Lionel Richie compares Madison VanDenburg’s voice to a deadly weapon on ‘American Idol’: Can she ‘knock everybody out’? [WATCH]
“You’re coming to this competition with a bat to knock everybody out,” Lionel Richie told Madison VanDenburg about her powerful voice during the live Top 5 show of “American Idol.” Following Madison’s performance of Elton John‘s “Your Song,” the superstar judge continued, “You understand me? It’s so amazing. Just take us on the journey because your star is shining bright.” Do you think Madison has done enough to win Season 17 of “American Idol”? Make your predictions at Gold Derby before next Sunday’s finale.
Fellow judge Katy Perry asked Madison, “Have you ever had a cheeseburger with no ketchup and no mustard?” When Madison responded that she had “once or twice,” Katy added, “It was fine, it was good, it tasted nice. But you just gave us the ketchup and the mustard! You keep singing like that.”
Luke Bryan chimed in, “You know, I think we have to focus on just how soulful your voice is and the range. It’s truly amazing. The whole time I’m watching you, I’m thinking, ‘How do we have this talent in front of us showing up?’ It’s truly unbelievable. Great job.”
Also during the Top 5 episode, Madison took on Pink‘s “What About Us” as her Bobby Bones pick and Garth Brooks‘ “Make You Feel My Love” as her hero tribute. At the end of the two hours, the Top 3 singers were revealed to be Madison, Laine Hardy and Alejandro Aranda. That meant both Wade Cota and Laci Kaye Booth were eliminated from the competition, as Gold Derby predicted.
Back in her original audition the judges called Madison “the next Kelly Clarkson,” but this 17-year-old high school student never once seemed intimidated by that moniker. Since Madison’s voice has never uttered a wrong note, might she soon claim victory as only the seventh female winner in “American Idol” history? It’s possible, particularly if the two boys end up splitting the vote.
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