American Idol season 21’s Top 3 has been determined, and the extraordinarily talented singers, Iam Tongi, Megan Danielle, and Colin Stough, have made it to the finale after performing on Disney Night. After being judged by Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry, who delighted everyone by dressing as Elastigirl, AKA Mrs. Incredible, from The Incredibles, the Top 5 finalists were narrowed down to three by America’s vote. They had been mentored by actress and singer Sofia Carson, who is known for her role as Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen, in Descendants. The Top 5 each sang two Disney songs.
American Idol season 21 Top 5 finalists, Wé Ani and Zachariah Smith, were eliminated from the competition. Wé sang “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II and “The Climb” from Hannah Montana: The Movie. Zachariah performed “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” from The Lion King and “Life is a Highway” from Cars. As Megan, Iam, and Colin now prepare for the finale, during which they will be mentored by former American Idol judge Keith Urban as they sing songs from his catalog, here are the power rankings based on their performances, show history, and social media followings.
3 Megan Danielle
Christian singer Megan has been a dark horse on American Idol season 21 since she won a sing-off versus Paige Anne to earn her spot in the Top 26. She has quietly built her confidence and onstage persona, bursting out as a superstar in the last two weeks of the competition. During Disney Night, Megan sang “You Can’t Stop the Girl” from Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Her second song was “Carried Me With You” from Onward. With her gritty, country voice and gorgeous sense of style, Megan has it all.
Megan has made songs her own throughout the competition, including her moving rendition of “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill (Top 10). She also stunned with her performances of “Head Over Feet” by Alanis Morissette and her duet with Colin on Ed Sheeran’s “Dive” (Top 8). She has been consistently impressive since her audition when she sang “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. Lauren surprised Megan at the audition, singing along with her.
Megan has significantly fewer Instagram followers than Iam and Colin at 82K, but she also has an advantage that they don’t. In 2020, Megan competed on The Voice season 18 on Team Kelly Clarkson. She made it to the Top 9 before her elimination. With her stunning vocal talent and fan following, Megan might have what it takes to make it to the end of the competition.
2 Iam Tongi
Iam has been a frontrunner on American Idol season 21 since his audition, which went viral with over 100 million social media views. On Disney Night, he sang “Lava” from Lava. His second song was “Father and Son” from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Iam brought the same sensitivity and emotion to his performances that he has throughout the entire competition.
Iam sang “Monsters” by James Blunt at his audition, which he dedicated to his late father. He also brought his signature style to songs such as “The Winner Takes It All” by ABBA (Top 20), “Bring It on Home to Me” by Sam Cooke (Top 12), “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong (Top 10), and “Guardian” by Alanis Morissette (Top 8). He also performed two moving duets with his best friend in the competition, Oliver Steele. During Hollywood Week, they sang “Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd, dedicating the performance their fathers. They reunited during the Top 8 to sing Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph.”
Iam has 471K Instagram followers, the most of any American Idol season 21 finalist. In fact, his Instagram follower count is nearly double that of Wé’s, who has 244K, the second-largest amount. Although social media followers aren’t everything in the competition, they are often a good indicator of how many votes a contestant might receive, especially when they have a significant amount more their fellow competitors.
1 Colin Stough
Country singer Colin impressed the judges and the audience with his energetic and exciting performance of “Real Gone” from Cars. He also sang an acoustic version of “Nobody Knows” from Pete’s Dragon, during which he captivated everyone with his stellar vocals. Colin has shown the most growth throughout the competition. He began his American Idol journey without a lot of confidence, but has since grown into a star. Colin has an incredible country music sound, a genre which has historically done very well on American Idol.
Colin had a breakout moment on the show with his Top 12 celebration song, “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn, making the song his own. He continued to make his mark on the competition with songs such as “Midnight Rider” by The Allman Brothers Band (Top 12), “It’s Been Awhile” by Staind (Top 10), “Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette (Top 8), and his duet with Megan, “Dive,” by Ed Sheeran.
Colin has 119K Instagram followers, which is about a quarter of Iam’s. Although Instagram followers are a good indication of how many fans contestants have, they don’t always correlate directly to votes. Colin proved this because he has about half as many followers as Wé, and he was still able to earn enough votes to rise above her in the competition. If Colin continues to perform the way he has the past few weeks, he will almost certainly be crowned the next American Idol.
American Idol season 21 Top 3 finalists Megan, Colin, and Iam will now enjoy hometown visits, and then compete in the finale to become the next American Idol. They have all proven themselves deserving of the title. They are not only talented singers, but wonderful people who have grown tremendously as artists throughout the competition. The American Idol season 21 finale is sure to be one of the most unpredictable and exciting ones in the history of the show.
The American Idol season 21 finale airs Sunday, May 21 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Sources: Megan Danielle/Instagram, Iam Tongi/Instagram, Colin Stough/Instagram
