The contestants on American Idol had a big night on Sunday, May 8. They performed songs by Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran in front of the two artists themselves, who were serving as guest judges alongside regular judge Luke Bryan.
When it came time for contestant Warren Peay to sing a song by Morissette, he chose "All I Really Want" from her 1995 Jagged Little Pill album. Morissette also served as a mentor on the show, and she helped to coach Peay on his performance before the big day arrived. During their mentoring session, Morissette encouraged Peay to begin the song on a "smaller," quieter note and let it build through the performance.
When the performance day came, Peay took the stage with confidence and sang the classic tune with a Southern rock flair. Peay also ditched his guitar for the performance, which allowed him to move around the stage freely and infuse all his energy into singing and entertaining for the crowd. His vocal shined throughout the song and he showed improved showmanship for the duration of the performance.
The judges were impressed with Peay's performance, with Morissette praising him for taking her suggestions and putting a brand new spin on her song. Sheeran also commended him for performing without his guitar, which the award-winning singer says is even hard for him to do. And Bryan also had nothing but good thing to say to Peay, complimenting him on his showmanship and commenting on how far he has come in the competition.
Peay performed a second time during this show — this time it was a flawless duet of Sheeran's "Perfect" with fellow contestant Wé Ani.
Despite his two powerhouse performances, Peay did not make it through to the Top 5. The five contestants were chosen by fan votes, and many viewers shared their disbelief about Peay's exclusion in the group on social media. One fan wrote that they were "Utterly SHOCKED," and another reasoned that Peay should have made it to the Top 2 in the competition with fellow contestant Iam Tongi.
In the end, the five singers voted through were Tongi, Colin Stough, Megan Danielle, Wé Ani and Zachariah Smith.
Morissette and Sheeran stepped in for judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry this week while they traveled to England to perform at the coronation of King Charles III. The two will return to the judges table on Sunday, May 14.
