American Idol season 14


The fourteenth season of American Idol, also known as American Idol XIV, premiered on the Fox television network on January 7, 2015. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Randy Jackson departed as the in-house mentor and was replaced by Scott Borchetta. Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola ended its relationship with the show.
Before the finale, it was announced that the fifteenth season would be the last of the reality show. Since the series began in 2002, it peaked in viewership at 30 million viewers per episode in 2006, declining to 20 million viewers per episode in 2011, and down further since with an average of about 9.15 million viewers per episode in 2015.
On May 13, Nick Fradiani was announced as this season's winner, with Clark Beckham as the runner-up.

Changes from previous seasons

The fourteenth season of American Idol featured a number of changes to its format. Former judge Randy Jackson, who had served as a mentor on the previous season, left the show and was succeeded by Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta. In May 2014, Ryan Seacrest signed a two-year extension to remain as host through 2016, which would be the show's final season. Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola ended its relationship with the series, and the Ford Motor Company maintained a reduced role.
To evaluate their ability to perform in front of a live audience, the final 48 contestants participated in a private concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood before being cut to 24. Separate results shows during the top 12 rounds were discontinued in favor of a single two-hour broadcast on Wednesday nights, where the results from the previous week were revealed, similarly to So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars.
A new feature was also introduced, where viewers could vote via Twitter to decide which of the bottom two singers from the previous week would advance. Beginning with the top 9, the two contestants who received the lowest votes the previous week were revealed. The bottom two contestants then performed in exactly the same format as the safe contestants. However, after the performances were completed, the viewers only had five minutes to vote by Twitter; the contestant with the higher vote count would be safe and the other contestant would be eliminated.
The finale returned to the Dolby Theatre, where five of the first six-season finales took place.

Regional auditions

The American Idol "Audition Bus Tour" visited the following cities: Portland, Oregon; Portland, Maine; Reno, Nevada; Columbus, Ohio; Richmond, Virginia; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Amarillo, Texas; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Branson, Missouri; Tallahassee, Florida; and Kansas City, Missouri.
Auditions took place in these cities:
CityPreliminary datePreliminary venueFilming dateFilming venue
Minneapolis, MinnesotaJune 18, 2014Mariucci ArenaSeptember 24–25, 2014Minneapolis Convention Center
New Orleans, LouisianaJune 25, 2014Lakefront ArenaAugust 26–27, 2014Morial Convention Center
Various citiesJuly 9–21, 2014VariedAugust 13–14, 2014Bartle Hall Convention Center
Uniondale, New YorkJuly 23, 2014Nassau Veterans Memorial ColiseumSeptember 16–17, 2014Marriott Hotel
Nashville, TennesseeJuly 30, 2014Nashville Municipal AuditoriumAugust 3–4, 2014Music City Center
San Francisco, CaliforniaSeptember 29, 2014Cow PalaceOctober 3–4, 2014Westin St. Francis

Hollywood week

Hollywood week aired in four parts over two weeks. Contestants participated in three rounds: lines of ten, groups and solos. The judges also asked some of the most notable contestants to sing for them at the beginning of the rounds, surprising many of them, but they all advanced. After Hollywood Week, contestants performed in the Showcase round in front of a live audience at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

Semifinals

The semifinals began on February 25, 2015, and were filmed at The Fillmore in Detroit. After the top 10 finalists were determined by the public vote, the judges chose two additional contestants to advance to the finals as Wild Card picks.
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Top 24

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 16 – Motown

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

PerformersSong
Aretha Franklin"I Will Survive"

Top 12 finalists

  • Nick Fradiani was from Guilford, Connecticut. He and his girlfriend auditioned in New York City, and his golden ticket song was Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." In Hollywood, he sang "Babylon" by David Gray. He sang Train's "Drops of Jupiter " during the House of Blues Showcase, earning his spot in the top 24.
  • Clark Beckham was from White House, Tennessee. Beckham sang James Brown's "It's a Man's World" during his audition. In his first solo performance in Hollywood, he sang Otis Reding's "Try a Little Tenderness". He advanced to the top 24 after he sang "Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles in the House of Blues Showcase.
  • Jax was from East Brunswick, New Jersey. She auditioned in New York City with her rendition of the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand". She also sang "Toxic" by Britney Spears during her first solo in Hollywood. For her final solo, she sang the Beatles' "Let it Be". She earned her spot in the Top 24 in the House of Blues Showcase after she performed Lady Gaga's "You & I."
  • Rayvon Owen was a vocal coach from Richmond, Virginia. He auditioned in San Francisco with his rendition of Katy Perry's "Wide Awake." He sang "Ordinary People" by John Legend as his first solo and Otis Reding's "Try a Little Tenderness" as his final solo in Hollywood. He performed Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down" in the House of Blues Showcase, earning his spot in the semifinals.
  • Tyanna Jones was from Jacksonville, Florida. For her audition, she sang "Wings" by Little Mix. In Hollywood, she sang Olly Murs' "Dance with Me Tonight" as her first solo and "Try" by Colbie Caillat as her final solo. She performed Beyoncé's "Love on Top" in the House of Blues Showcase, earning her spot in the semifinals.
  • Quentin Alexander was from New Orleans, Louisiana. He auditioned in New Orleans with "Royals" by Lorde. In Hollywood, he sang "Riptide" by Vance Joy. He sang "Youth" by Foxes in the House of Blues Showcase, earning his spot in the semifinals.
  • Joey Cook was originally from Woodbridge, Virginia, but had moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she auditioned with "King of Spain" by The Tallest Man on Earth. She sang Miranda Lambert's "Kerosene" as her first solo and "Across the Universe" by the Beatles as her final solo in Hollywood. She earned her spot in the top 24 after she performed "Sweet Pea" by Amos Lee in the House of Blues Showcase. Her performance of Fancy during the top 11 was well-received by the judges and earned a standing ovation from Keith Urban. She played the accordion, ukulele, banjo, and the mandolin during the course of the season.
  • Qaasim Middleton was from Brooklyn, New York. He auditioned in New York City with "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder. He performed Ed Sheeran's "Give Me Love" as his final solo in Hollywood. He sang "Satisfaction" by Allen Stone, earning his spot in the top 24 in the House of Blues Showcase.
  • Daniel Seavey was from Vancouver, Washington. He sang Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" during his audition in San Francisco. In Hollywood, he sang Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" as his first solo and Sheeran's "I See Fire" as his final solo in Hollywood. He performed "Straight Up" again in the House of Blues Showcase, earning his spot in the top 24.
  • Adanna Duru was from Diamond Bar, California. She auditioned in San Francisco with Lady Gaga's "You & I." She performed "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" by James Brown during the House of Blues Showcase, where she got standing ovation by Jennifer Lopez and earned her spot in the Top 24.
  • Maddie Walker was from Ankeny, Iowa. She had previously auditioned in the thirteenth season, but was cut during the group round in Hollywood. She auditioned again in New York City with Gwen Sebastian's "Suitcase." She sang "Already Gone" by Sugarland as her first solo in Hollywood, and "Don't Ya" by Brett Eldredge as her final solo. During the House of Blues Showcase, she sang "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. She was cut during the top 24 selection, but was called back by the judges, and subsequently earned a spot in the semifinals.
  • Sarina-Joi Crowe was from Columbia, Tennessee. She had originally auditioned in the tenth season, but was cut on the last day in Hollywood. She had also auditioned in the twelfth and thirteenth seasons, where she was again cut. For her fourth appearance, she auditioned in Nashville with "Love Runs Out" by OneRepublic. She sang Jessie J's "Big White Room" in the House of Blues Showcase, where she earned her spot in the top 24.

    Finals

There were eleven weeks of finals with twelve contestants competing. At least one contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes, although the judges could veto one elimination through the use of the "judges' save."
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