American Idol: The Farewell Season, also known as American Idol XV, is the fifteenth and final season of the music reality competition series American Idol, and premiered on January 6, 2016. Ryan Seacrest continued his role as host, while Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. returned as judges for the final season. For the first time, performances over the next two weeks by the Top 24 will be judged and eliminated entirely by production and the judges panel. The judges will eliminate five and advance seven from each group of 12, resulting in a Top 14 for the third week of the semi-finals. The AI15 voting limit will be ten votes per contestant per method per window, a 50% reduction from AI14. Furthermore, after seven seasons, the Judges' Save has been retired.Trent Harmon (born October 8, 1990) is from Amory, Mississippi. Harmon fell into music when his mother taught him to sing “Amazing Grace” at the age of 5. His family owns a farm and a restaurant. He sang and perform through numerous musicals throughout high school and college. Before his graduation at Monticello, he lead worship services on campus. He previously tried out for an audition on The Voice. He auditioned in Little Rock, Arkansas, singing “Unaware” by Allen Stone. When Harmon suffered mononucleosis during Hollywood Week, he continued by singing Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down” as his first solo performance. In group round, he wasn’t able to perform with other contestants due to his sickness and the producers allowed him to perform a solo to advance. He landed a spot in the Top 24 during Showcase Week after performing Elton John’s "Tiny Dancer".
Dalton Rapattoni (born February 6, 1996) is from Sunnyvale, Texas. At the age of 11, he started learning to play guitar. Rapattoni works as a vocal coach in School of Rock. He was a member of the band Fly Away Hero. In 2012, Rapattoni was discovered in a national talent search where he was part of Disney boy band IM5 with other four members. After he left the band in 2014, he reformed his former band Fly Away Hero with new bandmates. Rapattoni auditions in Little Rock, Arkansas and sang “The Phantom of the Opera”. In his first solo performance in Hollywood rounds, he sang "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas.[28] He sang Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You” in his final solo performance. He advances in the Top 24 after he sang "It's Gonna Be Me" by NSYNC during Showcase Week.
La'Porsha Renae (22–23 years old) is a call representative from McComb, Mississippi. At 16, she once tried out for Idol during the eighth season.[20] After her college graduation at the age of 22, Renae was a former victim of domestic abuse. After a year, she separated with her husband and moved to McComb with her one month old daughter Nayalee Keya. Accompanied with her daughter, she returned to audition at Little Rock, Arkansas and earned her golden ticket by performing in front of the judges with Radiohead’s Creep. During Hollywood Week, she performed Katy Perry’s "Roar" in her first solo performance. She advanced to the semifinals after she sang “The House of the Rising Sun” at Showcase Week.
Olivia Rox (born January 16, 1999) is from Agoura Hills, California. Olivia is the daughter of saxophonist Warren Hill and music producer Tamara Van Cleef. At her young age, she made her first starring role in the musical Annie at the Boulder's Dinner Theatre and received a Denver Critics Ovation Award Nomination for her performance. Her voice was well recognized by her instructor of its relative pitch. She wrote her first song on the piano at the age of 4. She has now composed over 300 songs. At the age of 10, she starred in her first feature film and was praised by film critic Mark Collins. She earned her golden ticket during an audition in San Francisco, California, after she performed “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. She advanced in the first round of Hollywood Week by performing “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera. She sang one of her composed original songs to advance for the Showcase week. Olivia was advanced to the Top 24 after she sang Maroon 5’s “Love Somebody”.
