Olympics of Reality Singing Shows 2018: #2 Hello - James Graham / The Four (Cycle 2)

2. Hello
James Graham | The Four (Cycle 2)

James Graham was clearly performing on a completely different league on the second season of The Four, and his take on Adele's massive hit, Hello was proof positive. He took total ownership of the song without destroying its essence by making just the right amount of tweaks to the gorgeous melody. His fearless melodic twists, the urgency in the arrangement, and his explosive upper register approach to the chorus were signs that this was something special. When you scale Mt. Adele and triumphantly plant your flag at the peak, that's no small accomplishment. In an unexpected turn of events though, James Graham's Hello settled for second place despite receiving the MOST #1s this year with seven (7) and now currently holds the record as the second performance with the most #1s since ORSS inception just next to Cyrus Villanueva's Jealous, which collected eleven (11) #1s. The main culprit? It was shockingly polarizing to the jury that it also received three (3) votes just within the bottom tier.