‘American Idol’ Top 3: Did Thunderstorm Artis Get Through?

Thunderstorm Artis, a former finalist on “The Voice” who made it into the top 5 of “American Idol” season 23, vied for viewers’ votes again on May 12, 2025. It was the second of two back-to-back Disney nights, during which Artis had to perform two tunes from Disney’s vast song catalog. Viewers had less than two hours to vote for their favorites during the show, determining who would make it through to the top 3 of season 23.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not continue reading if you do NOT want to know whether Artis made it into the top 3.

Voting closed during the final commercial break, and the results were handed over to host Ryan Seacrest to reveal which of the final five contestants would advance to the top 3. So did Artis make it through? Sadly, no, Artis did not make it through.

Thunderstorm Artis Sang a Lullaby for His First Song on May 12

During his first segment on the May 12 live show, Artis decided to perform the classic “Cinderella” tune “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” a lullaby that he said he has often sung to his three-year-old.

Guest mentor Lin-Manuel Miranda helped him deliver it in a quiet, gentle way and encouraged Artis to remove the mic from the stand in order to move a bit and share a different side of his artistry. Both of his little boys were seen sleeping in the audience, so the song clearly worked on them!

The crowd cheered like crazy for Artis’ lullaby. Richie said that he “knocked it out of the park” and Underwood said “that song fit you perfectly,” telling Artis that he is “all heart” so a song like that is “so sweet and believable.” Bryan agreed, telling Artis that a moment like that makes it “hard to critique” when everyone gives “so much” to their performances like he did.

For the second segment featuring Artis on May 12, producers showed more footage of him with his family at Disneyland. His sister, Spirit, told him how proud she is of him — and said, “I know that dad is proud.” Their musician father died several years ago, and Artis said it means everything to have his family backing him up and that he was “filled with so much gratitude.”

Switching gears, Artis was then back at the studio, performing his next song choice live — “Go Find Yourself” from the “Cars” movie. It was another gentle, soothing choice from the dad of two, who sat on a stool at center stage, playing his acoustic guitar.

His rendition got another standing ovation from Bryan and Richie, and the crowd cheered loudly. Underwood said, “Please forgive me, I could not give you a standing O,” but explained that her Disney costume was keeping her from standing up. She said that Artis represents “all that is good in the world when you sing.”

Bryan said he agreed, telling Artis that all the time he spent with his dad learning to be an artist was worthwhile and so special. Richie said that Artis certainly soaked up from his dad how to be a “vibe master,” because when he steps onstage, he gets people to really listen to what he’s saying or singing. Even so, his good vibes were not enough to carry him through to the top 3 of season 23.