Best 'American Idol' Performances

In 2002, the show “American Idol” hit television screens, and ever since then the genre of singing competition shows has taken the world by storm, with countless huge hits that have spread all around the globe and launched many new talents. Stars such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have become huge names thanks to their Idol launches, and it remains a great avenue to bring a singer into the big leagues.

There are countless great performances on the show that have gone down in history, with many singers belting their guts out in front of the judges and truly knocking them out with their talent. It is hard to narrow it down to just a few, but we have selected four standouts that show just how much of an incubator of talent “American Idol” has been.

“I Need You Now” by Stefano Langone 

Stefano Langone may not have made it to the top on “American Idol” when he competed in the show’s tenth season, but he made an enduring impact on audiences with his deeply soulful and always beautiful performances. When he sang a little known gospel song titled “I Need You Now,” which comes from an overlooked singer named Smokie Narful, he knocked the socks off of audiences and judges alike, and it is among the most memorable performances the show has ever seen.

Langone had all the talent in the world, but he had yet to develop the consistency of a true pro, and that ended up hurting him when he sang “Just the Way You Are.” His performance faltered, and because of that he was unable to make it into the top five. Since then, he has been releasing music as an independent artist, and in 2016 he put out the EP “Obsession,” but nothing has caught on the way his iconic “I Need You Now” performance has.

“Titanium” by Michael J. Woodard

Not many people would have thought that the song “Titanium” by Sia and David Guetta had the potential to be reinterpreted as a vocal showcase on “American Idol.” However, it is exactly such unexpected moments that stand out and give contestants a chance to show what they are really made of. That is exactly what happened with Michael J. Woodard, who took a huge chance on that song and was able to take both the song and his stardom to the next level when he sang it.

The 16th season contestant was truly brilliant with his reimagining of “Titanium,” though he eventually got eliminated after getting into the top five. However, Katy Perry, who was a judge for the show, felt so strongly about his potential that she gave him a record deal at her own label Unsub Records.

“There Will Come A Day” by Melinda Doolittle

There are many great singers who for their entire careers are relegated to singing back-up. This was almost the case for Melinda Doolittle, who sang for many big names including Michael McDonald, Kirk Franklin, Aaron Neville, and CeCe Winans. However, she was given a chance to shine under the spotlight when she competed on season six of “American Idol.”

She was one of the most impressive singers that season, and though she came in third she was by some accounts the most impressive, with Simon Cowell giving the opinion that she deserved to win it all.

If there was one moment that everybody agreed on being spectacular, it was her performance of “There Will Come a Day.” The Faith Hill song was given new life and made countless viewers teary-eyed. The song itself, which was never among Hill’s better known tunes, became popular due to her performance, and it is no surprise that after that Melinda Doolittle was able to record music under her own name, no longer stuck in the background.

“Alone” by Carrie Underwood

While many singers have been able to use “American Idol” as a launching pad to their music careers, nobody else has seen the massive success that Carrie Underwood has. The country singer has sold 70 million records around the world and holds numerous sales records to her name. Now people think of her as a country superstar and have largely forgotten all about her early days, but season four of “American Idol” is where it all began for her.

Underwood won that season, a testament to the fact that sometimes the judges do in fact get it right, and while the whole season was something of a highlight for her, her performance of the song “Alone” by Heart was one of the most magical ever in the show’s history. After this, there was hardly any doubt that she would take home the prize that season.