Many “American Idol” fans were praying their favorite season 23 contestants would make it through to the show’s Top 20 during the first-ever “Songs of Faith” episode on April 20, 2025.
Amid many inspiring performances on the show’s first Easter-themed episode, beginning with judge Lionel Richie singing “Eternity” flanked by the top 24 contestants, host Ryan Seacrest has a tough job. In the end, he has to inform four talented singers that their prior week’s performances, filmed at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii, didn’t garner enough of the nearly 30 million votes cast by viewers to advance them to the next round.
EntertainmentNOW will provide live updates throughout the three-hour episode, as well as details on how to vote for the best performances of the night. Results of the votes cast on April 20 will be revealed on the April 21 episode, when Seacrest announces who’s made it through to the Top 14. (Scroll down for details on the three ways to vote)
During the Easter show, Seacrest is revealing one-by-one which contestants have made it through to the Top 20, divided up into two groups of 12, based on which night they performed on during the Hawaii episodes. Each singer who hears their name called then immediately must perform the song of faith they’ve chosen, hoping to earn viewers’ votes again for the Top 14. Below, we’re reporting on each person who’s made it through, details about their performance, and their unique number for voting via text.
Canaan James Hill — The 17-year-old aspiring preacher from Dallas, performed a soulful rendition of “Better Days” by Le’Andria Johnson. Judge Carrie Underwood told him, “You understood the assignment!” To vote for Canaan, text 16 to 21523
Drew Ryn — The 28-year-old from Chino Valley, Arizona, performed Coldplay’s “Yellow,” noting that it the song feels to her like having “a conversation with the Lord.” Judge Luke Bryan told her she’s a “diamond in the rough” who keeps surprising them. To vote for Drew, text 15 to 21523
Desmond Roberts — The 26-year-old music teacher from Orange County, California, sang Jon Batiste’s “Worship,” which earned him a standing ovation from all three judges. Richie said his vocals were “amazing.” To vote for Desmond, text 14 to 21523
Filo — Platinum ticket recipient Filo, the 23-year-old from Dublin, California, gave a rousing performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” backed by a Gospel choir. Richie told Filo, “You aced it” and Bryan told him it “felt theatrical in the right way.” To vote for Filo, text 17 to 21523
Josh King — The 24-year-old pianist from Charlotte, North Carolina, sang a tender version of Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful.” He “melted” Underwood, Bryan said, when he revealed he was thinking of his mom as he sang the tune. To vote for Josh, text 21 to 21523
Thunderstorm Artis — Guitar in hand, the 29-year-old from Haleiwa, Hawaii, delivered an acoustic rendition of “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury. Bryan told he loved his “energetic rock side” that felt like a “Christian rock concert that was amazing,” which Richie and Underwood encouraged him to keep showing them more of. To vote for Thunderstorm, text 23 to 21523
Amanda Barise — Tearful over making it through to the top 20, the 27-year-old soul singer from New York City sang Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You.” Underwood told her she “crushed it” and Bryan said it felt like her “shining moment” on the stage. To vote for Amanda, text 24 to 21523
John Foster — The 18-year-old college student and country singer from Addis, Louisiana, sang an original song called “Tell That Angel I Love Her.” At the end of his performance, which the judges loved, Foster was brought to tears after dedicating the tune to a best friend named Maggie, whom he later said died suddenly in 2022. To vote for John, text 13 to 21523
Mattie Pruitt — Days after turning 16, the high school student from Eaglesville, Tennessee, sang “Idol” alum Lauren Daigle’s “Rescue.” Richie said that the “cry” in her voice is her signature, while Underwood said she had chills throughout the song, but looks forward to seeing her stage presence blossom. to To vote for Mattie, text 22 to 21523
Olivier Bergeron — The 23-year-old Canadian truck driver from Kedgwick, New Brunswick, looked shocked to be the last from the first group of 12 contestants to make it through the 20. He performed a rock ballad of “Stay” by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko. Richie loved how “intense” and focused he is on stage, but encouraged him to open his eyes and Underwood encouraged him to thoughtfully relay the message of the song. To vote for Olivier, text 19 to 21523
GOING HOME: After revealing the voting results for the first group of 12 contestants, the two who remained in that group and will be leaving the competition are Kyana Fanene and Grayson Torrence.
After a powerful performance of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” by Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake, the next group of 12 took to the stage to find out their fate. Here’s who’s moving on to the top 20 from that group and their unique numbers for voting via text.
Breanna Nix — The 25-year-old stay-at-home-mom from Denton, Texas, sang Patty Griffin’s “Up to the Mountain.” Bryan celebrated the “purity” and “control” of her voice, and Underwood said her entire “Idol” journey has been amazingly “solid.” To vote for Breanna, text 9 to 21523
EntertainmentNOW/Disney
“American Idol” judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan
The top 20 contestants get to perform their “Songs of Faith” during the Easter episode, hoping viewers will vote for them to advance to the Top 14. But fans don’t have much time to cast their votes.
As in the previous week, viewers have three ways to vote and can cast up to 10 votes for each of their favorite singers on each platform — up to 30 votes per contestant. The first two ways to vote are through ABC’s website and via the “American Idol” app, either via Apple for iPhones or via Google for Androids. The site and app require signing in — you can create a free account or use an existing MyDisney account.
The third way to vote is by texting a favorite contestant’s unique contestant number to 21523, up to 10 times for any one contestant. On all three platforms, viewers have until 9 a.m. Eastern time on April 21 to cast their votes.
