ABC/Eric McCandless
Season 19 of ABC’s “American Idol” has narrowed the field of contestants down to the final five, meaning the season finale is just weeks away. Teenage rock-music lover Casey Bishop is one of the five finalists who have made it through.
Bishop is just 16 years old at the time of writing, and she has continued to impress “American Idol” judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie during her time on the show.
Read on to learn more about Bishop’s time on “American Idol” through the final five.
Bryan Predicted Bishop Would Win After Her Audition
During her audition, Bishop told the judges that she had never really sung in front of anyone, and she mostly practiced singing in the bathroom.
Bishop started with Mötley Crüe’s “Live Wire but then sang “My Funny Valentine” after Katy Perry asked her to sing something with a bit more soul.
Perry giggled when Bishop finished up the second song.
“Um, I didn’t think anyone would get close to Alejandro’s audition as far as me being just, like, dipped in Disney and sparkles and flowers and doves, and that’s what your audition was,” Bryan told her. “I wrote ‘Top 10 def’ on the Motley Crue song and then you just did, I don’t even know what the heck just happened just then.”
At the time, Bryan said, “I think she’s the damn winner of ‘American Idol,’ period. It’s clear what I think.”
Bishop Eventually Stepped Outside of Her Comfort Zone
Through Hollywood Week and the Showstopper round, Bishop stayed mainly in her comfort zone. During the Hollywood Week Duets, Bishop performed “Bennie and The Jets” by Elton John alongside now-eliminated contestant Beane. In the Showstopper Round, she sang “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes.
She stayed in the same lane during the All-Star duet round, when she performed Paramore’s “Decode” and then sang “Wish You Were Here” alongside Brandon Boyd.
For her top 12 performance, Bishop performed “House of the Rising Sun.”
After Katy Perry told Bishop she needed to, “make the stage your b****,” Bishop stepped outside of her comfort zone, singing “When She Loved Me,” and “Over the Rainbow” in back-to-back episodes, making it clear that she can perform more than just rock music and actually does have a lighter, more sensitive side.
After the performance of “Over the Rainbow,” the judges were amazed by her performance.
“You can do anything you want! It’s so exciting to switch it up towards the end, it’s like a wildcard toward the end,” Katy Perry told her at the time, later adding, “It’s gonna be tough. [Luke Bryan] said earlier one of them was the frontrunner, but I think she is.”
Bishop Stole the Stage With “Ironic”
During her most recent performance, Bishop showed that she can command attention and deliver a show-stopping performance with Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic.” She was finally back in her wheelhouse after performing Coldplay’s “Paradise” that didn’t quite hit because of some audio issues and her voice getting lost, but it was clear that she was completely in her element.
Will Bishop take home the title of “American Idol” when the season finale airs? Tune in to the next two episodes to find out.
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“American Idol” airs on Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
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