Only 8 singers remain on ‘American Idol.’ Did Charlotte’s Josh King make the cut?
Just 12 contestants are left in this season of “American Idol,” including 24-year-old Charlotte native Josh King.
Last week, with a little help from “Fire and Rain” singer James Taylor and former “Idol” contestant Fantasia, King wowed the judges with his rendition of Céline Dion’s “All by Myself.”
On Sunday, the theme was Ladies Night, where contestants performed songs to celebrate powerful women in the music industry.
Following another round of nationwide voting, 10 hopefuls remain in the competition as finalists. Did King get enough votes to make the cut?
Spoiler alert: Here’s a recap of his latest performance and who made the Top 8.
Blues with a country spin
King decided to try his rendition of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” with some assistance from mentor and country star Miranda Lambert.
“Josh is just his own little quirky kid,” Lambert said. “My first impression was like, ‘He’s cute, and he’s kind of all over the place.”
Since the song has more of a somber tone, Lambert advised King to put his own “bluesy” spin on the track.
“Miranda’s definitely helped me hone in on what I want to do with this performance,” King said.
What the Idol judges said about Josh King
Following a high-energy performance (complete with a harmonica solo), the judges praised King for his stage presence:
Here’s a snippet of what they said:
Luke Bryan: “I love seeing you fighting and seeing you challenging yourself. I mean, we knew you a few months ago as kind of a quiet guy behind the piano, and now you’re truly leaving it all out there. You sang like you didn’t care if you lost your voice tonight — you gave it your all. And it was really inspiring to see you grow so much.”
Lionel Richie: “You did one thing that I loved the most. You ran around the circle, and you found that audience, and you brought them to you. Congratulations.”
Carrie Underwood: “I can tell tonight, everyone is singing for their lives. I’m like, you know, once you see a few of your super, incredibly talented friends go home, that lights the fire. Everybody’s bringing their A game tonight, and you are no exception, my friend.”
So did Josh King make it to the Top 8?
Yes. He was the sixth contestant to be called in the Top 8 and will go on to sing in Monday night’s episode.
Who was announced as a Top 8 finalist?
After millions of votes, here is who else made it to the Top eight alongside King:
Josh King
Gabby Samone
Mattie Pruitt
Thunderstorm Artis
Slater Nalley
Breanna Nix
John Foster
Jamal Roberts
Canaan and Kolbi were eliminated and sent home.
How to watch ‘American Idol’
New episodes of “American Idol” are released every Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC and the next day on Hulu.
This story was originally published May 4, 2025 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Only 8 singers remain on ‘American Idol.’ Did Charlotte’s Josh King make the cut?."
