Tonight on ABC their new reality singing competition RISING STAR airs with another new episode where the next set of 12 phenomenal singers from across the country will perform as the auditions continue.
On the last episode we were introduced to the Rising Star and their expert panelist that consists of judges Brad Paisley, Josh Groban, Ludacris and Ke$ha; though the votes were based on the viewers, the panelist also influenced the vote. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it we have a full and detailed recap, right here for you.
On tonight’s show the next 12 phenomenal singers who’ll be auditioning are: Egypt Dixon, 18, Texarkana, TX – Megan Tibbits, 26, Caro, MI – Rye Davis, 25, Pig, Kentucky – Shameia Crawford, 30, Lithonia, GA – Austin French, 20, Tifton, GA – Deedra Ervin, 20, Belle Haven, VA – April Lockhart, 18, Warren, NJ – Trinitii (group ages 19-30, Sacramento, CA – Will Roth, Watauga, TX – Alice J. Lee, 25, Chicago, IL – Adam Jaymes, 24, Palmdale, CA – Sonnet Simmons, 34, LA, CA.
Tonight’s Rising Star is going to be exciting, and you won’t want to miss it. So be sure to tune in for our live coverage of the show — tonight at 9 PM EST! While you wait for our recap, hit the comments and let us know how excited you are about this new show.
RECAP:
Josh Groban welcomes us and shows the waiting performers in the green room. Ludacris, Kesha and Brad Paisley are also all back. First is Shimeia Crawford from Atlanta who works as a background singer. She and her hubby are both full-time musicians but have been struggling financially because gigs are hit and miss. Shimeia says she knows how much the audience gives love to the lead singer but she’s always been in the background. Josh gives her some notes.
Shimeia begins to sing – she’s doing F.U.N.’s We Are Young. She has a nice voice and really belts the high notes. Brad buzzes in yes and then so does Luda. Kesha also votes yes. She’s at 54% and climbing and it looks like she’ll hit the 70% threshold. She’s nearly there were just a few seconds of song left and she needs 2% more with just 10 seconds left. OMG she capped at 69%! The audience boos in outrage. Josh is floored and can’t believe it – he says his heart is broken.
Luda says he’s confused and says people need to rethink how they’re voting on #RisingStar. He says he hopes the West Coast voters save her. Kesha says she’s amazing and say sit wasn’t right. Josh teases Brad about his belt and then Brad says she was so engaging and says her start was a little rough and he thinks this is a momentum show and says that’s what the West Coast is for. Josh thanks her and she heads backstage.
Next is April Lockhart. She’s 18, from Warren, New Jersey. She wanted to be a punk rocker when she was a kid. She has amniotic band syndrome. She is missing one hand because her umbilical cord was wrapped around it and she lost it. She says learning to play the guitar was incredibly hard. She’s got a little prosthetic attachment that lets her pluck the guitar and she strums right handed. It’s pretty cool. It’s her turn to sing.
April has chosen Spice Girl’s Say You’ll Be There but she’s made it this cool soulful number that makes it almost unrecognizable. Her voice is amazing. She’s at 50% and none of the judges have chimed in yet. Kesha, then Brad vote yes finally, then Luda and that pushes her over 70%. Her dad is in the audience and is crying openly. She makes it through with more than 80%. Kesha says she plays guitar better than her and says she loved her story.
Brad says even without her story and her getting beyond her handicap, she brought it. He says his boys at home watching will see her as an inspiration. Luda says she needs some work on the runs and is a little flat at some parts but he thinks the type of person she is, she’ll work hard. She thanks them all and heads to her seat, the first winner of the night.
There are more than a million home judges voting, according to Josh. He reminds us that if you check-in but then don’t vote, it counts as a no.
Next up is Austin French, a 20 year old pastor from Georgia. He plays music for services and works the crowd. He began singing at two and hasn’t ever stopped. He says it’s who he is and what he loves to do. He’s about to get married to Jocelyn and is a happy camper. Josh tells him to sing harder on some of the notes in the coaching session.
Austin is ready to sing and will be playing the guitar as well. He has chosen Georgia on My Mind by Hoagy Carmichael made famous by Ray Charles and covered by Michael Bolton and a ton of others. Luda is the first celeb to vote yes, then Kesha and Brad left. He ends with 87%. Josh says his family is an amazing cheering section.
Luda says the runs need a little work but it was good overall. Brad says he knew he was going to get the 70% but was waiting to see if he was still going to bring it. He says it’s amazing to watch a performer deal with nerves. Kesha says it was amazing and she was waiting on the high notes and then he nailed them. So he goes for a seat with April and is the second winner of the night.
Josh is sitting in the audience with the winners of the last episode. They will be back for head to head duels later. Next is a trio of girl singers – Triniti. Cassie and Lauren are 19 and Jessica is 30. The work at the same vocal studio and teach voice to kids. They are excited at a shot at the big time and Josh says they need to focus on the wow factor.
The girls have chosen to sing Ariana Grande’s Problem. They have nice crisp voices and are hitting high notes. One of the girls gets a little pitchy and screechy on a high note. The celebs haven’t voted yet. Luda votes NO! Brad votes no and Kesha yes. The girls end up at just 30%. Josh calls them out through the door and they come downstage.
He asks Brad why he voted no. He says singing in a trio is one of the hardest things to do and says their whole act needs improved. Kesha says she gets a Destiny’s Child vibe off of them and says she sees them as a diamond in the rough. Luda says they need more work with harmonies. He says you’re only as strong as your weakest link and says they need to work better together if they want to be a group. Kesha says the rapping was just meh.
Alice Lee is next. She’s 25 and from Chicago. She says she grew up on K-Pop somewhat. Her dad is a singer and she says she always knew she wanted to perform but has mostly done theater. She quite a great off-Broadway show to come and do #RisingStar. She says this show can give her the opportunity to chase her real dreams.
Alice is performing Lady Gaga’s You and I. Her voice is interesting. The votes are slowly climbing and she’s close to 25%. In the last moments, Kesha votes yes, then Luda and that puts her at 70%. She ends on a huge note and is thrilled when the wall comes up. She waves to her mom. Josh asks Luda who says she brought a little too much Broadway, but he voted yes because she was so strong in the face of adversity.
Brad voted no and says there’s a bluesiness to the song that her Broadway style didn’t quite fit and says he’d like to hear her sing something more in her wheelhouse and Josh says he’ll do a Broadway duet with her right now to piss him off and Brad tells him to do it. Kesha says she waited because there were a couple of pitchy moments but then it got amazing.
Next is a cattle farmer and ex-pro baseball player. Brad jokes that cattle farmers can be your first audience or first date and laughs. Rye Davis is 25 and farms cattle in Kentucky. He was blinded in one eye during a college baseball game and that made him stronger. He went on to play again and had to learn to do it with no depth perception. He says that cost him a shot at the majors.
He says when he was playing minor league ball, other players liked his voice and encouraged him. Josh gives him some notes on singing with such a deep voice. Rye says it’s his second shot at chasing a dream. He comes out with his mic ready to go. He’s chosen When You Say Nothin’ at All. His voice is good in some spots and pitchy in others (IMHO).
Luda votes no pretty early on. He’s holding at less than 40%. He sounds off key to me. But his voice is nice. That’s odd. Kesah also votes no and pulls a face as she does. Brad also votes no and he ends up just under 50%. His last few notes are nice. It’s almost like he doesn’t have control over it. Josh says he didn’t make it and says he respects him for trying.
Brad says it was too pitchy and says he sounds like Alan Jackson. He says he used to work in the mail room at TNN and says if you look back at his tapes, he was kind of like that. He tells him to keep it up and keep working. Kesha says Brad’s right and says it was pitchy but she wants to cuddle him. She says she hates voting no and wants him to not stop if he’s meant to do it. Luda says it’s better if he says nothing at all – like the lyrics. Kesha says he’s being mean. Josh sends him off warmly.
Josh announces that Sonnet Simmons who was born in Greece when her mom was in a cult but now they’re back in LA. She says her mom joined a cult when she was a teenager and that’s where she was conceived and born. She and her sister came home to LA with her mom and her two brother stayed in the cult. She says music has been the one constant in her life and it has helped her through everything.
Sonnet is singing Wicked Game but Chris Isaak and her voice is otherworldly. It’s amazing. The votes come pouring in. Luda stares at her entranced. She has an Adele quality to her voice and then hits this ridick high, high note. Kesha votes yes. Brad and Luda also votes yes and she ends up at 81%. Josh tells her well done. Kesha says she wants to go first and says it’s live Stevie Nicks and she was entranced by her.
She says it was awesome and her backstory is fascinating and she finds cults fascinating and wants to start one. She says it would be a nice one with cats. Luda says his vote was based in curiosity because it was a hard song to sing. He says she was a little pitchy in parts though. Brad says she has one of those voices that he can’t tell if it’s pitchy or not because it’s so unique. He says he was asking what he was listening to, but in a good way. Kesha says it’s magical.
Diedre Irvine is next – she’s an Army Reservist. She lives in the Eastern Shore in Virginia and works on a fishing boat but says she’s stuck in a rut and then her house burned down. She’s homeless right now. She says it’s wrong to be out here living her dream when her family is struggling with that. She’s singing Anything Can Happen by Ellie Goulding. Josh gives her some pre-performance notes.
She’s ready to perform and is in her military uniform. She starts out sassy. Her voice is kind of raspy and cool. Her votes are moving slow. It’s hard to tell if her voice is good or not since she hasn’t sung any big notes. She hits some higher notes and they sound pitchy to me. Luda votes no. Her voice is really just not there. Sad. Brad also votes no. She finishes up at 26% as Kesha also votes no.
Her family is devastated. Josh comes out to talk to her and says she got through it. He thanks her for her service and for being here and the crowd applauds wildly and stands. She starts crying as they do. Josh tells her that anything still could happen for her. Luda says he loves her passion but she lost control of her technique. He says he has it in her to get better.
Kesha says she agrees with Luda. She says the tone is beautiful but she thinks nerves got to her and says it’s hard to get past that. She says it’s terrifying and encourages her to keep fighting. Brad says he wanted to vote yes but it came down to pitch. He says she started strong but then her voice started wavering. He tells her she has a family that loves her and she’s an inspiration. He says to keep at it.
Next up is Will Roth. He’s 24 and from Texas. He’s a veterinary technician by day and loves animals. By night he’s a private investigator. The producer laughs and says it’s a great job. He says he basically follows people around and no one has caught him yet. He also plays the guitar. He says he entered Rising Star to try and cause the same kind of chills he gets when he listens to good music.
He’s ready to sing. What a cutie! He’s got long hair, a beard and this rocker vibe. He sings The Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather. His voice is pretty good, but the song is kind of meh for me. His numbers are climbing steadily. Kesha votes yes, then Brad too. He’s in the 50s when Luda also votes yes. He’s so close and then it spikes and he finishes up at 83% when it’s all said and done.
Josh says the two of them together looks like True Detective 2. Kesha says she loves his beard and the humane society. Luda says this is a great example of how you can be on the fence but anything can change your mind. He says that last power run got him to vote yes. Brad asks where his confidence comes from and Kesha says it’s the beard. Brad says he must have been chasing down a criminal in his mind.
Brad says every time Josh says app, they need to drink. Kesha says she wants to play and Josh says Luda has a minibar under his chair. Luda asks if they can vote no on Josh’s socks and he says just for that, he’s going to up his sock game every episode. He tells Brad he smells like moonshine and venison jerkey and moves away then compliments Kesha.
Josh says they’ve been getting comments asking for him to be in short shorts. He asks Kesha her skin regimen and she says unicorn tears. He asks Kesha what was one of her breakthrough moments. She says she wrote a song for Miley Cyrus and she made it her album title and that her first check was less $1.63. She says she has that check framed. FYI, that song was The Time of Our Lives.
Egypt Dixon is up night. She’s 18 and from Texas in a small town. Egypt talks about her mom being a strong figure in her life. She says her mom has told her to follow her dreams. She’s singing Fancy by Iggy Azalea and Josh says it’s not a showcasey song and demands a lot of swagger. She’s hoping to see the wall rise as she gets ready to sing.
She starts out with the rap – it doesn’t sound too bad. It’s hard to tell how her voice really is. Then she hits the high notes and it’s pretty cool. Her votes start out slow. The voting audience doesn’t seem to be really hot on the rapping. She’s over 20% and climbing though. I think her voice is good but rap is something no one has seen on this show.
Luda votes no. Kesha votes yes. She’s still at less than 50% and Brad hasn’t voted. She’s stalled at less than 50% and her last note is pitchy. She ends up with 44% with a no from Brad. Josh says he had fun watching. Kesha says the most important thing was that she had fun. She says that was really the wrong song for her and says her voice was amazing and she would have liked to hear her voice.
She says the rapping was an issue. Luda agrees with Kesha and says he voted no because it was the wrong song. He says he wished she would have picked something else and says she’s more of a singer than a rapper. Brad says he’s an idiot about rap and says he respects her for trying rap and would love to hear her sing some more down the road. They applaud her off.
The next performer is Adam James. He’s 24, from California, married and says he grew up on classic rock playing air guitar. He begged for a guitar as a kid and he says he never put it down. He says when he sings, he thinks about his dad because he had always been his biggest fan but died in a car accident last year. He says that hollowed him out.
He says his dad’s last words were that he was proud of him and says that’s the fire in him now. Adam is singing Jason Mraz’ I Won’t Give Up. His voice is nice and mellow. Then when he hits the hook, his voice gets bigger and stronger and is really nice. His votes are climbing and then Brad votes yes. He’s at 50% and climbing. Kesha votes yes and that puts him over 70%.
Even the other contestants are up on their feet, singing along with him and applauding. Luda votes yes too and he ends up at 87%. Brad says he relates to his story and says it was his grandpa that gave him his guitar. He says he had vulnerability that was great and tells him not to ever lose it and to harness it instead. He says he sees some Timberlake in him. He says he had good character.
Kesha says he has a Timberlake profile shot and says his voice is amazing but she couldn’t hear the end since the crowd was screaming. Luda says he was close to voting no and gets booed and tells the crowd to shut the hell up since he voted yes (HA!). He says he needs some vocal work but has the intangible thing that he’s looking for. Adam thanks them all.
There’s one last audition is Megan Tibbits. She’s 26 and works in LA as a musician. She was in a family band growing up and says they went on US tours of churches. She says they played a bunch of weird instruments and that led her to play the harp. Josh tells her not to hold back vocally if she wants to get the votes. She’s optimistic that she’ll be able to affect people.
Megan has her harp and is ready to rock. She’s chosen John Legend’s All of Me. Her voice is pretty and her harp skills are fly. The votes are slow to come though. She hits a lovely high note and also has a nice lower register. She’s around 25% and Luda isn’t sure. He looks like he could go either way. Luda votes no. She still below 50%. Her higher stuff is a little pitchy.
Kesha voes yes as the votes are closing and Brad also votes yes. This will be close. The votes is closing and once it’s all done, she’s at 68%. Josh says it’s not quite there. She comes out to talk. Josh says Luda’s vote would have done it and Kesha fusses at him. Luda says the West Coast may save her. He says it takes a lot to play the harp and sing and tells the crowd to make some news.
Luda says to do that, you have to be great at both and didn’t see that. Kesha says she likes her story and says her mom took her on tour too. She says her voice was unique and hopes the West Coast saves her. They skip Brad because of time and he’s mock outraged.
