Georgia Waitress Megan Danielle Secures Spot In Top 5 After Impressive ‘Idol’ Performance

The 21-year-old remains an ‘American Idol’ frontrunner.

By

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

May 8, 2023

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3:28 pm

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Megan Danielle; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless

Megan Danielle captured the hearts of American Idol viewers when she shared a special moment with Lauren Daigle during her memorable audition. She continued to leave a lasting impression on fans throughout the season, and her latest solo performance was yet again, another standout moment.  

The 21-year-old, who works as a server in Douglasville, Georgia, was nearly left speechless when she learned that Alanis Morissette was on hand as a mentor and guest judge. 

“When I figured out Alanis was the mentor, I was in shock because her music is so cool,” Danielle admitted. 

She Was Thrilled To Work With Morissette

Megan Danielle; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless
Megan Danielle; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless

For her performance, she chose to sing Morissette’s “Head Over Feet.”

“I love the lyrics… [I] connect with this song just because my boyfriend is amazing. I know all girlfriends say that, but he just made me believe in who I am and he made me start loving myself more and when he came into my life I was like ‘this is too good to be true,’” she explained. 

“Your lyrics literally explain it all,” Danielle admitted before Morissette elaborated on the lyrics, “the ambivalence of you’re being kinder to me than some parts of me are to my own self.”

“Head Over Feet”  

Megan Danielle; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless
Megan Danielle; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless

“I’d like to hear it a little less beautifully, if you don’t mind,” Morissette joked, adding, “Intimacy is terrifying whether that be with an audience or our own selves. Maybe less performing it, and more you having a conversation with me, your boyfriend, your own self…” 

Morissette praised Danielle for being “very vulnerable.” 

“Thank you, ma’am,” she told her. 

Donning a floral dress, Megan Danielle put a country twist on “Head Over Feet,” a track that appears on Morissette’s iconic Jagged Little Pill album.   

Joined by a full band, she belted out the lyrics, allowing her powerhouse vocals to shine. 

Watch

YouTube video

“I’m head over feet, baby!” Danielle shouted from the stage following her performance.  

The judges, including Luke Bryan, and guest judges Morissette and Ed Sheeran, had nothing but great feedback for Megan Danielle. 

“You went less beautiful than you went this way and then you went more beautiful this way… So God bless. Just really soulful and really expressing that ambivalence of you know I’m used to being hard on myself and yet here’s this person across from me loving me so well and just expressing that really authentically,’ Morissette said, adding, “God bless you, gorgeous!” 

Megan Danielle; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless
Megan Danielle; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless

Sheeran was mesmerized by her performance. He said, “I genuinely for a second forgot we were on American Idol, I felt like I was watching like a classic singer from the ‘60s or something. It’s like your tone is incredible and it’s very, very unique. I’m new to this, so you have obviously done this every week and impressed people every week. I was really, really impressed. Luke told me though before you came on, he gave me a nudge and was just like ‘watch this.’”

Bryan said he enjoyed watching the guest judges’ reactions to her performance.  

“I was like get ready, you ain’t heard this before and that’s what’s so cool… First of all, I’m just loving watching these two react to you guys giving it back to them. I’m nudging Ed and I’m like ‘this girls got a tone and a thing.’ And the thing about that song is you really just laid it back in the pocket and you made it real I guess inviting, right?”

Morissette chimed in again. “We talked about that, basically, that a lot of artists feel like that they have to give it 120%. We forget the fact that we can lay back, and the audience is with us. So, they’ll meet us more than halfway. 

“I mean, you nailed that, and your voice makes that happen naturally. So good job,” Bryan told her. 

Duet With Colin Stough

Also during Sunday’s episode, Danielle also joined Colin Stough for a country version of Sheeran’s “Dive.” Click HERE to watch.  

Megan Danielle, Colin Stough; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless
Megan Danielle, Colin Stough; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless

At the end of the episode, it was revealed that Megan Danielle earned a spot in the coveted Top 5. She will return to the American Idol stage next week for Disney Week. 

Ed Sheeran and Alanis Morissette are temporarily replacing Katy Perry and Lionel Richie while they are in England performing as part of the Coronation Celebration for King Charles III. 

ALANIS MORISSETTE, RYAN SEACREST, LUKE BRYAN, ED SHEERAN; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless
ALANIS MORISSETTE, RYAN SEACREST, LUKE BRYAN, ED SHEERAN; Photo by ABC/Eric McCandless

“I can’t wait to guide you through this stage of the competition and career and yeah this is the first time I’ve done this on American Idol, I can’t wait to take the iconic American Idol stage,” Sheeran previously shared. “Mostly, I’m just looking forward to meeting all of you and talking through life and music and I hope you’re having a great time and I’ll see you very, very soon. Lots of love.”

“I am so excited to be mentoring and hearing your interpretations of my songs. I can’t wait to hear them and surprise I’m going to be guest judging with Luke as well. So I can’t wait to see you,” Morissette previously added.

Perry and Richie made a brief appearance during Idol with a video from Windsor Castle.

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.