Did Thunderstorm Artis Make the Top 8 of ‘American Idol’ 2025?

Thunderstorm Artis, a former finalist on “The Voice” who made it into the top 10 of “American Idol” season 23, vied for viewers’ votes again on May 4, 2025, singing Adele’s “When We Were Young.” Contestants performed songs made famous by “iconic women in music,” the theme of the episode that aired live from coast-to-coast. Viewers had less than two hours to vote for their favorites during the show, determining who would make it through to the top 8 of season 23.

SPOILER ALERT: Do not continue reading if you do NOT want to know whether Artis made it into the top 8.

After voting closed during the final commercial break, host Ryan Seacrest was ready to reveal which members of season 23’s top 10 would advance to the top 8. So did Artis make it through? YES — Artis did make it through to the top 8! And here’s a breakdown of tonight’s full results.

Thunderstorm Artis Says He’s a Different Person on ‘American Idol’ Than When He Was on ‘The Voice’

Artis auditioned for “American Idol” when he was 28 — the cut-off age for eligible contestants on the show. He has since turned 29 and knows this is his last chance at making it to the top of a national talent show, having already placed third on “The Voice” in 2020.

“Originally, man, I was terrified about doing a second show,” he told Parade on April 28, noting that he felt like he “was in a very different season” of his life when he appeared on “The Voice.”

“I have two kids now, I have a wonderful wife, and I am in a different season of life,” he continued, “so I wanted to come on here and really showcase my artistry in a way that I didn’t get to do on the last show with some original music. I really wanted to see if I had what it took. Life is all about taking chances and so I wanted to take a chance on myself with this show.”

Noting that he’s still friends with coach John Legend, Artis added, “It really helped shape me in my younger years. Now five years later, I just feel like I’m a different man and a different artist, and I’m looking forward to saying, ‘Hey, America, do you remember me?’ and just showing them who I am.”

Yes, Thunderstorm Artis is His Real Name

Artis was born and raised in a large, musical family on the North Shore of Oahu, per his website, which describes his musical stylings as “soaring vocals meet dexterous, layered guitar and intimate storytelling.”

“The beautiful thing that our parents really enabled us to do was to dream — I think that was one of the most powerful things,” Artis said. “Even though we didn’t have much finances or anything, they were just kind of like, it’s important to dream and to have something that you want to do, and so we were able to kind of dabble in a lot of different things.”

When asked by Carried Underwood during his “Idol” audition about his unusual name, Artis explained that his mom thought she was having twins, whom she planned to name Thunder and Storm, so when only one baby arrived, she blended the names together.

He now resides in Nashville with his wife, Faith, and their two young songs, per the Deseret News. He told the outlet, “As an artist, one of the things that I’ve strived for for so long is to be in front of an audience that is genuinely there and excited to see me do the thing that I’m doing on stage. This has been a dream of mine for so long, to be able to come back home and do something of this magnitude.”