist. It’s someone that delivers vocals like you did. It’s bigger than the girl we met in auditions and put in a sing off.”
For her second song, she selected the Brandi Carlisle song “Carried Me With You” from the 2020 Pixar film “Onward.”
She picked a song that worked well with her raspy voice and she gives it plenty of vigor and light.
Luke: “So effortless, so natural, you’re always in the pocket. ... You’ve got the magic tone, magic delivery. I just love your voice. It’s true. It’s real.”
Lionel: said she has “instant identity. You have a cry that’s so believable, so real.”
Katy: “There is a light that you’ve switched, you switched something inside of you. You see it. You can hear it. ... It’s a beautiful angelic place every time you sing. I think when God calls on people, a lot of people say, ‘Why me?’ You have to accept it. You are the one.”
Does Megan have a prayer to beat the juggernaut that is Iam Tongi? Probably not. Iam is going into the finals as the favorite, based on social media reaction and polling. He is super likable, quietly emotive and distinctive in his approach even if that approach can seem very, very similar every time you hear him.
The other finalist, the genial HVAC contractor Colin Hough, has an outside shot of winning, but it’s doubtful “Idol” will have another country singer win after Noah Thompson last year.
On the bright side, 20-year-old Megan has done far better on “Idol” than she did on “The Voice” three years ago when she was more focused on pop-rock. She has since shifted to a more Christian bent.
