(Playwire)
Tyanna Jones received a standing ovation and the highest of praise from Harry Connick Jr. for her performance of “Tightrope” on Thursday’s “American Idol,” the first live episode of season 14. Watch below!
With the show’s new format, Jones took the stage immediately after finding out she received enough votes following Wednesday’s broadcast to make it into the Top 11. The singer, who first made an impression earlier this season with her strong vocals and exuberant personality, combined both with her take on Janelle Monae’s “Tightrope.” The aspiring singer had full command of the stage, and received a standing ovation from Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban.
Lopez told Jones afterward, “Oh my god. You absolutely sparkled on camera. It’s crazy. Then I started getting the goosies from head to toe.” She went on, “You’re so in control of everything — your vocals, your style, to the people up there [in the balcony]. It was so complete. I want to hate on you; I can’t. There’s nothing I can say.”
Urban first commended Jones for not saying in her opening package that she wants to be a star, but then she just wants to keep singing. With that in mind, Urban said her performance didn’t come off as something she had to do or needed to it. “You sing and you say, ‘Look what I get to do,'” the country superstar told her. “It’s beautiful, baby.”
But it was Connick who gave the highest praise of all. The judge, who eschews standing ovations and is frequently nicknamed “Harsh Harry” for his critiques, had a simple but extremely powerful response to Jones’ performance. “If I were a judge in the Olympics, after that performance, I would not have clapped. I would not have stood up. I would have simply sat here quietly and given you a 10,” he told Jones, leaving her with tears in her eyes. Lopez then tweeted during the commercial break, “10’s 10’s 10’s across the board… #Goosies #Idol.”
Votes from the performances tonight will determine who makes the Top 10 and which contestant is eliminated next week. Hopefully Jones will be a shoo-in. Check out the video below, and tell us what you think!
