Jennifer Jeffries’ run on American Idol came to an end on Monday night with the Starkville teenager falling short of cracking the top 14.
Coming off what the judges thought was a poor performance during Sunday’s episode, Jeffries did what she could to climb back into the competition. After finding out she wasn’t part of the top 10 based on fan votes, the judges allowed the remaining 10 contestants to sing off for the final four spots.
Fighting with her rendition of Kodaline’s “All I Want,” Jeffries bounced back with what Luke Bryan said was maybe her best performance since first auditioning for Idol last fall.
“That was one of my favorite performances, if not my favorite, and we had yet to hear you do falsetto. That was a really new trick we didn’t think you had,” Bryan said. “I just really love your voice. I think no matter what happens, you’re going to go on and have some special stuff because your voice is just so unique and so yours.”
Bryan along with fellow judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie ultimately decided to not move forward with Jeffries and instead chose Roman Collins, Nya, Jayna Elise, and Jordan Anthony to join America’s top 10 in Kayko, Mia Matthews, Jack Blocker, McKenna Faith Breinholt, Emmy Russell, Kaibrienne, Abi Carter, Will Moseley, Julia Gagnon, and Triston Harper.
Jeffries, who recently turned 18, is the latest Mississippian to make a deep run in the competition, joining the likes of Colin Stough, Zachariah Smith, Deshawn Goncalves, and Hannah Everhart (now Hannah Jewel). In 2016, Amory native Trent Harmon won the competition over McComb native La’Porsha Renae.
Jennifer Jeffries’ journey on American Idol
- Audition: Judges say Jeffries has one of the most “amazingly unique voices” ever heard on American Idol
- Hollywood week: Jeffries performs stunning original, “You Were a Child”
- Jeffries uses Noah Kahan song to land in top 24
- Katy Perry gushes over Jeffries’ performance from Hawaii, calling it “so Mississippi”
