‘American Idol’ recap: Did Charlotte airport pianist Josh King make Top 14?
The votes are in — and it’s time to see which aspiring artists still have a shot at winning this season of “American Idol.”
Monday night, 20 contestants remained in the competition, including North Carolina’s Josh King from Matthews.
But by the end of the show, only 14 advanced to the next round of the ABC reality singing competition.
Sunday night, the 24-year-old was one of the first finalists called into the Top 20. He hit the stage with a heartfelt performance of Joe Cocker’s “You are so Beautiful,” which he said was inspired by his mother.
Judge Carrie Underwood praised his performance, saying he showed off his “sweet and soft side,” while judge Luke Bryan said he was “totally locked in to everything you were doing.”
Monday night, six more singers went home after singing one more time for the judges’ votes.
Spoiler alert: Here’s a recap of what happened.
Who is Josh King?
King isn’t just a singer. He’s got a wide skill set of musical talents. According to his website, he also plays multiple instruments, specifically the diatonic harmonica, chromatic harmonica, and piano in several genres — which he’s shown off multiple times this season.
“With a smooth, rich voice and expansive vocal range, his voice and harmonica have captivated listeners across the globe. As a young harmonica player, Josh performed with Grammy winners as well as Blues and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. Josh is currently working on original music in the alt-pop genre to record,” King’s website says.
He’s also a volunteer performer at local hospitals and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, CharlotteFive previously reported. So, he’s definitely no stranger to stepping into the spotlight.
So, did Josh make the Top 14?
Based on the more than 1 billion votes that came in, 10 contestants made it into the “Victory Zone,” securing a spot in the Top 14.
The other 10 were in the “Danger Zone,” and they had to sing for a spot among the finalists moving on.
King unfortunately found himself in the latter. He sang one of his favorite songs, “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley — which judge Lionel Richie loved.
“Josh listen to me. Give me more of that. That will do it,” he said following his performance.
But was it enough to push him forward in the competition?
Yes. Judge Luke Bryan — who picked him as a “judge’s save” — said, “the airport lounge will have to wait.”
King, looking stunned and perhaps in disbelief, walked over to the singers who also will move forward.
Who was announced as a Top 14 finalist?
During Monday night’s episode, the following contestants got to “sing in celebration” after being announced as a Top 14 finalist:
- Kolbi Jordan
- Thunderstorm Artis
- Filo
- John Foster
- Mattie Pruitt
- Canaan James Hill
- Breanna Nix
- Jamal Roberts
- Slater Nalley
- Gabby Samone
Who was in the ‘Danger zone’?
These singers had to sing again for the judges to earn a spot in the Top 14:
- Isaiah Misailegalu
- Drew Ryn
- Olivier Bergeron
- Josh King
- Ché
- Baylee Littrell
- Desmond Roberts
- Zaylie Windsor
- Victor Solomon
- Amanda Barise
Who was saved?
Along with King, Desmond Roberts, Ché and Amanda Barise secured spots among the Top 14.
How to watch ‘American Idol’
New episodes of “American Idol” are released every Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC and the next day on Hulu.
Next week, there will be two (very famous) familiar faces from North Carolina featured in this week’s upcoming episodes: James Taylor as a guest mentor for Sunday’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night and Fantasia as a guest mentor and performer for Monday’s #IDOL Moments show.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 10:05 PM.
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