“American Idol” hopeful Thunderstorm Artis has been a fan of James Taylor since he was 6 years old — and apparently, Taylor can tell.

Sunday night’s “Idol” episode showed the Boston-born musician working as a guest mentor, offering tips to the Top 14 contestants in preparation for a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-themed round of the competition. When it was Artis’ turn to rehearse, the “Idol” contender shared that Taylor’s music had “really shaped me as an individual.”

“I’ve connected with your music my entire life,” he told Taylor.

Together, the musicians fine-tuned Artis’ rendition of Taylor’s 1970 song “Fire and Rain.”

“I see him as sort of a version of me,” Taylor said after working with Artis. He also called Artis’ version of the song “really unique,” saying he’d never heard a similar twist on “Fire and Rain” before.

Sunday night’s episode was a particularly rapid round of the singing competition. Fans of the show voted live as the remaining 14 contestants performed songs by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, ranging from Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley to The Beatles and Journey.

After Artis’ performance, he shared more thoughts about the experience with host Ryan Seacrest.

“I was melting in my seat,” Artis said. “I was nervous as heck but I wasn’t showing it on the outside.”

“That was like a dream come true, that was my 6-year-old dream right there,” he added.

As opposed to past weeks, when voting was open overnight and through the following morning, Sunday night’s episode limited voting to the duration of the show. The end of the episode revealed that Amanda Barise and Desmond Roberts would not advance to the Top 12.

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