'American Idol' recap: Loretta Lynn's grandchild wows judges, Jelly Roll grieves with contestant

“American Idol” Season 22’s Top 24 contestants have all made their case for why they should make it into the Top 20, and their fates are now in viewers’ hands.

Monday’s episode saw a dozen singers leave it all out on stage in Hawaii after spending some time under Jelly Roll’s tutelage. In turn, the Grammy nominee became a fan of the many “Idol” hopefuls, including a teen boy from Alabama who idolizes him: season standout Triston Harper.

“Triston has the voice of a man that’s been through a lifetime of pain,” Jelly Roll said. “And he’s only 15 years old.”

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The rapper-turned-country-star also had an emotional journey as he found a connection with another one of the season’s teen contestants, who brought him to tears during rehearsals. Judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie were not immune as Mia Matthews performed a song dedicated to her late father.

Here are the night’s highlights.

Grammy nominee Jelly Roll performed “Halfway to Hell” after mentoring half of the Top 24 contestants.

What happened last episode? Tori Kelly, Iam Tongi join top 24 contestants in Hawaii

Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter wows ‘American Idol’ judges

A descendant of country music royalty is getting her moment in the spotlight, and wowing the “Idol” judges.

Emmy Russell, granddaughter of the late country music legend Loretta Lynn, received a standing ovation for her rendition of Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things.”

Jelly Roll told the 25-year-old singer he was proud of her, while Lionel Richie told her she had a “storyteller’s voice.”

“You have a texture in your voice that is your career,” Richie said. “We hear every word you are saying, and we believe it.”

Katy Perry and Luke Bryan praised her growing confidence on the stage.

“If your fame is sitting on a stool, delivering a song that really makes people reflect on their life, that can be your thing,” Luke Bryan said.

“I don’t think people can appreciate how shy this girl was a few months ago,” Bryan added. “As people get to know you, the shyness will go away. We are seeing that happen right in front of our eyes, and it’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

Jelly Roll professes ‘hate’ for contestant after she makes him cry

Nineteen-year-old Mia Matthews’ story struck a chord with Jelly Roll.

For her performance, Mia paid homage to her dad, who was from Hawaii and died before he could show her his hometown, by singing Holly Dunn’s “Daddy’s Hands.” During rehearsal, the teen managed to bring Jelly Roll to tears.

“I lost my father in 2019. So brave of you to pick that song,” Jelly Roll said with tears in his eyes. “It’s probably the single hardest experience I ever had.”

Mia Matthews brought Jelly Roll to tears with a song dedicated to her late father.

“Thanks for making me cry. I hate you,” he joked. “I love you!” she responded, and he returned the sentiment.

As her mom Tara and sister JC watched in the audience, Mia showcased her vulnerability on stage − and her voice, both powerful and soft at the same time. Her emotion and talent made Perry break out into goosebumps “all over.”

Mia held it together through the song until her voice cracked on the last line, endearing her to her audience.

“You sang to someone. It’s very hard to carry emotions on stage. Sometimes you want to hold that back because that vulnerability can sometimes throw you off course,” Richie told her. “In your case, it gave you the best performance I have ever seen come from you on this show.”

Mackenzie Sol reaches new heights with Nick Jonas cover

Mackenzie Sol hit all the right notes while putting his spin on Nick Jonas’ “Jealous.”

Mackenzie Sol took a chance this week with Nick Jonas’ 2014 single “Jealous,” which showcases the Jonas Brothers singer’s impressive range.

His nerves about reaching the falsetto at the end made watching his performance a nail-biter. Mackenzie also put a unique ballad-like spin on the pop hit. But as he seduced the audience with his hip-shaking moves, Mackenzie hit all the right notes and reached new heights in the competition.

“That was your best performance since being on the show,” Perry said. “You commanded. This was your show. You gave us moments with your voice and you gave us body. You gave us performance. You gave us hammer pants.”

Richie announced, “You brought sexy to ‘American Idol.'”

“I could tell when it happened because as soon as you opened your mouth for the first note, what happened? Everybody screamed,” the judge added. “Now, if you keep them screaming for another 40 years, that’s called a career.”

Last week: Here’s who made it into the Top 24 contestants during ‘Showstoppers’

Triston Harper wins over ‘role model’ Jelly Roll, who thinks he can win ‘American Idol’

Triston Harper, among the top 24 contestants, performs on Season 22, Episode 9, of “American Idol,” airing Monday, April 8, 2024.

Triston Harper was over the moon when he saw who their celebrity mentor would be this week.

“That’s my role model,” he said in awe after Jelly Roll announced himself.

He looked like he could hardly help himself as he spent one-on-one time with the “Halfway to Hell” singer during rehearsals. The two even spent some time dueting Jelly Roll’s “Son of a Sinner,” which Triston had sung at his school’s talent show.

The high schooler wasn’t the only fan, though.

As the country star-in-the-making sang Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country,” he looked perfectly at ease, occasionally flashing a charming smile as he showed off his melodious voice. With a full band and backup singers behind him, the teen looked – and sang – like he was on a headlining tour.

What comes out of his mouth is “straight magic,” Richie said.

Jelly Roll was also effusive in his praise. He said, “You are the youngest man with the oldest soul I’ve ever met in my life. You have a swagger that at 15 years old you don’t even know you have.

“You can win this competition, young man.”

How to vote for your favorite ‘American Idol’

Viewers can cast their votes at idolvote.abc.com or by downloading the “American Idol” app in the Apple app store or Google Play.

You can also text your favorite contestant’s assigned number (1 through 24, based on the order of their performance) to 21523.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘American Idol’ recap: Loretta Lynn’s grandchild wows judges, Jelly Roll grieves with contestant