What Happened To Kevin Gullage On American Idol?
The singing competition reality show "American Idol" has been going strong on ABC for 20 seasons and has made music industry stars of Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert, Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, and dozens of others. While the show's ratings have declined significantly from when it ruled the airwaves for its first decade or so (via The Wrap), the performances have become arguably more impressive, as "American Idol" has become less of a showcase for unknown industry outsiders and more of an audition stage for seasoned local musicians.
One such young but accomplished contestant in "American Idol" Season 20 is New Orleans singer and pianist Kevin Gullage. The 23-year-old took the air out of the room at the start of his audition when he cited William Hung as his "American Idol" inspiration, but then stunned the judges with his powerful rendition of Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is." Lionel Richie called it "incredible," and Katy Perry gave him a standing ovation and told him "One of those ad-libs was from another lifetime ago."
His Hollywood Week performance of Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone" was equally as charming and impressive, but were Gullage's performances on Duet and Showstopper nights enough to get him through to the top 24?
Kevin Gullage and Yoli Mayor's duet wowed the judges
Kevin Gullage teamed with Yoli Mayor for a Duet Night rendition of "Anything You Can Do" from "Annie Get Your Gun," the duo adding some sharply-acted fake back-and-forth bickering to their show-stopping musical performance on Sunday's show. The judges were clearly impressed, with Luke Bryan immediately proclaiming that both singers were "definitely going through to the next round."
But Bryan's premature declaration would turn out to be off the mark. Gullage's Showstopper night performance of Tina Turner's "I Can't Stand the Rain" went unaired and his name wasn't even mentioned on Monday's episode, while Mayor lost out to Ava Maybee on Monday in the show's first ever sing-off (via TV Insider). Gullage will return to New Orleans with his band The Blues Groovers – and will watch the 14 women and 10 men who did advance enjoy a trip to Hawaii and a chance to be mentored by Bebe Rexha and Jimmie Allen.
Gullage posted a farewell (for now) to his fans on Instagram, urging them to "Keep tuning in! Keep having fun! Until next time, keep smiling, singing, and have a whole lotta fun!" With his magnetic personality, soulful piano playing, and powerful baritone, Gullage has a certain future as a performer, but his time on "American Idol" has come to an end.