American Idol: Massachusetts' Own Sonika Vaid Advances to Top 5

WESTON, MA - 10:02 p.m.

It was a make or break night for Weston native and Martha's Vineyard resident Sonika Vaid, and she brought all she had to her two performances, singing Frozen's 'Let it Go and Zedd's 'Clarity.'

The judges 'saved' her for the second week in a row, eliminating 15-year-old Tristan McIntosh. Vaid faces an uphill battle as she enters the Top 5, up against vocal powerhouse La'Porsha Renae as well as a number of fan and judges' favorites.

However, Vaid has proven week after week that she belongs in the competition, taking the judges' advice to heart and coming out of her shell in her performances.

Vaid joins Renae, Trent Harmon, MacKenzie Bourg and Dalton Rapattoni in the Top 5 next week.

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Last week, Weston native Sonika Vaid found herself in the bottom three. Competing for the final spot in the final six, Vaid's first performance was a duet of "Rise Up" with Avalon Young.

She then took a chance closing the show with her rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing."

But her gamble paid off.

"It's high risk, big payoff song. For me, I loved it," judge Harry Connick, Jr. said.

Vaid, a Martha's Vineyard resident originally from Weston, secured her spot in the top six alongside MacKenzie Bourg, Trent Harmon, Tristan McIntosh, Dalton Rapattoni and La’Porsha Renae.

One will be eliminated tonight, as the show narrows it down to just five. Don't miss out on the action, 8-10 p.m. on Fox.

9:55 p.m.

La'Porsha Renae followed up a heartbreaking video detailing her relationship with an abusive boyfriend with Mary J. Blige's anthem 'No More Drama.'

As the song reached its climax, Renae visibly put everything she had into the lyrics, ending the song in tears

This time, not only was the crowd on their feet, but so were judges Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban.

"It takes a lot to overcome," Lopez said, this time letting herself cry. "You are an inspiration. It was so beautiful."

Urban and Connick were speechless, agreeing with Seacrest that there was nothing else to say than had been said by the song.

9:46 p.m.

Less than an hour after she was 'saved' by the judges, Sonika Vaid returned to the stage, covering pop hit 'Clarity,' by Grammy-winning DJ Zedd featuring English singer Foxes.

The response was mixed, as the performance garnered rave reviews from judge Keith Urban.

"It was a really good song for you Sonika, and the only thing I suggest is keep letting go," Urban said. "Keep letting go."

While Urban enjoyed it, and was still captivated at the song's end, Lopez's reaction was more tepid.

"I felt like it was a little out of what you would normally do," she told Vaid. "I feel like you have to find a balance of being grounded in the song and being able to perform."

"You seem like a really nice, wonderful person," Connick, Jr. told her, though he did not specifically address her strengths in the song. "I like that even better than the song."

9:34 p.m.

Trent Harmon brought nearly brought judge Jennifer Lopez to tears singing Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Simple Man.'
"You have this essence about you that is southern," Connick Jr. said. "Your essence comes out every time, and it's very very appealing."

"It's so lyrically perfect for you," Urban said. "It was really good, Trent."

But it was Jennifer Lopez who appeared to be moved by the song the most.

"It's moment like this is why I love Idol and why i'm gonna miss it so much." Lopez told Harmon, choking back tears."You sang that song beautifully and I felt every word of it. Thank you."

"Thank you Miss Jennifer," Harmon replied, tears streaming down his face.

9:28 p.m.

After an inspiring video detailing how he developed a passion for music while battling a life-threatening illness, MacKenzie Bourg returned for the second hour with a stripped-down version of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean.' Though the performance boiled down to just Bourg standing there with a guitar, it was one of the most electric of the night.

"I feel like you showed everybody why you're here, why you're still here," Lopez said. "People have done many versions of Michael Jackson over the years I think that was the most special version we've ever seen."

""That was really really strong, and I think that is your wheelhouse," Connick, Jr. echoed. "That was a terrific job."

In one of the more bizarre forms of praise, Urban likened himself to an animated rodent in a children's movie.

"In the movie Bolt there's a gerbil named Rhino and Rhino's a big fan of Bolt, Urban told Bourg. "And I'm like Rhino with you,"

Bourg was thrilled the judges loved his rendition, calling it "as me as I could get."

9:17 p.m.

Eight years after he first debuted on American Idol, global superstar Adam Lambert returned to the stage to follow up Rapattoni's peformance. This time, he wasn't bound by America's voters.

He sang his brand-new single, 'Welcome to the Show' featuring Swedish singer Laleh, for the first time in front of an audience. Clearly at ease on the stage he dominated close to a decade ago, he drew a roar of applause from the crowd. Ryan Seacrest was in awe, as he couldn't believe that it was the first time the song was performed live.

Lambert also announced his plans to work with legendary rock group Queen this summer. Lambert has performed with them in the past under the name Queen + Adam Lambert.

9:06 p.m.

Dalton Rapattoni started off the show's second hour with a punk-tinged version of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Sound of Silence.' This time, the judges agreed, he "Dalton-ized" it.

"I like how you put so much emphasis on them [the lyrics]," Urban said.

"It felt really powerful, I think that was the thing I liked about it the most," Lopez concurred. "Good job."

"Every song you do is like a blank wall and you come in and graffiti it and make it what you want to make," Connick, Jr. told him, acknowledging that the performance was a return to form for Rapattoni.

8:55 p.m.

Weston native Sonika Vaid sang 'Let it Go' from Disney's 'Frozen.' The judges were clearly impressed, raving about Vaid finally coming into her own.

"Sonika you're beautiful, your voice is beautiful and your voice is really coming alive," Urban told her.

"Your performance said I'm not ready to go home," Lopez said. "You said, 'I can do this.'"

Meanwhile Connick commiserated about how great wind looked on TV, which Vaid utilized to add flair to her performance.

While it was tough for the judges, after much deliberation they awarded Vaid the 'save,' sending McIntosh home.

8:49 p.m.

Now facing elimination, Tristan McIntosh and Sonika Vaid battled it out for the judges' final 'save.'

McIntosh went first, putting her heart and soul into Martina McBride's 'Independence Day.'

"I feel like if I would give any advice to you going forward, it would be to kind of ry different things," Lopez said. "You don't want to flatline at some point." But Lopez acknowledged that for 15 years old, McIntosh is a special talent brewing.

"I think you're really good at singing songs that are written from a place of pain," Connick, Jr. said. Connick also addressed her age, saying that he believes she needs to grow a little more.

"I tink you gotta strip it down so that it's intimate or really go all out, and I felt like you were somewhere in the middle," Urban said, recognizing the potential in the performance.

8:38 p.m.

America made its first decision of the night, choosing who between Vaid, Bourg and McIntosh would join the top four contestants and who would duke it out in the bottom two.

MacKenzie Bourg got the nod and followed up with a cover of Cat Stevens' 'Wild World.' The judges concurred that even though it didn't play to his strengths, his persona allowed him to knock it out of the park.

"You're a bit like cake batter," Urban said. "Even when it's not cooked it's really good, man."

"You have so much likability I enjoyed every moment of that," Lopez agreed.

"You could record that song and do it on your own," Connick said. Though he did tell Bourg he needs to figure out what to do about awkward pauses between verses, describing it as 'cute' in a single performance but noticeable in a two-hour concert.

8:29 p.m.

Yazz and Jussie Smollett, stars of Fox's smash hit 'Empire,' put on a special performance of 'Never Let It Die' from the show's soundtrack. The six idols joined them for the final chorus, bringing the crowd to its feet.

8:20 p.m.

La'Porsha Renae put on arguably the most powerful performance of the night thus far, putting on a soulful rendition of India Arie's "Ready for Love."

"It was pleading, it was mournful, it was everything I think those lyrics called for," Connick, Jr. said.

"I found myself thinking, I'm not even judging," Urban said. "I'm just someone watching in the audience, enjoying."

"You have the same type of soul and spirit she has," Lopez said, referring to Arie.

All three judges made it clear Renae blew them away with the song, which impacted them emotionally.

8:13 p.m.

The show's resident rocker Dalton Rapattoni took on a stripped-down version of Linkin Park's 'Numb.' Playing guitar and singing, he failed to 'Dalton-ize' it in the style he has become known for.

"I feel like you took a little bit of the umph out of the song," Lopez said. She said that she had come to expect so much more out of the crowd favorite and looked forward to his next song of the night.

"I thought that you poured your guts into that lyric," Connick said, a little more forgiving. He did, however, seem underwhelmed compared to Rapattoni's previous performances.

"Your team mentioned earlier that you Dalton-ize everything," Urban said. "I would've stripped it down more and given us something completely different from the original version."

The performance didn't seem to phase Rapattoni, who, when interviewed by Ryan Seacrest afterwards, said, "I really felt these lyrics. I tried to connect to it as best I could and I hope America can see that."

8:05 p.m.

Mississippi native Trent Harmon followed up Lambert's return with his rendition of OneRepublic's 'Counting Stars,' chosen by fans. While Harmon did his best and it clearly pained to judges to admit, it wasn't his strongest performance.
"I don't think that song and you, personality-wise came together," Urban said.

Lopez followed up with, "Not a Trent song, but Trent did everything he could with the song he was given."

And Connick, Jr. told him he'd give him "a pass" on the song because it made him feel like he was at a hoedown.

8:00 p.m.

The show kicked off with the return of former American Idol winner Adam Lambert, reprising a performance of Gary Jules' Mad World from 2009.