Last night, the first group of twelve performed solo. Tonight, those contestants must team up with previous Idol contestants to perform duets to leave a final impression on the judges. I’m not sure exactly who picked the songs that the contestants had to sing, but for the most part, it seemed like the choices were poor. Anyway, at the end of show, five must go home.

Lauren Alaina is the first to return to the Idol stage with Emily Brooke. The two took on Carrie Underwood’s “Flat On The Floor,” and unfortunately for Emily, the results were just not what she needed. After her flat performance the night before, Emily needed a standout duet. Next to Lauren though, her lack of experience showed. Sorry Emily, I think this is the end for you.

Thomas Stringfellow reminds America that his girlfriend broke up with him right before the show started, and Nick Fradiani tells him the same thing happened to him. The two duet on “Man in the Mirror.” Thomas’ squeaks have seriously been decreasing, which is great for him. But next to Nick, and with the chosen arrangement, Thomas seemed a little out of his element.

Ruben Studdard came back to team up with Stephany Negrete for “Superstar.” Whoever picked out Stephany’s dress should be fired. Stephany does a fine job vocally, but her problem is that she’s singing with Ruben. She comes off as a glorified featured singer, but the judges don’t agree with me. The judges all enjoyed it. Harry says there were some note issues, but that the emotions always trump that. I didn’t see emotion, so I’m just confused.

Sonika Vaid and Caleb Johnson joining forces for “Skyfall” may seem like a strange competition, but the result was truly magnificent. I’m not sure what changed in Sonika, perhaps having someone stand net to her helped, but she looked comfortable. Plus, her lower harmonies were outstanding. Harry says that she still seems nervous, and I agree. But, the growth so far is noticeable. Hopefully she’ll continue to loosen up.

Scotty McCreery joins Jenna Renae for his song “See You Tonight.” It seems like a huge disadvantage to have a contestant sing a winner’s song, and Jenna didn’t step up to the plate. Scotty is so consistent, so every time Jenna’s vocals failed, it was obvious.

La’Porsha Renae is joined by Fantasia for “Summertime.” The combination is so predictable, but that doesn’t take away from the power in the performance. I’ve never been a huge fan of Fantasia’s voice, so for me, La’Porsha dominated that song. Harry said it was a battle of runs, which it was, but it was phenomenal.

Lauren Alaina comes back for another duet, but this time with Mackenzie Bourg. I’m a little not okay with her flirting, but I’ll let it go because the two sing a nice version of “I Hope You Dance.” The two seem to be singing two completely different versions of the song, but it somehow works together. And yeah, okay, maybe I was imagining that he was looking at me the way he was looking at Lauren, but whatever… Harry said that this performance was “sweet” but that he was thankful for last night.

Nick Fradiani and Gianna Isabella take on his song “Beautiful Life,” which, for lack of better words, sucks. This song is not a duet. The arrangement is messy. Gianna looks uncomfortable on stage. She’s much better than this, as she proved the night before. Again, who’s making these choices?

Ruben comes back, this time with Avalon Young. While Stephany didn’t exactly hold her own next to Ruben, Avalon was able to. The difference in Avalon’s tone really held up against Ruben. She was dressed up a little more than usual, which added to the show of it all.

James VIII and Caleb Johnson sing the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Just like his performance the night before of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown,” James showed he’s a great musician. He could do amazing things in a band, but as a solo artist, his voice just does not stack up. Caleb was amazing, and the attention was all on him when it should have been the other way around. I would one thousand percent pay for a ticket to a show if the two formed a band, though.

Any credit I gave Jeneve Rose Mitchell last night is out the window after her duet with Scotty McCreery for “Gone.” She was uncomfortable as she ran around the stage blushing. I’m not sure what else to say, but their performance was just bad. Keith said it was “Bizarre,” which is probably the nicest thing to say about that performance. I’m still not understanding why the judges love her so much, especially after that performance.

Fantasia and Jordan Sasser sing “I Believe,” and again, was just bad for Jordan. He was oversinging every bit while he tried to stand next to Fantasia. So while she was singing aggressively to emote, Jordan was singing that way to compare. The judges were far too kind, and noticed that they weren’t really dueting. Again, I think this is where we finally say bye to Jordan.

Now it’s up to the judges to decide who makes it through. La’Porsha, Sonika, Avalon, Gianna, Thomas, Mackenzie, and Jeneve all make it through to the next round.

This means that we say goodbye to Stephany, Jordan, James, Emily, and Jenna.

MAY 14- The second the lights dimmed at the Fonda Theater, shrieks from teenage girls filled the room. As James Bay took center stage at the Los Angeles venue, with his long brown hair under his signature wide brimmed hat, and bright red guitar against his chest, the booming bluesy guitar riffs for “Collide” invigorated the crowd. Even on a cold and rainy Thursday night, there was excitement in the air.

Immediately, after he took lead in front of his band, it was easy to see why this 24-year-old from Hertfordshire, England is taking the music scene by storm, Bay has a presence that is undeniable. Bay combines his soulful voice, bluesy guitar solos, and contemporary songwriting into a unique sound that brings a wide range of genres together. You can’t quite pin him down into one area, because the mood and style from one song to the next is so different. It’s just James Bay.

James Bay Opens With “Collide”

Bay emerged onto the scene in 2013, after being discovered through a YouTube video and by the end of 2014, he had won the Brit award (the British equivalent of the Grammy Awards) for Critics’ Choice. Past winners include Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Florence and the Machine, and Adele, all of which have had massive success in the US. Clearly in good company, Bay has followed in his predecessors footsteps. But Bay knew that if anything, his early success just meant he has more to prove. In an interview with The Independent, Bay said of his Brit win: “I’m hugely appreciative of the recognition. But then I’ll go away and work on how great my live set is gonna be. I’ve got stuff to prove. That’s the crazy thing about the Critics’ Choice Award, you get it before you’ve really done much.”

Photo by Rosemary Vega

But Bay has definitely been doing “much” since his win. His debut album, Chaos and the Calm, was released in March and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. Right before the release, he embarked on his very first headlining North American tour, starting in New York and ending in L.A.  Acknowledging that it was the last impression he’d make for the tour, Bay made sure to tell the crowd he’d give his “everything” for it. And alas- he did. His determination to prove himself was evident in every note, movement, and smile. Following “Collide,” Bay moved on to “Craving,” another song which showcased his guitar skills, skills that may not have been as obvious in his more popular songs, “Let It Go,” and “Hold Back the River.”

Towards the middle of the show, Bay gave his band a break and began an acoustic section of songs, “Running,” “Let it Go,” and “Move Together.” The slowed songs showcased the troubadour’s rasp and gritty vocals, mixed with beautiful falsettos that sent chills up and down arms. But the most powerful and emotional song was the folky, “Scars,” a song that he was only able to finish after two years of healing (and a reunion with his girlfriend). Bay really did seem to give his all to the performance, his voice echoing through the venue as the audience stood in silence taking in all his emotion.

Photo by Rosemary Vega

Changing the tempo completely, Bay picked things back up with “Best Fake Smile,” arguably the catchiest song of the record. The audience clapped and danced along to the booming chorus. At the culmination of the evening, Bay “ended” his set with “Get Out While You Can.” Again, Bay’s ability to switch from gritty vocals to beautiful high pitched falsettos was showcased in this Springsteen-esque rock song. Bay cleverly used his band to amplify this song, and they were able to showcase their talents in this one as well.

After some loud screams from the teenage girls and just about every “type” of person you could imagine in L.A. that made up the audience, Bay came back for his encore. After Bay sang “Incomplete” and a stunning cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” (with an incredible guitar solo in the middle), there was no denying it: James Bay isn’t going anywhere. With his musicality, his vocal ability, his good looks, and yes, of course, that charming British accent, Bay has nowhere to go but forward.

Even though Bay was a man of little words between songs, the crowd’s enthusiasm for Bay was evident as everybody- women and men, young and old- sang along every word to every single song throughout his set. All of Bay’s emotions, musicianship, hard work and passion was left for all his fans (and some celebrities- Nick Fradiani, Niall Horan, and James Marsden were all in attendance) to see and feel as he ended the night with the song that began most people’s admiration, “Hold Back the River.” “Let’s do this again soon, Los Angeles” Bay said, which I don’t think anyone would be opposed to.

On Monday, Fox confirmed season 15 of American Idol would be its last. Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez, Hary Connick Jr, and Keith Urban will all return to crown the final winner. But, last night rock singer Nick Fradiani won the penultimate Idol title.

Runner up Clark Beckham

Fradiani was the dark horse of the competition. He was the oldest contestant at 29, during a season that centered around youth. Just take a look at sixteen year old Daniel Seavy who made it all the way through to the Top 9, despite less than stellar performances. Fradiani struggled to find a way to take the lead as a solo performer due to this band past. But, in the weeks leading up to the competition, Fradiani began to “own his hotness,” as Jennifer Lopez advised. This change in confidence led him to beat soulful singer Clark Beckham, 22, for the big prize, a recording contract with season mentor Scott Borchetta’s label, Big Machine.

Fradiani tried to perform his single “Beautiful Life” after Seacrest announced his win, but emotions took over midway through. Watch below.