ABC has announced two guest performers for American Idol’s Monday, April 19 episode. Titled “The Comeback,” it will not only feature 10 season 18 contestants vying for one spot in the Top 10. But former judge Harry Connick Jr., and former contestant Lauren Daigle will return to perform.
Billboard reports that Harry will sing a medley of two songs from his new album, Alone with My Faith, recorded on his own during lockdown. The medley includes the title track and “Old Time Religion.” Lauren will sing her 2019 Hot Christian Songs No. 3 hit “Look Up Child.”
I had such a good time when I was judge, says Harry
“It’s really nice to be back,” Harry told Billboard. “I had such a good time when I was a judge, and before that, a mentor. So any chance I get to see those folks again, I welcome. I have a lot of friends there.” Regarding his judging style on the three seasons he appeared on the show (Season 13-15) he said, “By nature, I’m not a judgmental person, but that was the job and I took it seriously. I thought it was important to try to give some insight to these young performers and maybe some things that would help them develop a little bit. It was very different than being a mentor because it’s really not hands on and it’s usually just a few short moments that you have with them, but I really enjoyed it. It’s a great chance for these kids to maybe learn a little bit about show business and the rigors and demands of a schedule in this business.”
“I’m excited to be back with people that I so enjoy,” Lauren told Billboard after rehearsing on the Idol stage. “We did rehearsals and the Idol team, like the band, is insane. We had a ball. The band nailed it, and just how tight the [production staff] works together is amazing but it’s also really refreshing how kind they are.”
In 2010, Lauren was cut on American Idol just before the Top 24 was revealed. In 2012, she made it through Hollywood Week but was eliminated in the Las Vegas rounds.
I don’t have…any negativity toward the show, says Lauren
“I don’t have any disdain or any negativity toward the show,” Lauren told Billboard, looking back on her Idol journey. “At the time I was so young and naïve and I don’t think I knew who I was yet. So I could have been pulled in so many different directions artistically. I feel like it gave me an opportunity to step back. And ‘no’ can be good. It creates resilience and it increases your understanding of why it is that you do what you do. When you feel the sting of a ‘no,’ it only prompts you as to why you actually want the ‘yes.’ And so for me, I feel like it was good to learn and to grow. I’m actually really excited that it worked out this way and that we have this harmonious relationship and we get to do fun things like this week together.”
The American Idol “Comeback” episode airs on ABC Monday April 19. For details on who is returning to compete and song spoilers, click this link.
On Sunday April 18, the current Top 12 will compete in an episode that will air in real time coast to coast. After a nationwide vote in all timezones simultaneously, a Top 9 will be revealed by the end of the show.
