Carrie Underwood told John Foster that if he keeps fooling around he might just win this thing. A comment reminiscent of Lionel Richie’s words last season to a contestant that, a few minutes later, was eliminated. But John Foster is happy he didn’t follow in those footsteps. He made it to the top 3 which isn’t surprising since he was the only country singer in the top 5. Country singers tend to do well on Idol. It’s a solid lane to be in. I’m about to give away who else made the top 3 so if that’s a spoiler for you, skip down to the section called “The Judges Really Stink”. Breanna also advanced and I think it’s because she knows her lane, Christian music. Jamal also made it into the top 3 because, just like the other 2, he has a lane: R&B, soul, gospel.
So that leaves two contestants out: Slater Nalley and Thunderstorm Artis. Coincidentally, my favorite (Slater) and my dad and sister’s favorite (Thunderstorm). I think they lost out partly because of a little bit of ambiguity on what genre of music they’ll making. They’re not country, soul, pop, rock, etc. Where would they fit in the music industry? It’s not that voters necessarily think about that and choose to vote or withhold their votes, but I’m sure there are producers behind the scenes wondering about such things. Money. Who’s going to bring in the dollars? While Slater and Thunderstorm are incredible, if they were to be cast as the singer/songwriter type… well, there’s just not as big of an audience for that as country, R&B, Christian, gospel. So if there’s any influence coming from the people pulling the strings, this is where their opinion would hold a lot of weight– having a say in who comes out as the winner of Idol.
With all that said, I’m not totally shocked about the final 3. Jamal’s YouTube views are booming. John’s are high, too. Breanna is a little perplexing but the numbers for Slater and Thunderstorm (at least according to YouTube views) just weren’t there. Of course, it could be that a performer is liked by a lot of people but those people didn’t vote. So among voters, Jamal and John and Breanna are the most popular. Plus, who in their right mind can dislike Jamal? His story is incredible, his heart is big, and his voice is smooth. He’s got the right ingredients to become the next American Idol, and I predict he will be.
The Judges Really Stink. OK, that’s a bit harsh. The judges are fine people. They are kind, joyful, happy, positive, pleasers. But a “judge” in almost every sense of the word absolutely cannot be all of those things. There were singers that stank to high heaven and the judges praised them. Singers who had no business advancing and yet, nothing but roses from the judge panel. No constructive criticism, no criticism at all. During this last two-night round, I decided I’d had my fill of all the positivity. It’s just annoying now.
Once this season is over, I’ll need a break from this trio. They’re cool and all, but I wish they cared less about preserving their own careers and ripped on some contestants. You might disagree with me about that and that’s OK, but I bet we agree that Jamal will be the 2025 American Idol, right?
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-Out of the Wilderness
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