“American Idol” narrowed its field down to a Top 10 on Monday as the contenders – including two singers from Alabama – romped through a catalog of Billboard No. 1 hits.

15-year-old Triston Harper of McIntosh and 19-year-old Mia Matthews of Centre seemed to come into the episode with plenty of momentum, and they got a little help from Meghan Trainor. Both made it into the Top 10, but not without a few moments of doubt and suspense.

Mia Matthews

What Meghan Trainor said: Trainor encouraged Matthews to make the most of every second, with detailed advice such as: “You’ve got a whole bar there to just play, maybe step back and be like, “‘I’m a guitar player.’” But she really stepped it up a notch when she facetimed Kelsea Ballerini, so that Ballerini could give a starstruck Matthews some encouragement.

What she performed: “Over You,” a country No. 1 for Miranda Lambert in 2012. As she did in the preceding episode, Matthews brought more physical expressiveness to her flawless vocal performance. This time around, it seemed to come more naturally.

What Luke Bryan said: “A big part of this thing is to look like a dadgum star. And everything you’re doing right now is like star power stuff.”

What Lionel Richie said: “You’ve grown so much and you’re taking control of your life, your career and more important your artistry. … I love what you’re doing.”

What Katy Perry said: “It’s going to get tight, we’re going to 10, right. You need to bring out one more card, and I agree with Meghan, start moving around, start just demanding [attention]. … You need to give us that physicality to really, I think, get to the very very top.”

Triston Harper

What Meghan Trainor said: “Oh my God. I don’t know how to explain Triston. … His voice, like, the whole room was beaming. He has that star quality that is so hard to find.” When Trainor learned he’d be singing his next song for his girlfriend, Paris, she had to meet her, and a very cute Facetime call followed.

What he sang: “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs, a No. 1 country hit at the very end of 2018. Harper’s performance was solid, though it didn’t show him pushing into any new territory, the way he did the night before when he sang “Heartbreak Hotel.”

What Lionel Richie said: “Now we know you’re actually human. See, I actually saw you gush and blush when your girlfriend came on … we saw that there’s a human quality, you’re just not an alien. That was great, and what I think you need to do now is, don’t lose your power, when you keep singing.”

What Katy Perry said: “I don’t think you’ve drank coffee and don’t think you’ve had a sip of wine, I just don’t think you have, but I believed that you have, when you sang it. I believed that you’re in love, and I believe that she gave you that look in Walmart. … I loved it, I want to see a little more of that Elvis stuff you gave us last night.”

What Luke Bryan said: “Last night I couldn’t even go to sleep [because of] everybody’s performances. It’s just kind of a different kind of night. But it was the first time I’ve seen you really do like a 15-year-old performance. It was so you.” Bryan said it was “a good, good performance,” but like Perry, he wanted more of that Elvis energy.

The vote

Host Ryan Seacrest said more than 20 million votes were cast during the episode. The winners were given “in no particular order,” but it was a suspenseful reveal for the Alabama contingent. Matthews was the sixth singer called to advance, and Harper was the ninth. But both made it. Roman Collins and Jayna Elise saw their runs come to an end.

What’s next

On Sunday, April 28, the Top 10 will sing again; this time each of them will sing a song from his or her birth year. Once again, two singers will be eliminated by a viewer vote, leaving a Top 8. “American Idol” airs Sundays and Mondays at 7 p.m. Central on ABC; the day after they premiere, episodes become available for streaming on Hulu.