‘American Idol': HunterGirl Delivers Superstar Performance of a Carrie Underwood Smash [Watch]
Before delivering her Top 5 performance on Season 20’s American Idol, HunterGirl took some cues from country music royalty. The Tennessee native received professional advice from Carrie Underwood, who appeared as a mentor on the show on Sunday (March 15), guiding the finalists into the season finale.
The first hopeful of the night to sing, HunterGirl chose to cover "Undo It," a 2010 hit from Underwood’s third studio album, Play On. In rehearsals, Underwood challenged the singer to “work on her strut” and “bring the sass."
And HunterGirl did just that after some coaching from Ms. Strut herself.
She kicked off the song while standing in the middle of the audience, energizing the crowd with her country charm and spunky attitude. Wearing her new signature look of a fringed top paired with cowgirl boots, HunterGirl effortlessly made her way to the stage and belted out the song lyrics in front of judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Without losing any breath, she made her way across the stage and showed off her stage presence even further by incorporating flirtatious movements into her performance with the help of a guitar player.
“Oh my goodness. Wait a minute. That was exactly what [Underwood] told you to do. Exactly!” Richie said, praising HunterGirl for her live delivery. “There is nothing better than owning the stage. You take the crowd. You take them with you. You were spectacular!”
“You sound just as much of a star standing still as you do moving around,” Perry added. “But when you move around, you engage us. You’ve invited us to your party. That was a party. That was hands-down the best performance you have ever done. You are a superstar.”
“Way to get inspired by Carrie Underwood," Bryan said, chiming in. "I mean, to sit there and get that time with her and to see what is coming on this show, starting your career on this show and what it has done for her, I mean and then for you too, I don’t know, you were everywhere. It was amazing."
HunterGirl’s “Undo It” cover was the first of two performances she delivered during the two-hour telecast. She returned later in the episode with a rousing rendition of Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.” Both of her performances earned her enough fan votes to secure her a place in the Top 3.
HunterGirl is now vying for a chance to win the American Idol title, alongside fellow country singer Noah Thompson and fellow contestant Leah Marlene. A three-hour American Idol finale will air on Sunday (May 22) on ABC, during which a winner will be crowned.
Bucky, Scotty and More: See Where American Idol's Country Finalists Are Now:
These Country Singers Tried Out for American Idol But Didn't Make It!