“American Idol” mentor Derek Hough listened to Salisbury native Jeremiah “Jay” Copeland’s two Disney tunes he was considering performing live at the Disney Resort on episode 16 on Sunday night.
Show contestants had to choose one Disney tune to sing for American’s vote in which the group of 10 would get trimmed down to seven. Copeland was torn between between singing “Eye to Eye” from the film “A Goofy Movie” and “Remember Me” from “Coco.”
The Emmy Award-winning Hough told Copeland both songs were good, but he personally loved the idea of him doing “Remember Me” because he could be more intimate with it and “there’s some magic there.”
America agreed. The singer was the second contestant named to move on to the next round. His peers Emyrson Flora, Lady K and Mike Parker were eliminated.
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Copeland’s supporters on Facebook were gushing over his performance.
“That performance was nothing short of celestial…that cannot be taught..I’m very impressed,” a satisfied fan wrote.
“He just took my breath away,” a fan said.
“His performances have been incredible week after week,” another supporter said.
“WE DID IT AGAIN!!! Congrats Jay,” a hyped fan stated.
‘OMG, Jay’
Copeland broke the mold with his performance on Sunday, becoming the first competitor of the night to start off his song by walking down the catwalk.
He exuded a calm, cool and collected persona as he sang, seasoning his performance with a blend of falsetto and his full voice.
He had the crowd screaming early on and they gave him an encore when he finished.
“Idol” judge Kate Perry was floored.
“OMG, Jay. Wow. Well, Jay for the win,” said Perry, while dressed in an Ariel costume from Disney’s “Little Mermaid” movie.
“I love that you started in a different position. It’s called showmanship,” she added. “You’re the only one so far that has really used the stage to their advantage. Come on, we want the stage to be used up. We want that energy and you did it.”
Fellow “Idol” judge Luke Bryan was enchanted by Copeland, too, because he’s been taking their advice, which includes being more careful about his song selection.
“This is the second week in a row that you really gave us like timeless performances and your choices are just such classics sounds,” Bryan said. “That usage of your falsetto throughout the whole song was something we hadn’t heard really all year.”
The country star went on to say that his approach over the last few weeks have been “so classy, classic, timeless – all of those words. Great job.
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Judge Lionel Richie basically told Copeland he should be focused on the big picture right now more than trying to win the show.
“When you’re in this competition you think about numbers. Forget numbers. You have a career. You are a star, automatically,” Richie said. “Now what I want you to understand now is it’s how far you will go, not in this competition, but in the career of this music business. That was levels you showed us tonight. Levels. That’s amazing.
Jay gets a surprise
In a pre-recorded segment of the show Copeland was playing a water-gun game at Disney and won. When it came time for him to receive his prize, the game attendant surprised him by introducing his mom, Christina Copeland-Ryder.
The mother and son were both screaming with excitement, before sharing a big hug.
“I can’t believe my mom’s here. I was shocked – they got me,” the “American Idol” contestant said. “To have my mom here is so comforting” and “I’m working hard so she can see that this is for us… it’s not just for me, but it’s for her as well.”
The pair hung out at the happiest place on earth and took a spin on the Incredicoaster.
“It has been a wonderful day just being with him. It is overwhelming to see him live his dream. But I’m so grateful that I’m here to see him. This is a beautiful thing,” a choked up Copeland-Ryder said.
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Katy Perry falls out of chair
Sunday’s episode of “American Idol” began with a group number featuring the top 10 contestants performing the hit song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s “Encanto.” The group was joined by singers Rhenzy Feliz and Adassa from the movie.
Shortly after the “Idol” judges were introduced, Perry had to be wheeled to the judge’s table on a dolly because she couldn’t walk in her mermaid costume.
While still wearing mermaid fins, Perry kicked her feet up on the table, but ended up falling out of her chair on live TV. Although she didn’t appear to be hurt physically, “Idol” judge Bryan couldn’t keep a straight face as he was pointing and laughing at her.
ABC’s ‘American Idol’ airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. The show is live streamed on Fubo.tv and Hulu.com. For more info, visit ABC.com.
Andre Lamar is the features/lifestyle reporter. If you have an interesting story idea, email Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com.
