By the time you reach the top five on American Idol you definitely deserve to work with the best of the best. That’s what Grace Kinstler, Casey Bishop, Chayce Beckham, Caleb Kennedy and Willie Spence will do on Sunday (May 16), when the season 19 semi-finalists team up with a trio of legendary producers to perform new original songs as they vie for the title, Billboard can exclusively reveal.
Among the writer-producers joining the team for the night are four-time Grammy winner Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, known for his work with Beyoncé (“Single Ladies”), Rihanna (“Umbrella”), Justin Bieber (“Baby”) and Mariah Carey (“Touch My Body”), as well as Katy Perry, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears and Maroon 5, among many others.
They’ll also be working with two-time Grammy winner Ian Fitchuk, who has worked with everyone from Kacey Musgraves and Leon Bridges to Harry Styles and Little Big Town, and four-time BMI songwriter of the year Ross Copperman, known for writing and producing No. 1 hits for Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and many more.
