Maddie Poppe is the 20-year-old student from Clarksville, Iowa who’s competing on American Idol. She’s the real deal. Maddie released her first album of original songs when she was a teenager. (It’s called “Songs from the Basement”.) For her Top 14 performance, Maddie sang the touching Simon & Garfunkel song “Homeward Bound” with her unique sweet voice.
After the performance, the three judges – Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan — gave Maddie a standing ovation. They also gave each other a group hug – that’s how moved they were with Maddie’s performance. Luke Bryan said, “I pray people at home felt what I felt.” Katy Perry gave Maddie the ultimate compliment by saying, “I closed my eyes and thought I was listening to Joni Mitchell.” The 10-time Grammy Award winner is considered one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever by people in the music biz including Rolling Stone. Joni Mitchell is in the Grammy Award Hall of Fame for her 1971 album Blue (see link above). American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8pm on ABC.
