‘American Idol’: Triston Harper Impresses With Cover of ‘God’s Country’
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American Idol is down to its top 24, and with his confident performance in Hawaii, Triston Harper did his chances no harm of going deeper in the competition.
The teen took Idol to church on Monday night (April 8), with a performance of Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country”.
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Aged just 15, Harper possesses a beefy voice, with twang, swagger and command that could — should — belong to a seasoned pro.
The McIntosh, AL school student had the Disney Aulani stage hollering, and, at various moments, judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and guest mentor Jelly Roll on their feet and dancing.
Earlier, Billboard spoke with Jelly Roll about the young competitor. “He walked in with the spirit of a 75-year-old man that had been through a lifetime of pain. Just wise beyond his years, with that deep Southern drawl,” he told Billboard’s Fred Bronson. “He has you eating out of the palm of his hand the first two seconds you talk to him, and the coolest part is he has no clue that he’s charming. It’s just naturally kind of who he is and then for him to be so moved by me was really cool.”
Hawaii week is an Idol tradition that began in 2018, which sees the top 24 perform over two nights at Aulani, a Disney resort and spa in Ko Olina.
Harper performed on the second of those nights.
The youngster melted hearts with his Idol audition, when he performed a cover of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” shared the tough tale of surviving homelessness with his mom, and landed the golden ticket.
The top 20 will be revealed this Sunday, April 14 on ABC, when, as previously reported, Teddy Swims, Lauren Spencer Smith and Paul Russell will take the stage for a special three-hour episode. Voting on the top 20 closes Tuesday at 6 am ET.
Watch Harper’s performance below.
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