American Idol 2025 Top 24: Breanna Nix hopes She is “Rolling” into the Top 20 in Hawaii
American Idol Season 23 voting rounds began on Sunday night as the show returned to Disney’s Aulani Resort in Ko’olina, Hawaii. The night started slow, but it started to come into its own with some stellar performances in the latter half, including from stay-at-home mom Breanna Nix from Texas. (Read our Recap)
Her husband and son made the trek to Hawaii. Her son got to meet many of the Disney characters he watches. For her song, she chose “Still Rolling Stones” by American Idol alum, Lauren Daigle. She has a deep connection to the song. In high school she dealt with “rejection,” She stated, “I turned to a lot of drinking, trying to run away and a lot of things I wasn’t proud of.” Artist in Residence Jelly Roll told her, “I love that you keep choosing songs that you can sing with conviction,” before sharing a hug.
As always, Breanna’s booming vocals were steady and consistent. Also, the song is a bit more uptempo than anything she has tackled in the competition, even if it’s still within her soulful CCM genre. She hit the lyric “I thought that I was too far gone” with a lot of emotion. Her stage presence wasn’t anything special, but she did interact with the crowd and seemed connected in the performance with this one.
Luke Bryan compared Breanna Nix to Adele
Breanna’s huge range is likely to withstand the power that a live band brings throughout the competition which could be an advantage for her. She also doesn’t overdo the runs like some of the other big vocalists do this season. It will be interesting to see how she navigates the competition as most of her songs so far have been in the CCM realm, and next Sunday’s theme is Songs of Faith. Will she try to mix some other genres in to win over fans outside of the genre?
Carrie Underwood said to Breanna, “The first note out of your mouth was like a growl. You’re like, ‘I’m here. I ain’t playing’.” Luke Bryan stated, “if anyone has ever picked the right song, that is your deal.” He compares her performance to “when Adele is in her zone”. Lionel Richie liked how she was bringing more of her “faith into being,” adding that she “put her foot down and killed it.”
Breanna has become a frontrunner and is likely to soar through, but there were other strong performances from the night. Other front runners include Slater Nalley who gave a unique raspy and twangy rendition of “Over The Rainbow,” and Jamal Roberts who delivered a Teddy Swims vibe on “Liar” by Jelly Roll.
Some potential dark horses include Gabby Samone who gave another stellar vocal on “It’s All Coming Back to Me” by Celine Dion and Isaiah Misailegalu who was at ease on the stage with Maoli’s “You Can Have It All.” He even met the lead singer on stage after his performance. Overall, it was a solid night, and I would be shocked if any of the singers listed here miss out on the Top 20.
