"American Idol’s" Pia Toscano has officially signed a recording contract with Interscope Records, THR has confirmed. She will release her debut single, “This Time,” on July 12 and perform the song as part of her set during this summer’s American Idol Live! Tour.
The track comes courtesy of Esther Dean, who has written several hit singles for Rihanna, including “S&M,” “Rude Boy” and “What’s My Name,” and is currently featured on Nicki Minaj’s smash “Superbass.” Dean wrote and co-produced “This Time,” an acoustic guitar and beat-driven track. Toscano will continue to work on her debut album, which is due out later this year. Producer Rodney Jerkins, who has recorded three songs with Toscano, told THR in May that fans can expect a “big, diva-sounding record.” Toscano shot the cover art for the album at Los Angeles' Smudge Studio in late June. Although she was voted out in ninth place, Toscano was widely regarded as a frontrunner for much of the competition. Upon her ouster, celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Jennifer Hudson and Alyssa Milano expressed their outrage on Twitter, while Ashton Kutcher told On Air With Ryan Seacrest, “I think she was probably the best pure singer on the show, and she’s got all the makings of what it means to be a star.” Says Toscano in a statement being released on Wednesday: ““I am thrilled to be joining the Interscope and 19 Recordings family. [Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman] Jimmy Iovine was an amazing mentor during my time on Idol and I’m looking forward to working with him and everyone at Interscope Records and 19 Recordings. This is a dream come true.” Last month, THR reported that Toscano along with season 10 alums Haley Reinhart and James Durbin had signed representation deals with Red Light Management (working in tandem with 19 Entertainment). "I feel like I'm in really good hands," said Toscano. "The most important thing for me is feeling safe with my team. I think they have a good vision for me and where my career is going to go." The "Idol" summer tour kicks off July 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and runs through September 10, when the Top 11 take their final bow in Rochester, New York.
Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Bono perform on star-studded season 10 finale. Either way, a teenage country singer was going to take home the season 10 "American Idol" crown Wednesday night (May 25), it was just a matter of whether it was Scotty McCreery or Lauren Alaina. After Tuesday night's final performance episode, Fox announced that more than 122 million votes poured in, marking a new record in "Idol" history, bringing the season total to more than 730 million votes. And while Scotty looked like the unbeatable favorite, there was some doubt going into the finale, thanks to Lauren's gutsy performance just 24 hours before and her knockout delivery of what could have been her "Idol" coronation tune, "Like My Mother Does."
Two hours into the final show, Seacrest finally got the golden envelope, and McCreery and Alaina gave each other a playful, youthful shove in anticipation of the news. To almost no one's surprise, the name inside was Scotty's, and the Garner, North Carolina, baseball star and church choir member burst into tears, bending over with his hands on his knees as the giant screen behind him flashed "Scotty Wins!" A smiling Alaina gave him a warm kiss, and the two pals embraced as judge Jennifer Lopez walked over to present a microphone-shaped trophy to the 17-year-old country crooner who never wavered from his signature, deep-voiced delivery throughout the competition. The rest of the season's finalists engulfed Scotty in a group hug as Seacrest brought him center stage and raised his hand like a boxing champ after a 12-round brawl to end it all. "It's been a year since me and Lauren Alaina tried out, and me and her have been together since day one and we're gonna stay together. ... Never in my wildest dreams," said a shell-shocked McCreery. "I gotta thank the Lord first, he got me here." Handing the platinum microphone off to James Durbin, McCreery moseyed out to the audience to hug his folks and his family (but not disappointed actor Jack Black), as he sang his coronation tune, "I Love You This Big," stopping along the way to hug each finalist and tell them he loved them while sparks and confetti rained down on his big moment. As the song ended, he crumpled into a heap center stage for a good cry and then a few more embraces for the rest of the cast. The performance-packed two-hour finale opened with the season's top 13 -- dressed in white and silver lamé -- taking a peppy, Broadway jukebox musical-style run at Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." Speaking of Gaga, Mother Monster returned to the "Idol" stage for a surprisingly sedate performance of "The Edge of Glory." Standing at the top of a rocky crag while wearing an elaborate diamond-shaped headdress and black cape that she tossed aside to reveal a metal-studded leather bikini, Gaga mostly stood in place until a male dancer approached to engage her in a hip-to-hip ballet interlude that ended with a lover's leap. He wanted to bring metal back, and fourth-place finisher James Durbin got his chance. Slipping into some studded metal duds to rock the stage with hard-rock legends Judas Priest on their classics "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law," Durbin traded snarling vocals with singer Rob Halford and unleashed some of his signature rebel howls to the likely confusion of many in the audience and at home. Jacob Lusk hooked up with gospel great Kirk Franklin and R&B legend Gladys Knight for Franklin's sanctified "I Smile"; bearded lover-man Casey Abrams threw down with "Kung Fu Panda 2" star Black on a greasy, scat-tastic romp through Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls"; and the ladies of "Idol" (minus Lauren) did a sassy medley of Beyoncé songs, including "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "Irreplaceable," "Get Me Bodied" and "If I Were a Boy." Things were seeming a bit long until B herself showed up to show the girls how it's done, with a fierce, heel-stomping "Crazy in Love." Queen B got another chance a bit later, debuting her emotional new ballad "1+1," from her upcoming album 4. With composers Bono and The Edge in tow, Reeve Carney, star of the troubled Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark," sang the meditative beat-rock ballad "Rise Above," capably trading vocals with the Irish rock icon in a pleading voice that was eerily reminiscent of Bono's own plaintive wail. The top 13 guys also got a chance, singing Prince's "Kiss," which allowed Stefano Langone to break out his squeaky falsetto and Paul McDonald to do his scarecrow dance once more for Tom Jones' "She's a Lady," before Sir Jones himself came out to bring it home with "It's Not Unusual." Haley Reinhart got to show off her jazz roots during a duet with musical icon Tony Bennett on a finger-snappin' "Steppin' Out," which included a bit of soft-shoe and fancy dance moves from the duo. One of the night's biggest surprises was the reunion of the two remaining members of 1990s girl group TLC with rapper Lil Jon and the top 13 girls for "Scrubs" and "Waterfalls." Finally, it was time for McCreery to get the spotlight, sharing a microphone and holding his own with Tim McGraw on "Live Like You Were Dying." Also getting a chance to shine after mentoring the "Idol" contestants behind-the-scenes all season was Latin star Marc Anthony, who brought some salsa fire with "Aguanile," during which he was joined by wife Lopez, who showed off her dancing assets during a Sheila E. timbale breakdown. In keeping with the judges' sharp use of the biggest platform in TV to plug themselves, Steven Tyler took the spotlight to sing an abbreviated version of Aerosmith's "Dream On," though, curiously, not his new debut solo single. Alaina also got her time to shine, singing a grinding version of Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," with a California-beach-babe-looking Underwood sauntering out to trade sassy verses, with the two Southern gals making beautiful music together. And so season 10 ended with the coronation of the first country "Idol" winner since season four's Underwood, who just happens to be the biggest star in the show's history. So Scotty's got that going for him. Don't miss a special edition of "Idol Party Live" Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, finale red-carpet coverage and the last "Idol in 60 Seconds" of season 10. Get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
"American Idol" revealed its top three finalists for Season 10 on Thursday night, and sadly, rocker James Durbin will not be a "hometown hero."
We knew Scotty McCreery would (rightfully) be in the top three after his perfectly timed 9/11 tribute, but the verdict doesn't seem fair. James, who basically gave a rock concert every single week and who never once landed in the bottom three as far as we can recall, was sent home, while Haley "Reinharted" into next week after "losing" round one on Wednesday.
That's not to say we don't like Haley. She has a cool rock 'n' roll vibe, and her second performance was Broadway-worthy this week. And while Lauren Alaina has been a little inconsistent throughout the season, she gave an especially beautiful performance of Martina McBride's "Anyway" on Wednesday, which she tastefully dedicated to victims of the storms in the South.
But James really deserved to be in the top three. In fact, it was only a week or so that Randy said the competition was "his to lose."
Well, it wasn't coming into Thursday's elimination show, when the fates of seven bright-eyed hopefuls still hung in the balance.
What did we learn tonight, besides that Casey Abrams, James Durbin and Scotty McCreery should never sing "Viva La Vida" all together ever again?
Nothing new, really.
Stefano Langone and Jacob Lusk made up the bottom two and the trapdoor ultimately opened underneath Stefano.
It was the Ne-Yo, we tell you, the Ne-Yo! If you want to do dance-party R&B on this show...just don't.
Hence, it was the end of the road for the 21-year-old wild card from Kent, Wash., who recovered from a devastating accident in just enough time to give his singing career a jolt by trying out for Idol.
"It started my career, and that's something you can't put a price on. That's everything," he told Ryan Seacrest after the elimination. "I'm just so blessed, I came this far, and it's great! It really is!"
So, another close shave for Jacob, who avoided the bottom three last week after performing Simon & Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Trouble Water," but was right back in it after last night's emotional rendition of Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father."
But who was alongside them in the bottom three?
"Scotty, wow, you are safe," Ryan informed the perpetually safe country singer, sending him to sit with Casey, James and Lauren Alaina, and sending Haley Reinhart to fill the last bottom-three stool—for about 30 seconds.
Instead of making her wait through Katy Perry and Kanye West's "E.T" performance, Ryan sidled up to Haley, told her to return with him to the middle of the stage, and then shooed her off to safety.
And then there were six. Next week, Haley, Casey, Lauren, James, Jacob and Scotty will try to weave a pretty tapestry with the tunes of Carole King.
Musically speaking, James Durbin and Casey Abrams may not be everyone's cup of tea. But there's no denying that, with their envelope-pushing ways, the two California kids are bringing the most edge and energy to "American Idol" as the show steams toward its stretch run.
They hogged the spotlight during Wednesday's Top 7 presentation of "music from the 21st century" -- Durbin with his soaring rendition of Muse's "Uprising," and Abrams with his revved-up version of Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe."
And both singers had the judges raving, but only Abrams had Jennifer Lopez blushing after he sealed his performance with a kiss.
Depending on your perspective, Durbin either looked like a rock 'n' roll storm trooper, or a homeless dude off the beaches of Santa Cruz as he took to the stage in dark tattered overcoat.
(He said was going for a "post-apocalyptic" vibe). Accompanied by a marching-band drum section (surely a first in "Idol" history), Durbin, as always, dove full-throttle into the song, which closed out with the kind of super-high notes that may have shattered TV screens in some homes.
JLo was blown away. "Wow. I think that was the highest we've ever heard you sing," she remarked.
Added Steven Tyler, "I love it that you're out of your mind, beautifully so."
Not to be totally outdone, Abrams strapped on an electric guitar and did what some may have thought impossible -- bring some intensity and passion to a Maroon 5 song. But he softened things up at the end, approaching the judges' table and planting a peck on J.Lo's cheek. A brazen move for the bearded wonder from Idyllwild. It isn't everyday, after all, that you get to kiss the "most beautiful woman in the world," according to People magazine.
"You did what I've been trying to do for four months," blurted Steven Tyler, who tossed in some expletives that woke up the guy in charge of the "bleep" button.
JLo said she loved Abrams' performance -- and that his "soft lips" weren't bad either.
The judges also found plenty to like about Jacob Lusk's touching performance of the Luther Vandross classic, "Dance with my Father," which had an emotional Lusk recalling his own late father. In addition, Haley Reinhart's gutsy take on Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" received glowing reviews.
But one singer accustomed to praise -- country warbler Scotty McCreery -- finally heard a touch of criticism (long overdue, from my standpoint). His listless version of "Swingin' " by LeAnn Rimes was called "safe and kinda boring" by Randy Jackson, and JLo said, "we were expecting more from Scotty."
Before the Top 7 did their thing, fans of Thia Megia got a treat when the East Bay singer returned with other eliminated contestants (Pia Toscano, Naima Adedapo, Karen Rodriguez, Ashthon Jones and Paul McDonald) for a rousing group sing of Pink's "So What."
"We miss this group," chirpped Jackson when it was over. "Come back. Come back."
It was Motown Week on American Idol, which meant a lot of white blazers, plenty of scrambling to Wikipedia the 1960s, and "a massive amount of pressure," considering that the Top 10 who survive tonight's elimination will end up on the season 10 summer tour. At the top of the show, Ryan began to descend the Stairway to Heaven, and then before we knew it -- about a year later -- it was time for the singing. Here's how it all went down.
Randy Jackson's Mini Recap for Busy People: "They're all really good tonight. They all showed up tonight."
Wow, thanks Dawg! That's so cool, that you're blogging.
Casey Abrams kicked things off with a growlin' and howlin' rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine." I thought it was pretty standard Casey fare, but the judges found it more mind-blowing than I did. Steven called out Casey's "crazy out of control ego" as essential for working artists today, and J. Lo wracked her brain thinking of anyone who could possible compare to Casey. "Is there anybody out there right now like you? You might be, like, the guy right now!" Hold your horses, woman, this is just the first song. Even though the violinists ended up dominating Casey visually when he was back up on the stage, I loved that there was a live orchestra at all. The strings are such a vital part of that song. Strings! They're amazing. They might be, like, the band section right now. I was not a fan of the flatter, straighter hair on Casey -- it reminded me of the low-flow shower head episode of Seinfeld, which is always special, but not a great look for real life.
Thia Megia looked like an upside-down flower tottering around in stilettos as she sang Martha and the Vandellas’ "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave.” I felt extremely uncomfortable watching this exquisite robot try so hard to have fun. Also, I find this song hilarious in that its most distinctive element is, obviously, someone yelling out "HEAT WAVE" over and over. It's almost a directive, like "DANCE PARTY." It's preposterous! Like who is this lady and why is she so emphatic about the weather? You sort of have to be kidding in order to pull it off. And I sort of get the impression that Thia has never made a joke in her entire little life. The judges, of course, loved it. "Okay! Okay! Okay!" began J. Lo, and if she'd ended her critique right there, we would have been on the same page. They were all thrilled that Thia had taken the bold step of trying extremely hard to loosen up. This one's losing steam, I think. Its battery could die at any moment.
Even though I still think he has trouble staying in tune, we can go ahead and count Jacob Lusk's “You’re All I Need to Get By" as one of the best performances of the season -- controlled, but still powerful and soulful. I really, really dig the quality of his voice, and just wish his transitions from very high to very low (and vice versa) weren't often so jarring. He gets it, though. The performance quality is there and he actually connects to lyrics. In fact, what I loved most about this performance was how clear it was that Jacob loved this song. His phrasing on some of those last text-heavy lines was so natural, it was almost conversational. He didn't take it over the top. It was just a very mature performance. Pink cuff links never hurt anyone, is all I'm saying. Hmm, was it just me or did J. Lo seem extra horny last night with all that chatter about how Jacob made us beg for those notes? Seems like these contestants had her squirming around a lot in that swivel chair. It could have something to do with the extra coats of oil on her freshly shaved legs. Maybe all of this -- season 10 in general! -- is an artful extension of J. Lo's ad campaign for Venus. Whoa.
And woe. Poor Lauren Alaina, who had to follow Jacob's ladies-only front row hug parade with her version of the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” I feel like she needs a new narrative each week -- last time, she was sick; this time, people are mean to her on the internet. (Sounds like the Deej needs to have a heart-to-heart with Uncle Jesse. They can jam afterwards!) This competition's D.J. Tanner won't let her naysayers bring her down. Set her free, why don't you, bully? In terms of content, though, I enjoyed Lauren's performance and somehow didn't even mind that she nearly felt up Randy. I'm always struck by how strong her voice is, even when she's clearly not going full-throttle. I don't like when she gets too breathless, but I do appreciate her twang and liked the way the intentionally went sharp on "hanging on." Are we loving or loathing the way Lauren giggles into the mic after her final notes? I keep changing my mind. I love to laugh, but I hate faker bakers. (Update: The original version actually contained a giggle at the end. I think I'm going with my final answer is "love"!)
Stefano Langone probably made a mistake in choosing Lionel Richie’s “Hello” after David Cook sang it so memorably in season 7. It's not like the song should be totally off-limits or anything, but Stefano hadn't ever even heard it! This is really not something that should be admitted out loud. It bothers me when people pick songs that are new to them, because a live performance requires a certain level of credibility beyond "it was on the list so I memorized it." That's not knowing a song and feeling a song, which is a shame because Stefano strikes me as someone who cares about emotional impact. He probably just didn't know any of the available songs, period. Maybe? How? I don't know. It's baffling. J. Lo encouraged him to connect with the lyrics as if he was telling a story or writing a letter. (Writing a letter! How archaic. Is that like texting?) "I don't want the intensity to come from you wanting to do well," she said. "I want it to come from because your heart is breaking." Randy chimed in: "Ooooooh!" I agreed with Randy here, but then Dawg went downhill. "You've been in relationships," he half-announced, half-asked Stefano. Sure, he's got things going on. "Ryan and you, you know," Randy continued. And at that, Ryan inhaled sharply, remembering how tenderly Stefano had clutched his shoulder just moments before, in fear that Ryan's rose petal breath would become too garlicky from Stefano's mom's leftovers. (For more Ryan/Stefano fan fiction, try my new life partner Richard Lawson's 'Idol' recaps when you're done here. You'll quietly say "I love you" just as you finish.)
After risking her life to walk down Ryan's death stairs in six-inch heels, a flat-ironed Haley Reinhart sang the Miracles’ “You Really Got a Hold On Me.” It was the perfect song choice for someone who kind of slurs and purrs her way through the music anyway. Jimmy and his team of dreamcatchers worked with Haley on her physical performance quality this week, but I didn't really notice an improvement. She was all sensual and sex-oozing, same as ever. Actually, now that I'm throwing some significant brain power into this, Haley and Scotty both seemed to be leaning to one side nearly the whole time last night. Is this insane? Was I the one leaning? I really think it was them. Anyway, Randy found a way to pat himself on the back while complimenting how Haley had become "the singer we always thought you were," and even said he detected "a little Janis" [Joplin] in there. J. Lo said Haley may have the most soulful voice of anyone in the competition… on the girls' side. My estimation of Haley went way up during her post-performance check-in, when she imitated Sally Field. "You like me! You really like me!" Well, yeah, now I do! Good for her for even knowing about that. Conversely, Pia's pre-packaged pageant answer backstage put me to sleep.
Scotty McCreery, a big-time baller, has fallen into a bad habit of starting out seated and then getting up only to walk around uncomfortably and avoid letting any part of his fingertips touch the microphone. He's so silly like that. The producers and Scotty put a country spin on Stevie Wonder’s version of “For Once In My Life” that sounded pretty good, even if it's not really my thing. I've noticed that Scotty's very fond of pointing cattily to the audience as if including them in his interpretation of the lyrics, which you'd think would be engaging but just doesn't really work. He also makes a lot of "Check me out!" faces each time he looks in a new direction or boldly takes a step. I wish I wasn't so annoyed by someone who scored a nine-point basketball shot from the balcony of a mansion. This creature should be my hero. But this was definitely one of Scotty's smugger weeks. I may not be that into him right now, but Steven said Scotty "tweaked" him, Randy called him a "young lady killer," and J. Lo swooned too, saying "every time you hit that note at the end you get me all over again." Huh. Even my sister wrote in via email: "I did like the end with his low voice and creepy look." What?! I guess I need to get on board and better appreciate things that are creepy. I'll have whatever you ladies are having. Let's trip out.
"I feel like this song gets me," said Pia Toscano about Stevie Wonder’s “All in Love Is Fair." It seemed like an absurdly self-centered thing to say on camera, but the more I think about it, the more I get it. And the more songs get me! For music lovers, this really is the point of music -- the enthralling (and at times terrifying, depressing, illuminating, etc.) chance to internalize a song and feel like it was written for you. So even though this was the same ballad she always sings, at least Pia's heart was in this and she felt connected to the song. Pretty much the exact opposite of Stefano. J. Lo thinks Pia can have a career like Celine Dion and do two-hour concerts one day. Not so fast, said Randy, who ordered Pia to not sing yet another ballad next week. Good move by R. Jacks! Pia is unnecessarily becoming as niche as Scotty is in this competition -- and she's not a 17-year-old wide-eyed country boy/ladykiller/recent basketball star, so she better watch out. Put your sneakers on, girl, and kick some ass!
The boy with the cougar pin, Paul McDonald, went with a folk-rock version of the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears” -- another song commonly considered to be "owned on the Idol stage" by someone else (season 8's Adam Lambert). Paul was more of a success than Stefano because he put his own spin on the song. Ew, sorry I just turned into Randy. The point is, no one was thinking about Adam because enough new and strange Paul McDonald stuff was happening on stage. In fact, after he finished, I was dying to listen to both the original version and Adam's. Is that good or bad for Paul? Interest is interest, I suppose. I do wish Paul had sung the whole song like he did the last few lines -- not only did he seem more comfortable in his own straitjacket skin, but he finally acknowledged the gravity of the song and lyrics during those final moments. Even Randy was gushing. "Dude, when you sing tender at the very end, oh my God, dude. Definitely got the husky thing going on." Randy actually says these things. Constantly! J. Lo said Paul "had like a tear in his voice," which is kind of profound. "You're the complete package," she continued. "All you need is a producer, and there you go!" She would know!
But J. Lo didn't get her first goosebumps of the night (always a milestone, like the first Maks booty pop of each DWTS season) until Naima Adedapo belted out Martha and the Vandellas’ "Dancing in the Street." A lot of Naima's singing sounds like yelling to me, but I guess this was a fairly accurate copy of the original song. The random African dance thrown in at the end didn't seem so out of place to me because my mind associates this song with the audition montage for the DTV dance contest in Girls Just Want to Have Fun. The whole point of that scene is "Look at all these nuts! Dancing!" So I was already there. It made sense to me. Everything made sense…except those pants. The judges raved about her risk-taking and Naima even got an "It was E to the Z, ooh, tweedle-y dee" from Steven. That's almost never the case. Still, I can see the dance being a turnoff to many voters. If Simon were still at that table, he'd be using one of his favorite words, indulgent, quite a bit with Naima. Hey, it's better than being boring. HEAT WAVE!
James Durbin loves that dance cam. His “Living for the City” started out awkward, but as soon as he jigged on over to his favorite dance ramp and revved up the vocal power, the performance fell into place. Still, at one point near the end of the song (I originally wrote dance, yikes), the camera panned to Steven and he was just sitting there completely motionless. Nothing was happening, but it was such an intense nothing, if you know what I mean. Perhaps Steven was wondering, as I was, whether James' lapel skulls were attached to his jacket or printed on a scarf. Oh, and the security tail was back. "You are serious business up there," said J. Lo, once the crowd had finally died down and she knew she was being heard. The Durbs does need to stand at attention a little sooner to listen to the judges when they deign to speak to him. I'm sure suddenly having adoring female fans behind the stage is very exciting, but Jennifer Lopez could be about to tell you how stunning you look tonight, at any moment. You gotta be ready.
Anyway, bottom line: Some of the high notes James hits are just insane. In a good way. Take it from Steven Tyler: "Sometimes it takes a little bit of crazy to make a difference in this world," said our wise old loon in his most piercing commentary of the night.
How are you feeling about the judges — is there anyone in your corner? Do you miss Simon?
Casey Abrams: I love the new judges. I don't miss Simon. I've forgotten about him already. I think Simon would have made fun of my looks. Randy [is in my corner]. I play bass. He plays bass. We have a connection going.
Naima Adedapo: I think they are for real and being honest. I think they are really trying to nurture talent and show us the way to achieving the dream. When they critique you, they aren't just saying things to be mean. You have to learn to take it and use it and channel it or it will destroy you.
Lauren Alaina: I think they are all kind of rooting for me. They're so nice, y'all. I never would have expected it. And Jennifer keeps telling me how pretty she thinks I am.
Probably because she realizes I lack in the confidence in that area, but goodness coming from her that means so much. She is one of the most beautiful people alive. Have you seen her? That is the best seal of approval for me. James Durbin: I miss Simon only because I wanted to see if I could win him over. I don't know how he feels about metal. Steven gets me because he is a rock god and I feel a connection with him.
Ashthon Jones: They are so wonderful. They are different than I expected. They are always talking to us and giving us hugs. They genuinely seem to care about us. They have really helped me on this journey and now I owe them more because they used their powers to save me.
Stefano Langone: Either Randy or J. Lo [is in my corner]. J. Lo has shown it more but Randy and I have a special thing. He'll give me these looks and say little things to help me out. ''Eh dawg, you could do this or change it up more. Reel it in here.'' J. Lo comes out and says nice things. She makes me feel good about myself. It's all good. I can't believe J. Lo knows my name. She makes me feel good.
Jacob Lusk: I used to think Randy was in my corner, but sometimes he's kind of blah towards me. And then I thought it was Steven Tyler, and then he acted kinda blah. Then I thought it must be Jennifer Lopez, and then she kinda reacted sometimes like she loved me and other times could take or leave me. So I think it is more about a song and whether they love your performance. It is really about working us hard and grooming us. I don't think it is about filling the Simon void. There's a different chemistry there. They also bring a giant combined amount of first-hand knowledge and experience about what it takes to make it. You can't really compare that to what they had before.
Scotty McCreery: I think they are all fair and have been nice to me and said nice things about my voice so far, but Jennifer is a little more so in my corner. She gave me the best compliment I'd heard so far when she said, ''You made a Bronx girl love country music.'' I don't know about all that, but I am glad I could.
Thia Megia: Maybe Steven [is in my corner]. But they have all been really helpful and encouraging to me. They are so nice. You really want to impress them every week. It gives me a goal to reach.
Haley Reinhart: I feel like Randy has had to stand up and fill the shoes that someone else used to wear. He isn't as mean as Simon was, but he has stepped into the tough cookie role. They can't all just sit there looking pretty and being the sweetest people on Earth. That is Jennifer and Steven's job. But they are all three great people and I enjoy every piece of advice they give.
Karen Rodriguez: Jennifer and I have the Latina thing, and she is a hero and an inspiration. She has had a career in Spanish and English and that gives me something to aim for. She is a fountain of knowledge so being who I am, I am so glad I waited until now to come on the show.
Pia Toscano: Jennifer and Steven are definitely a little nicer and Randy has gotten a little tougher since Sinon has been gone. I think that is okay. He isn't trying to be mean. He's trying to help make us better stronger artists.
What were you doing last year at this time?
Casey Abrams: Watching American Idol.
Naima Adedapo: Cleaning toilets.
James Durbin: I was probably unemployed and had to move back in with my mom. Three of us were in one room. But I eventually found another job delivering pizzas. It was weird, but I knew if I kept positive and kept putting it out there, sooner or later, it had to come back to me. I had to get some good karma coming my way.
Stefano Langone: Going to school as a full-time student and working at my job and singing in my spare time.
Jacob Lusk: I was singing weekend gigs and barely, barely making it by.
Scotty McCreery: Playing baseball with my team. They played a game today that I had to miss. But this was probably worth missing it for.
Paul McDonald: My band was playing at SXSW, eating pizza and sleeping on people's floors. We were touring out of a 15-person passenger van and just making ends meet. This is definitely something totally different and new. Way flashier. The stage is brightly lit for one, and the sound always works. And there's way more people at my gig.
Haley Reinhart: I was still doing what I love — singing — just not in front of millions of people. I definitely never sold that many tickets to a gig.
