And Harry Connick Jr branded her a 'goldmine of talent'.
But America disagreed - and geeky teenager Malaya Watson on Thursday night was heartbreakingly voted off the show.
Getting emotional: Jennifer Lopez looked sad to see singer Malaya Watson eliminated from American Idol on Thursday night
The 16-year-old singer with the incredible voice surprisingly found herself in the bottom two along with CJ Harris, before learning she had received the least votes.
'The person who has to leave our stage tonight, after the nationwide vote is ... Malaya Watson,' revealed host Ryan Seacrest.
A split-screen shot of the judges' panel showed Jennifer Lopez looking appalled at the news.
Still smiling: Malaya managed to smile despite her sadness over being eliminated from the competition
CJ gave her a massive hug as the bubbly teenager put on a brave face as her parents proudly applauded her, before viewers saw her 'best of' reel.
'We love you,' Ryan told her. 'We're still going for Italian, right? We're still going to have dinner one night.'
The youngster from Michigan had to fight back tears as she steeled herself to perform on the Idol stage for the last time, again singing Jennifer Hudson's I Am Changing.
Teen star: Malaya was the youngest singer remaining and a favourite of the judges
So long: idol host Ryan Seacrest gave Malaya a big hug as she left the show
As J-Lo listened she too seemed on the verge of crying.
The remaining seven contestants joined Malaya on stage as she struggled to make it to the end of the song and choked on the lyrics.
But as always she managed to raise a big smile - showing off her trademark braces and 'nerd' glasses.
Showing support: The remaining contestants gathered around young Malaya as she sang
Near tears: J-Lo seemed on the verge of tears watching Malaya's final performance
Her departure came after she struggled a little with her 1980s night performance the previous night, failing to hit some notes as she took on Chaka Khan's Through The Fire.
The judges used their one save of the series the week before to give Sam Woolf another chance.
Earlier, farmer Dexter Roberts, Meat Loaf look-alike Caleb Johnson, pink-haired Jessica Meuse, and country rocker CJ were all called over to the stage first, as viewers saw a recap of the previous night.
Final eight: The final eight singers awaited their fate at the start of the show
Idol mentor Randy Jackson said Dexter had 'a lot more growth' to show, while adding he was happy that CJ had pushed his voice to the limit.
He said Jessica was lacking 'attitude'.
And he praised Caleb for showing off a new side.
Idol mentor: Randy Jackson gave his critique of the singers and predictions
As the lights dimmed, Ryan revealed that the first person safe was - unsurprisingly - Caleb, as cameras panned in on his surprised face.
'Also getting good news tonight… Jessica!' he said as she burst into a wide smile.
'One of you is safe,' he told Dexter and CJ.
But one of them was in the bottom two.
Dexter was safe, leaving CJ to sweat it out.
Tense moment: Dexter Roberts and CJ Harris wait to find out which one was in the bottom two
Sam Woolf, Malaya, Jena Irene and Alex Preston were the next four called down.
Randy said Sam 'proved himself' after the judges used their save on him the previous week.
He rightly feared Malaya could 'find herself in a little bit of trouble' after the Chaka Khan performance.
The judges: Keith Urban, J-Lo and Harry Connick Jr received wild ovations as they entered
And he said Alex might have gone 'too far' with his radical re-working of The Police track Every Breath You Take.
And he predicted that Jena had done enough to guarantee her safety for another week at least.
'Also safe this week is… Alex,' revealed Ryan as viewers saw him punch the air in relief.
There was good news too for Jena, whose ecstatic face was the next to appear on the giant screen, leaving Sam and Malaya.
She's happy: Jena Irene was shown on the big screen as she advanced
'The final person who is certain to be safe this evening is… Sam Woolf,' he revealed.
Sam looked stunned when the camera trained in on him.
Malaya joined CJ - but managed to stay upbeat, dancing in her seat, while CJ looked nervous, before the final results were revealed.
One must go: Malaya and CJ looked nervous as they waited to see who would be sent home
Meanwhile it was time for the judges to get embarrassed as viewers saw how they looked in the 1980s.
'First, let's bring out these three folks who have been rocking it since back in the 80s,' Ryan told the audience.
'Just take a little look at those three,' he said as old photos of the judges - Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr - flashed up on screen.
Old pictures: Idol host Ryan Seacrest shared photos from the 80s of the judges
Keith rocked a pair of extra skinny jeans while Jennifer looked nothing like the glamorous star she is today.
And Harry posed next to a piano with slicked back hair, looking especially young.
As is usual for elimination night Harry and Jennifer got dressed up - while country star Keith at least put on a jacket.
Dressed up: J-Lo and Harry dressed up for the elimination show and Keith wore a leather jacket
Jennifer showed off her famous curves in a figure-hugging white dress, while Harry donned a three-piece suit and tie. And ever the gentleman, he pulled out Jennifer's chair as she sat down.
'J-Lo, J-Lo,' the crowd chanted.
'I love Jell-O,' Keith joked, pretending he had misheard what they were shouting.
'They're both sweet,' said Harry.
Fan favourite: The audience chanted Jennifer's nickname
'It's a tank-top,' Jennifer insisted as Ryan looked at her dress.
'It's not just a tank-top. That's more than a tank-top,' Ryan said. 'That looks fantastic.'
As Keith's old photo appeared on screen, the crowd went crazy.
'Technically that's 1990,' he said.
Flashback photos: Keith was shown in a photo from the 1980s
Fond memories: Keith joked that the photo was actually taken in 1990
Viewers also saw the hopefuls as they kicked back immediately after the performance show on Wednesday - and several of them said they thought the mullet wig Keith was wearing was real.
Alex admitted he was upset at the feedback he got.
So he and Caleb jumped into the swimming pool fully clothed in a bid to work off some stress.
Last song: Malaya sang her last song on American Idol as a screen showed her supporters on Facebook
Good run: Malaya looked up as her time on the show was coming to an end
Fans quickly took to Twitter to express surprise and disappointment that Malaya was gone.
@EurajaKnowsBest wrote: “#malayawatson went home so I won't be watching #AmericanIdol anymore this season”
And @Menchacacares said: “#malayawatson !+best contestant hands down left tonight.”
“Booo! No more #AmericanIdol for me. #MalayaWatson is out! What the heck! Delete app done!” added @iangumaya.
“#Honestly with Malaya Watson off American Idol, I don't think I'm gonna watch it anymore this year,” said @kylie_walls.
Tough good-bye: J-Lo had predicted last week that Malaya could run away with the title
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