The top three finalists - Grace Kinstler, Chayce Beckham, and Willie Spence - will take the stage one last time to perform in hopes of securing America's vote and, ultimately, become this season's winner.
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Who are the top 3?
Grace Kinstler is a 20-year-old Chicago native and college student at Berklee College of Music. The unexpected loss of her father last year fueled her 'Idol' journey, she said. Kinstler has a powerful voice that's won her praise from all of the judges. "Your voice quality, your confidence, the way you portray yourself on stage, it's a winning package," Lionel Richie said.
Chayce Beckham, 24, hails from Apple Valley, California. His mom and stepfather signed him up for American Idol after a horrible accident last year that changed his life. After his audition, Katy Perry predicted he would be top 5. The country rocker's first single "23" hit number one on two iTunes charts after its release last week.
Willie Spence grew up in Douglas, Georgia and started singing at his grandfather's church in Florida at age 6. Now 21, Spence shared some of his struggles with health over the last year. He's lost over 180 pounds since being hospitalized in March 2020. Spence has a booming voice that's earned him standing ovations from the judges this season. Luke Bryan told him, "You just have the magic, buddy."
According to Billboard, the singers will perform 3 solos on Sunday night. A "Hometown Song" segment will feature Beckham singing Chris Stapleton's "Fire Away," Kinstler performing Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" and Spence taking on Sam Cooke's civil rights anthem "A Change Is Gonna Come."
They will also revisit some previous performances. Kinstler will sing Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Beckham revisits Ed Sheeran's "Afterglow" and Spence retries Cynthia Erivo's "Stand Up."
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Celebrity judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie also picked a song for each contestant. For that, Beckham will perform the Beatles' "Blackbird," Kinstler will sing "All By Myself" by Celine Dion, and Spence will perform Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind."
The judges will also perform a hit song during the show.
Plus, the rest of the top nine contestants return to join renowned music artists Lindsey Buckingham, Alessia Cara, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Fall Out Boy, Mickey Guyton, Chaka Khan, Leona Lewis and Macklemore on the Idol stage.
Here are the songs planned for the celebrity duets:
Fall Out Boy - "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)" with Willie Spence, Deshawn Goncalves, Chayce Beckham, Arthur Gunn and Hunter Metts
Chaka Khan - Medley of "I'm Every Woman," "Ain't Nobody," "Sweet Thing" and "Through the Fire" with Deshawn Goncalves, Casey Bishop, Alyssa Wray, Cassandra Coleman and Grace Kinstler
Macklemore - "Can't Hold Us" with Chayce Beckham, Grace Kinstler and Willie Spence
Luke Combs - "Forever After All" with Chayce Beckham
Mickey Guyton - "Black Like Me" with Alyssa Wray
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Leona Lewis - "You Are the Reason" with Willie Spence
Alessia Cara - "Scars to Your Beautiful" with Grace Kinstler
Sheryl Crow - "Every Day Is a Winding Road" and "If It Makes You Happy" with Arthur Gunn
Lindsey Buckingham - "Go Your Own Way" with Cassandra Coleman
Fan favorite Murphy is also making a return appearance!
Voting for the next "American Idol" starts at the beginning of the episode on Sunday night at 8:00 ET | 5:00 PT and will be open throughout the live show.
After the new 'Idol' is crowned, fans can play a part in bringing back a favorite finalist for an additional national TV appearance: a special encore performance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" via "Live's 'American Idol' Encore." Tune in Monday morning!
The search for next season's Idol has already begun. Visit AmericanIdol.com/auditions to learn more.
You can see every performance on American Idol's YouTube channel and watch the full episodes anytime on Hulu.