American Idol Top 20 Performances Conclude Ahead Of Live Episodes — Who Are You Voting Into The Top 12?

"American Idol" wrapped its Top 20 Performances round on March 23, summoning the remaining 10 singers back to the stage for an evening of make-or-break moments.

Philmon Lee, Rae, Lucas Leon, Jordan McCullough, Abayomi, Madison Moon, Chris Tungseth, Ruby Rae, Julian Kalel, and Keyla Richardson returned to the mic with a diverse mix of familiar tunes, all hoping to be declared safe during next week's first live show of Season 24.

Our critiques of this week's performances can all be found below, but we have to admit, it was tough to find anything negative to say about this ludicrously talented bunch of humans. We tried to summon all of the Simon Cowell honesty we could muster, but every single performance ended up somewhere in the "A" range, and even the pluses and minuses are up for debate. We have faith in everyone, but we're also very curious to see how things turn out when things go live for the Top 12 reveal next week. Anything can happen!

Voting for last week's singers has already closed, but it's now officially open for this second half of the Top 20. Voting will close at 6 am ET on Tuesday, March 24. As always, you have three ways to cast your vote: by visiting AmericanIdol.com, by texting a contestant's number (see below) to 21523, or by commenting on one of the show's social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok).

Read on for a breakdown of all 10 performances from Monday's "American Idol," along with official videos and our own personal critiques. When you're finished, vote for the singers you'd keep in the competition and drop a comment with your thoughts on the Top 20 overall.

Philmon Lee kicked things off this week with a true crowdpleaser, a fan favorite of '80s rockers and Gleeks alike, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." Lee was putting a lot of pressure on himself in rehearsals, even struggling to breathe at one point, but Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley were able to put him at ease. And everything clicked when Lee finally stepped up tot he mic, effortlessly breezing through the soulful falsetto that initially tripped him up in rehearsal. It was a slower, more emotional take on the timeless anthem, though it did eventually pick up and give the people what they came for. It was a smart change, as it allowed Lee to show us two very different, very impressive sides to himself as a performer. His stage presence could probably use a little work — we were very aware that he couldn't wait for it to be over, which he admitted himself — but that voice is simply undeniable.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Rae's previous performances have been a little on the series side, so her goal this week was to the show the judges that she can have some fun on stage, and few songs do that more directly than Aretha Franklin's "Respect." But how far would she go? We'll honest, as soon as we heard talk of choreography, we started to get nervous. Fortunately, our fears dissolved within Rae's first few notes. She was complete command over the audience from the very beginning, and she owned the stage once the song picked up. There was an intensity to her delivery that made it impossible to take our eyes off of her. She nailed all of the song's big notes, complete with flourishing runs. And with those leather pants and boots, we can confirm that Rae did not come to play. Dubbed "Aretha Rae" by Lionel Richie, the contestant also received high praise from Luke Bryan, who said she's "one of our best singers" this season, "if not the best." OK, Rae!

TVLine's grade: "A"

Innocence is a double-edged sword on "American Idol." It can go south if the judges perceive you as being too green for the competition (as we've already seen this season), or it can be used to a contestant's advantage. The second is true of Lucas Leon, who charmed his way through a "heartfelt" interpretation of Tim McGraw's "Just to See You Smile." His comfortability on stage put us at ease, allowing us to appreciate his incredible storytelling abilities. (Lionel Richie said Leon was so natural on stage, he forgot he was even a contestant.) It wasn't the most explosive song choice with the biggest range, but we feel like Leon has already proven himself to the viewers and to the judges at this point, at least enough to secure a spot in the live episodes. Plus, the massive Brad Paisley fan scored a backstage invite to the Grand Ole Opry from the country star himself, so that's another win.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

First of all, Jordan McCullough met Goofy on this trip, so he's already a winner regardless of how things turn out this season. And based on his performance this week, we have a feeling things will turn out very well for him. Eager to prove to the judges that he's more than just a show-stopping personality, McCullough chose a song that would simply showcase his voice, U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." We knew he was going in a different direction with the famous tune, but when it opened with a gospel vibe, all bets were out the window. Was that church? It felt like church. We're sure Bono would agree. And even when the tempo picked up and the song eased into a more familiar groove, McCullough still made it entirely his own. Mr. Showman also couldn't resist dragging that mic around and commanding the stage. He's a natural entertainer, he just can't help it. And those vocals? Every high note, every run, every note sounded was bursting to escape. This was the R&B reinvention that this song deserves.

TVLine's grade: "A"

This was a monumental week for Abayomi, whose electric performance of Jessie J's "Mamma Knows Best" completely changed the way we look at her. There's always been an element of her being extremely good "for her age" in our mind, and now we just see her as a viable contestant — and not one to be taken lightly. This performance had attitude with a capital A. You know what, just go ahead and capitalize every letter. This was a freer side to Abayomi, one that seemed unburdened and comfortable letting loose, taking her from teen phenom to a full-fledged performer. The energy! The confidence! The scatting?! We loved this one to its bitter, growly end.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Madison Moon prefaced this week's performance by admitting that it's risky to sing a song by a former "American Idol" contestant, revealing her intention to do Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." Um, forget the "Idol" connection — that song is always a risk. How many friends, people we respected, have we seen go down in flames while attempting this song at karaoke? It's. No. Joke. That said, there's almost no one in the current "Idol" season who we would trust to crush this song more than Moon. She was nervous about hitting the song's highest note, which made it a little difficult to relax and enjoy her performance until the moment had passed, but it turned out she had nothing to worry about. As expected, Moon brought her signature swagger, rasp, and all-around rock vibe to her latest turn on the stage, resulting in another home run. We guess you could say we're... over the moon about this one. (But we'd never say that, of course.)

TVLine's grade: "A"

Is it hot in here, or was that just Chris Tungseth's performance? The concrete worker, who enjoyed his first-ever spa day while at Aulani, was encouraged to lean into his sex appeal in this latest round. You know, let his hair down, maybe undo a button or two. But Tungseth said, hey, why stop there? Not only did our boy take the stage with his glorious mane set free to flow in the breeze, but he undid every last button on his shirt. (Yes, he was wearing an undershirt, but it still counts. He was all in.) 

Anyway, Tungseth's experiment was a success, as were his solid vocals on One Republic's "Apologize." (Side note: when Keke Palmer referred to this song as a "classic," we felt that in our bones. Can someone please pass the Boniva?) The verses were a little sleepy, but that's just the nature of the song; Tungseth more than made up for it by swapping out Ryan Tedder's famous falsetto for a full belt, giving the whole thing a little more oomph. Even Luke Bryan was smitten by the time Tungseth was done singing, telling him, "I see it, dog. I see it."

TVLine's grade: "A-"

We feel like we learned a lot about Ruby Rae this week. For example, she grew up listening to One Direction, and it definitely showed in her sunshiny performance of the boy band's hit "Drag Me Down." It felt like she was going for a sassy, somewhat in-your-face presentation, but it came off a little Disney Channel. Actually, stay with us on this one, it sounded like how the song would be performed in a One Direction jukebox musical on Broadway. And neither of those things are necessarily bad. Having an edgy side isn't required in this competition, but it would help to make Rae more memorable now that viewers' voting is in play. All that said, we certainly can't knock her vocals, which remained consistently strong throughout the performance.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Confession: For some reason, Julian Kalel hasn't been at top of mind this season. It's not that he isn't phenomenally talented, he just hasn't left as strong of an impression on us as some of the other contestants. Well, he has our full, undivided attention after this week's solid performance of Zach Bryan's "Tourniquet." (Another confession: When Kalel said "Tourniquet," we were really hoping it would be Evanescence's song of the same name. Can you even imagine? If you know, you know.) 

Kalel's turn at the mic was laid back but also powerful. It was soulful and emotional, and it painted a very clear picture of who Kalel is as an artist. He's completely comfortable in his fully realized vibe, not to mention arguably the best head of hair in the competition. Kalel also got the judges' attention this week, with Lionel Richie telling him, "Your future's right in front of you." That man really is a walking, talking fortune cookie sometimes.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Keke Palmer used the word "truthful" to describe Keyla Richardson's voice, and we couldn't agree more. In fact, allow us to add a few more words to the list: Transcendent. Unstoppable. And perhaps... winner? Come on, you can't tell us you didn't get major Fantasia Barrino vibes from Richardson's triumphant performance of Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help From My Friends," which she dedicated to the "destiny helpers" in her own life who have pushed her towards her dream. And what a powerful love letter it was. There were so many textures to this performance, and Richardson explored each one masterfully. And that crowd work? She was feeding off that adoring audience's energy and giving it back to them tenfold. By the end of the number, she had fully let the music possess her, and us by extension. Willingly, might we add. At the risk of overreacting, they might as well just shut this competition down right now — the winner has been found.

TVLine's grade: "A+"