Chayce Beckham followed the judges’ suggestion and performed their song of choice, The Beatles “Blackbird,” during the American Idol finale on Sunday (May 23).
The Apple Valley, California native’s performance earned praise from the judges as they couldn’t help but gush over his rendition of the 1968 hit.
Lionel Richie complimented his vocal identity telling him, “I am so proud of you. We are so proud of you.”
Katy Perry went on to explain the reasoning behind their song choice and jokingly referred to him as “Chayce the ace.”
Luke Bryan echoed Richie and Perry’s sentiments and invited him on the fishing trip of a lifetime.
“Chayce has been kind of teasing about wanting to do some bass fishing,” Bryan revealed and later told him, “You’ve earned your bass fishin’ trip!”
Beckham became an instant fan-favorite following his audition with “What Brings Life Also Kills” by Kolton Moore & The Clever Few. He also found a fan in American Idol judges, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as each judge voted him through to the next round. Throughout the season, he’s performed covers from artists such as Chris Stapleton, Bob Marley, Bryan Adams and more. He even offered up two original tunes, “Mamma,” and “23,” proving he has the songwriting chops to go along with his vocals and stage presence.
The star-studded American Idol finale aired on ABC and also featured performances from Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, Lindsey Buckingham, Fall Out Boy, Alessia Cara, Leona Lewis and Macklemore as well as Perry, Bryan and Richie.
Several contestants from the Top 24, including Alyssa Wray, Arthur Gunn, Cassandra Coleman, Casey Bishop, DeShawn Goncalves, Hunter Metts, Phillip Murphy and more, returned to perform during the finale as well.
