Thunderstorm makes Top 7 on ‘American Idol’

Thunderstorm Artis took another step forward today advancing from Top 8 to Top 7 on “American Idol.”

Artis’ brother Stevon and sister PraiseJesus were cheerleaders online when voting opened at the top of the broadcast, 2 p.m. today, and closed at the final commercial break less than two hours later.

The theme of the evening was “Judges’ Song Contest.” Each contestant was given the choice of three songs, chosen for them anonymously, one by each judge. Artis’ choices were “Let It Be,” by the Beatles; “Northern Attitude,” by Noah Kahan; and “Faithfully,” by Journey.

Artis chose “Faithfully.”

The evening also had a wild-card element. After “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest announced the names of the Top 6 vote-getters, the judge or judges whose song suggestions had been selected by the most contestants had the option of saving one of the bottom two. Judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie had tied for the most suggestions taken. They saved Mattie Pruitt and Josh King was eliminated.

And so, Artis, Hawaii-born and raised, now living in Nashville, Tenn., will spend the rest of the week preparing for the next round of “American Idol” competition on Mother’s Day.

“I’ve been trying to push myself as always,” he said. “There’s so much tension and so much stress and uncertainty, and it’s even more than just the competition shrinking down. Every week you’re saying goodbye to some of your closest friends that you’ve cultivated over the last four months.”

Artis added that he’s found that a moderate amount of stress can inspire growth.

“When I’m comfortable, I think that’s when bad things are able to develop. When I’m uncomfortable, I start to grow and see a new side of where I am as an artist.”

Performing each week on “American Idol” has given him a lot of room to grow.

“There’s so much production (on the show) that you can almost kind of lose yourself in it. And so it’s been wonderful to learn how to navigate it all, how to ask for the things that I want and then to balance it all. But at the same time it’s been really fun for me to take on each challenge that they present to me. That’s why when I’m on each round, I’m trying to find ways to elevate, trying to find ways to show new notes of who I am.”

For instance, when Artis was competing for a place in the Top 8, he played a grand piano instead of an acoustic guitar and sang Adele’s hit “When We Were Young” with a cellist accompanying him.

In career terms, Artis is learning things about the entertainment business that will serve him for a lifetime.

“When I start touring at larger scale, I’ll start with some of the stage design (I’ve seen here), find out the instrumentation that I want to do, the sound that I’m really searching for. The beautiful thing is that trying out so many different genres and ways to push myself has really helped me kind of find a focal point of like, ‘Hey, where’s my strong suit when I run a tour? Where do I really want to focus, and where’s that really (going) towards as well?’”

“American Idol” competition continues Sunday.

Hawaii fans age 16 and older can vote from 2 p.m. Hawaii time until the last commercial break, shortly before 4 p.m., at American idol.com, via the “American Idol” app and by text message.

Voters must create an ABC account to vote via the website or app. For text message voting, text the number of your favorite contestant to 21523 (to vote for Artis, text “23” to 21523); message and data rates might apply.

Voters may cast up to 10 votes in each of the three voting methods for a total of up to 30 votes per show.

Find performance videos and more at ABC.com/Shows/American-Idol.