"American Idol" announced its Top 8 Thursday night — did New Jersey's singer make the cut?
A New Jersey native has never won "American Idol" -- and never will.
Jackson teen Gianna Isabella Petrone was one of two contestants eliminated Thursday night as the program's farewell season moved from its Top 10 to 8. The chop was consequence of the 15-year-old's inconsistent rendition of Beyonce's "Listen," which judges Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. critiqued as shaky and too rehearsed.
Gianna, alongside fellow hopefuls Olivia Rox and Avalon Young, were announced to be the bottom three vote-getters Thursday night, and although Gianna belted out a fine performance of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You," the judges chose to save Young instead. Gianna and Olivia were sent packing.
While the bubbly teen falls short of a mark set last season by East Brunswick's Jax, who finished third on season 14, her two months on "Idol" proved a bright future ahead and yielded several memorable performances.
MORE: A full recap of Thursday's episode
Her smoky take on The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun" in her Philadelphia audition was fantastic, and just two weeks ago, her powerful take on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You" was one of the best of the night.
But in other moments, it felt as though the daughter of '80s pop star Brenda K. Starr still required some polish. Such was the case with "Listen," a song she should have avoided for both its omnipresence on shows like this, and sheer difficulty. Expectedly, she was overmatched and was sent packing, as a strong field -- perhaps the best in years -- remains to compete for the season 15 title.
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.