The curtain is about to fall on season 22 of American Idol, but not before the show crowns a winner. Will it be Abi Carter, Will Moseley or Jack Blocker?
These three finalists will perform on the star-studded finale on Sunday, May 19. The grand finale will feature Jon Bon Jovi as the guest mentor and performer and will also feature performances by Jason Mraz, James Bay, CeCe Winans, Nick Fradiani, Wynonna Judd, Seal, Cody Johnson, Bishop Briggs, New Kids on the Block and Hootie & The Blowfish.
The season 22 closer will also bid a fond farewell to Katy Perry. After seven seasons judging on Idol, Perry said in February that it’s time to “go out and feel that pulse to my own beat.” Perry has served alongside fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie since ABC revived the series in 2018. While Perry’s replacement hasn’t been announced, Richie hopes that an equally powerful singer like Taylor Swift or Kelly Clarkson will replace her. Perry has also endorsed Jelly Roll to take over her spot.
Before that all can be done, Perry will join Bryan and Richie and all the American Idol voters to crown a winner.
Ahead of the finale, scroll down for a quick recap of the finalists’ journeys:
Abi Carter
Carter hails from California’s Coachella Valley. Her website’s bio states that she is the second of seven kids and grew up in a musical household. Carter got her start singing in church, talent shows and local competitions. Her bio also refers to her as “near virtuosic” when it comes to playing the piano. She was preparing to attend college to study psychology when she first auditioned for American Idol.
Carter’s performance of Billie Eilish‘s “What Was I Made For?” during the general auditions earned her a Platinum Ticket, securing her a place in the competition. She’s also the only one of the finalists to win such an award.
Carter’s performance of Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” in the Showstopper round subsequently earned her a space in the Top 24 of contestants. The following week, she performed the worship song “Oceans (Where Feet My Fail)” in the first round of public voting. Viewers threw their support behind Carter, and she earned a place in the Top 20. Carter showed versatility in this round, performing My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” and Yebba’s “My Mind.”
For the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” week, Carter channeled Elton John for a performance of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” In the “Billboard #1 Hits” round, Carter gave love to Swift by performing the original-length version of “All Too Well.” The performance helped her make it to the Top 10, in which she performed Coldplay’s 2003 hit “Clocks.” (It was “Birth Year” week, in which contestants had to pick a song from the year they were born.)
After Carter made it to the Top 8, she had to perform Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life” (She also covered Perry’s “Wide Awake” alongside her fellow contestants McKenna Faith Breinholt, Julia Gagnon and Kaibrienne).
The performance kept her chances of Idol glory alive, as she made it to the next round (where she performed Adele’s “Hello” and Fall Out Boy’s “Light Em Up”). In the Top 5, Carter performed two songs featured in Disney movies: “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” which was part of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 soundtrack.
She cites Swift, Gracie Abrams, Sara Bareilles and Lizzy McAlpine as influences. Amidst her American Idol success, Carter released her debut single, “It’s All Love.”
Will Moseley
Hailing from Hazlehurst, Georgia, Moseley is a former football player who spent his college years playing for East Tennessee’s Maryville College. He finished up his education in 2023, graduating from Georgia Southern University. After one too many concussions, Moseley decided to put down the pigskin and pick up the guitar, according to Knox News.
Moseley performed an original song, “Gone for Good,” during the general auditions. It secured him a spot in the Showstopper round, where he performed a version of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” As part of the Top 24, Mosley continued his trek through the classics by performing a version of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay.”
Moseley leaned into his country roots while competing in the Top 20, performing Drake White’s “Makin’ Me Look Good Again,” and a reprise of his “Gone for Good.”
Moseley’s run on Idol has featured plenty of southern hospitality. For “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” week, Moseley performed Bob Seger’s “Night Moves.” He did Chris Stapleton’s “Starting Over” for the “Billboard #1 Hits” week and a version of Travis Tritt’s “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” for the Top 10 round.
When in the Top 8, Moseley turned into a modern-day “Man in Black,” covering Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” He also had the pleasure of performing a version of Bryan’s “What Makes You Country” alongside Triston Harper.
When it came to Dance Songs / Adele Songs week, Moseley got into it with “Rolling in the Deep” and a version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps.” He revisited Stapleton for the Top 5, performing his “Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy” (from Toy Story 4) and Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” (from D3: The Mighty Ducks) for the Disney week.
Moseley announced his new song, “Good Book Bad,” on Monday, May 13. “So, through this whole journey, I came across a once-in-a-lifetime song and was lucky enough to get to have a hand in sharing it with the world. ‘Good Book Bad’ is released on Friday 5/17,” he wrote via Instagram.
Jack Blocker
The stars of Texas are shining for Blocker. Blocker represents North Texas, hailing from Richardson and graduating from Trinity Christian Academy in Addison. Blocker was a shy kid but soon discovered a love of sports, writing, art and music, according to ABC 8 WFAA. As a teen, he decided to push through his shyness and enter the spotlight. In 2022, he and his wife relocated from Dallas to Nashville, Tennessee, so he could pursue music full-time.
Blocker almost missed out on the Idol competition. Two of the judges initially voted against him moving forward, but the production crew chimed in, calling for a re-vote. Blocker got his second shot and a golden ticket to Hollywood.
During the competition, Blocker (who also works as a graphic designer) showed a range of musical influences along with his vintage style. His Showstopper round choice was Nathaniel Rateliff’s Americana track “You Should’ve Seen the Other Guy.” In the Top 24, he performed Kacey Musgraves’ “Rainbow.”
Blocker celebrated Jim Croce while in the Top 20, performing “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” before performing a version of Post Malone’s “Feeling Whitney.” For the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” week, he did a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”
When it came time for the “Billboard #1 Hits” week, Blocker covered The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” To celebrate his 1998 birth year for the Top 10 week, he covered Cher’s “Believe.” That week, he and Emmy Russell celebrated judge Richie by covering “Hello.”
For the week of dance tracks and Adele songs, Blocker did “Long Tall Sally” — made famous by Little Richard — and Adele’s “One and Only.” The following week, when the field was whittled down to the Top 5, Blocker showed a sly selection of songs from Disney movies.
He covered David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” used in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Blocker also performed a version of Brad Paisley’s “Nobody’s Fool,” which was on the soundtrack to Cars 2.
Blocker also has a song arriving on Friday, May 17. Fans can presave “All of Yours (To Give All of Mine).”
