It takes a bold artist to take a song like Oasis’s “Wonderwall” and play it for a future-altering performance. If someone breaks out a guitar at a party, you know exactly what song is coming. Why choose something so tired? American Idol contestant Fritz Hager, however, proved to the judges that he could make the song his own.
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When first presented with his song selections for the week, Hager did a doubletake when he saw “Wonderwall.” He thought, “no way, that’s a meme.” However, once he began to work with the music directors to create an arrangement, he started paying attention to the iconic lyrics a little more.
When faced with the choice between “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, and “Wonderwall” by Oasis, the singer chose the song that would challenge him. And it worked to the singer’s advantage.
Hager broke out into a delicate indie-pop arrangement—letting his tender vocals take the lead. The judges sat speechless in their seats.
“‘Wonderwall’ can get a little party jammy but you flipped that on its head,” judge Katy Perry said. “That was not a meme, that was brilliance!”
Luke Bryan stood up triumphantly, knowing his pick shocked the audience. The country star noted that the idea came to him during a soundcheck with his band at a Vegas show rehearsal.
Bryan boasted by breaking into a loud, off-key rendition of the first couple of opening lines before giving his feedback to Hager. “Dadgum it, if it didn’t work,” Bryan said with a laugh. “Great job.”
“It is so disgusting to give Luke this much power,” judge Lionel Richie said. “I’m thinking we might not be friends after this.”
Hager will be competing in the Top 10 competition at Disneyland Resort in next week’s episode. Watch his stunning rendition of “Wonderwall” below.
Photo by Eric McCandless / ABC.
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