Former Kings Island entertainer Michael Williams showed off his new, shorter hair style Sunday night, and American Idol judges were long on praise for his vocals and maturity as a performer.
"You look like a million dollars. You're just a great singer … You crushed it," said judge Luke Bryant after Williams, 21, sang Selena Gomez's "Lose You To Love Me" on a live telecast from Hollywood.
"You're turning now into a real artist, a stylist," said judge Lionel Richie.
Judge Katy Perry, who got "chill bumps" listening to Williams sing last week on a show taped in Hawaii, put it this way: "Change is hard sometimes, but change is necessary. Because you know what you just stepped into is the artist version of who you are. Sometimes you've gotta cut your hair to do that. I would know," said the pop star who has sported various hairstyles as an Idol judge since 2018.
Host Ryan Seacrest also told Williams that the show's backstage crew "loves your short haircut. The producers are buzzing about it."
Viewers who voted after Sunday's live show will determine which of the 20 contestants will comprise the top 12 singers vying for the Idol title during live telecasts in May. The lucky dozen will be revealed on a live show 8-10 p.m. Monday, April 24.
In a short taped piece, Idol viewers Sunday saw videotape from 2009 of young Williams singing "Amazing Grace" in church and "Happy Birthday." Idol did not show Williams singing in the Kings Island Festhaus "Country Flashback" show as a high school senior (or, of course, his performances on NBC's The Voice as an 18-year-old in 2020).
"American Idol is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Williams said in the taped feature before singing Sunday, "and I'm trying to like take it in because I feel like this is a dream of mine that's coming true, and I don't want to miss anything. I want to remember everything.
"I could be the next American Idol. That's crazy," he said.
Last week, Williams sang Jake Scott's "Tuesdays" when all 26 performers sang at a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina resort on Hawaii. After that performance Perry told him: "I think a lot of people all over America are falling in love with you … I think you're going to be a star with or without us" (the TV competition).
Bryant last week praised Williams' song choice, calling it his "defining moment … It just felt like the right song, right vibe, working the crowd – The best way to know how you're doing is when all the girls start screaming."
Williams, who was home schooled in Deerfield Township near Mason, had not been featured much on the show since winning a golden ticket to Hollywood on the Feb. 19 season premiere. In 2020, Williams finished in the top 10 on The Voice.
