Kyndal Inskeep stepped into the spotlight with confidence during the Top 20 performances on Season 24 of American Idol on Monday, March 16.

The singer-songwriter and hopeful entered the round with strong momentum already behind her, having received a Platinum Ticket from industry experts and tastemakers, who had been invited to watch the performers sing during the “‘Ohana Round.”

Still, Inskeep decided to challenge herself by stepping outside her comfort zone for this performance.

Up until this point, Inskeep had typically performed with her guitar. But in hopes of advancing into the Top 14, she chose to set the instrument aside and showcase a more performance-driven side of herself, something that appeared just as natural.

“For this performance, I very much want to be open and vulnerable,” Inskeep said, revealing that she would be singing “Call Your Mom” by Noah Kahan. “I really resonate with this song in the sense that I myself have struggled with depression and anxiety my whole entire life.”

Before heading onstage to perform in front of judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, as well as her fellow contestants, their families, and the industry experts and tastemakers, Inskeep received some final guidance from mentors Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley.

“I liked you without the guitar,” Palmer assured her, while Paisley agreed.

“I think that’ll be magic,” he added.

When Inskeep took the stage, she looked completely at home even without her instrument. Wearing a floor-length black-and-gold satin gown and sporting a chic bob haircut, the Indiana native commanded the stage with confidence, drawing the audience in with raw emotion and her signature raspy vocal tone.

“Don’t let this darkness fool you / All lights turned off can be turned on / I’ll drive, I’ll drive all night / I’ll call your mom,” she sang, as her mother, Staci, watched from the crowd, visibly emotional.

Carrie Underwood was also clearly captivated throughout the performance.

“The second you start singing, it is impossible to turn away. Wow. It’s impossible to take your eyes off of you,” Underwood told her afterward. “The way you were just free in all of it, putting your hands in the air — I’m not sure I breathed while you were singing. It was beautiful.”

KeKe Palmer also praised Inskeep’s stage presence and decision to leave the guitar behind.

“You look beautiful. You sound beautiful. The bob is bobbing, okay,” Palmer joked. “And I’m so glad that you decided not to do the guitar because to see those hands free and just watch you embody the whole vibe of the song, we went right there with you. You transported us into your world, and I loved it there.”

Luke Bryan echoed the praise. “No matter what you sing, whether you wrote the song or it’s someone else’s, you present it like an artist presents it,” he said. “That cry in your voice is just so intoxicating to listen to. I was hanging on every word. You are an artist, a big-time artist.”

Lionel Richie agreed. “The delivery was perfect,” he said. “You just delivered the sermon, really. I’m telling you, it was one of those very powerful performances. I love it.”

Kyndal Inskeep has honored her mother throughout her American Idol journey, and the emotional moment continued after the performance when the two reunited backstage. “Oh my gosh, Kyndal, you nailed it! You nailed it!” her mom exclaimed. “I am so proud of you. You are a flipping star — yes, you are.”

Inskeep, 29, from Indiana, first met fans during her American Idol audition with an original song she wrote about her mother titled “The Prayer of a Trying Daughter.” The heartfelt performance earned praise from all three judges, including Carrie Underwood.

“You’ve got some stuff. I like the song. I love your voice,” Underwood said at the time. “It felt like we were in your world.”

Since then, Inskeep has continued to showcase her artistry with performances of her original song “Woman of Me,” which moved her mother to tears, as well as a surprise rendition of “Human” by The Killers.

Over the next week, the remaining Idol hopefuls will perform for America’s votes from Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii, vying for a chance to advance to the Top 14 while guided by superstar mentors Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer.

Voting has also changed this season. Fans can vote in three ways: online at AmericanIdol.com/Vote, through social media (@AmericanIdol) by commenting the first name of the contestant they want to vote for on the pinned voting post on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, or by text by sending the contestant’s number to 21523. For Inskeep, that number is 5.

Fans can vote up to 10 times per contestant per voting method and social platform. Voting begins once the contestant appears on television and closes at 6 a.m. ET on March 17.

American Idol airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.