Last night n Australian Idol, Lily-Grace Grant and SophiePoidevin departed the competition after Australia’s vote cemented the Top 10 on Seven and 7plus.
Ahead of hosts Ricki-Lee and Scott Tweedie revealing the nation’s verdict, all 12 contestants united for an uplifting performance of their Top 12 single All Night Long, which has officially hit the Top 10 on iTunes.
Judges Marcia Hines, Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark summed up the amazing talent at this stage of the competition, acknowledging it was in the voters’ hands.
Amy praised the “incredible top-tier talent”, while Marcia implored Australia to vote for their favourites to keep them in the competition.
Country singer Lily-Grace, 18, from NSW; Harry Lamb, 26, from Ballarat, VIC; Sophie, 20, from Melbourne, VIC; and singing skier Kesha Oayda, 22, from Jindabyne landed at the bottom of the leaderboard after the performance shows.
The four contestants with the fewest votes then returned to the stage to prove they had what it takes to continue in the competition.
Lily-Grace drew on her country roots for a rousing performance of Sweet Home Alabama by Lynard Skynard, while a visibly nervous Harry performed the Oasis classic Don’t Look Back in Anger.
Kesha’s stunning voice soared on Lay Me Down by Sam Smith, while Sophie reminded Australia of her stage prowess with What a Man by Linda Lyndell, bothearning a standing ovation from the judges.
Kesha and Sophie were universally praised by the judges, with Kyle booing, declaring it “upsetting” and “disappointing”, they landed in the bottom two.
Simela Petridis, 31, from SA and Wanwue Tarpeh, 21, from VIC were safe from the public vote after the judges sent them direct to the Top 10 after the performance shows.
After her elimination, a grateful Lily-Grace thanked her family, judges and everyone behind the scenes of the show, promising: “This is not the end of my musical journey, this is just the beginning.”
Kyle implored people to see Lily-Grace perform, while Marcia admired her grace as she departed the competition.
Sophie reflected: “I got to live my dreams on this stage” and encouraged artists to “believe in yourself first” urging others to take that chance on their passions.
