2009 AI begins

The first shows of the 2009 season were broadcast this week. I thought the shows were well edited, made to be fun and entertaining. I think that Simon could be gentler in his comments. No need to be so curt when dismissing someone's dream, even if it's an impossible one. Courtesy and gentleness go a long way.

I'm amazed at some auditioners, who clearly think this is their one chance to have a singing career... yet have done next to nothing to prepare for this one-time chance. Good advice is given to some contestants - go and work on it for a year, and come back. But they leave crying as though developing their skill and craft for a year for a better shot is a bad thing.

The guy that bugged me the most is the one that cried practically the whole time because this was so important to him - but he'd never taken a voice lesson. And he said, with tears in his eyes, "I just want someone to tell me I'm good."

See, he's got it backwards. I think an artist has to be humble enough to assess honestly where they are and what they need to work on. Pride has no place in the creative process. At the same time, one needs to believe that they have something to offer that is valuable - because each one of us is a unique, one-of-a-kind individual.

Ask someone else to tell you if you are "good enough" and you swiftly will find any number of Simon Cowells to tell you that you aren't. There are any number of best-selling authors whose manuscripts were rejected time and time again. Famous film actors who were told they would never make it in film. World renowned tenors who were told they couldn't sing opera.

What happened - were the "experts" wrong? No, and yes. The experts were obviously wrong because that person went out and did the "impossible", right?

But the question you need to ask yourself is... HOW did that person go out and achieve what was thought impossible???

They did the work. They understood the process of development is key to becoming. They figured out what they needed to know, what they needed to have, and they set out to know it and to get it. They worked, knowing that the goal was far far away... but seeing themselves steadily moving forward. And when they achieved that thing, that first goal... they kept working.

Humility & a quest for excellence keeps them working on their craft even when they start being successful. If someone rates them a 9 out of 10, they say, "thank you very much!". Then they go home and they ask themselves quietly... "hey, 9 is good. I wonder what I need to know and do to make that a 10?"

So, if making it "to Hollywood" is your goal in 2010... let me ask you - how much do you want it? How many voice lessons will you take this year to assist you to sing your best? How many dance lessons will you take so you stand tall and move well? Do you want to look like a professional - make sure your hair is cut properly and you are reasonably well dressed. Practice auditioning - practice talking to the judges, having something interesting to say about yourself. Have someone help you choose the best songs to show off your voice, and practice singing them without music, staying on key, and in a rock/pop style. Sing them in front of a variety of audiences. Be determined to look, sound, and present yourself as a budding professional. Even if you don't make it, you'll be respected for your efforts. And even if you don't make it on AI - nothing is stopping you from being a singer, if you really want to be one.

Results 21May08

And the best man definitely won. All along I've felt David Cook was the clear winner, and I was confused by the judging last night. Enjoyed the ZZ Top collab. The whole show was fairly enjoyable. Nice of Simon to apologize.

If you've been following this blog, I'd like to say thank you for reading my comments. Several of you have written to say you learned something about singing from reading my assessments of the singers and their performances. That was really why I started this blog. At times I regretted that decision since it forced me to watch all the Idol shows and make notes on every singer and every song... but on the other hand I felt it made me take a more intensive interest in the shows that before.

One thing I would like to say is that, if 10 out of thousands and thousands of auditioners end up on AI, and tour with the show.... this is a good indication of what percentage of people make it big in this industry.

The good thing about Idol is that it does offer some talented people the chance for exposure. I don't always agree with the judges choices on the road to the top 24, but I am not in the room with them, hearing & seeing the complete audition.

The bad thing about Idol is it makes thousands of kids think that fame = success, and that all they need is a shot. What you need is time & experience. What you need is skill. What you need is practice. Nothing is instant. Even your American Idol, who, besides having to rehearse 3 songs for the last night of the competition, also had to rehearse duets, ensembles, a piece with ZZ Top, and the winning song, do media interviews, etc., all this week.

It kinda reminds me of when I was a young girl, dreaming of boys and marriage. My father wisely said to me "too many girls focus on the wedding. Marriage is what happens after the vows."

Winning American Idol, or making any step forward in your career, is not the end. It is the beginning of hard work, of having to sing when you aren't well, or sign autographs when you are dog tired, or get on the bus to go to the next gig when all you wish is to be home with your wife and family.

Lastly, you don't have to win AI or even get on AI to live your dreams. Have a clear vision for yourself, find out what it is you need to know to achieve the next level and set out to learn that. Don't expect anyone to come along and pluck you out of obscurity. Study creativity, look for inspiration, network like crazy, and build a supportive team around you. Fame and fortune mean nothing if you can't look yourself in the face. Fame and fortune mean nothing if you haven't got people you trust to share your success with. Fame and fortune mean nothing if you aren't following your heart. It's more important to get up every day and spend that day doing something that you love, than it is to have people scream your name in an arena. If those things go together, that's great. But it's the passion and the drive and the work and the experience that will get you there.

Anything is possible, if you are willing to do the work.

see you next season,
Vikki Flawith
www.vikkiflawith.com
www.myspace.com/vikkiflawith

TOP TWO - 20May08

Well, I was sort disappointed with tonight's show. I felt that David Cook either, stepped back to let the kid win... or knew that the die was cast. Not that he didn't perform well, he just didn't step out and wow me like he has in the past... and who knows, maybe it's better to be #2 & have a little more artistic freedom.

I felt they chose a rather limited song for him to perform in "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". There's so many songs he could have rocked, and while that is a nice song... just didn't thrill me. I found myself feeling slightly disappointed at the end of it.
He chose to sing "Dream Big" and I thought he put all of himself into it. Not sure if the song really sold "him" as a performer.

In his last song... he chose to sing something new, and did a good job of it.

In my educated opinion, David Cook has a very memorable voice, it's unique, it's his own. He is also a skilled musician. In both those areas he shines out & is a clear winner. He's not a cookie cutter model of someone else. His integrity and musicality will see him through and I think we will hear more of him.

David A - naturally they gave him the ballad he could sing sweetly, 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me'. I do think he sang it with his heart & soul. As I said, his voice is not as striking as David Cs in timbre. I also knew what he was going to do vocally before he did it. However, I felt he did put more of himself into the performance of his first song than David C did.

"This Moment" - was a better original song than the one David C sang, as it really seemed to fit the moment, and you could feel the audience responding to it - and really that's what it is all about, when all is said and done. He sang it to them and they soaked it up. It was sort of a la Josh Groban and showed some of the quality in his voice.

"Imagine" - I didn't think he sang this as well as he did the first time I heard it.

It was an emotional show to watch, a big moment for both these people. And whatever we think about the show, these two guys did their best to bring it. We all know David A will win. I suppose I will still hope that the superb talents of David C will earn him the Idol crown, but I doubt it.

PS - I shocked that, in the playback of the night, the first clip they choose to play of David C was off pitch. They seemed to choose sections of verses for David C, and sections of choruses or endings for David A. I thought it was odd.

RESULTS May 14-08

Well, I hoped for a different result but I knew it was unlikely that it would be any different than I predicted.

RESULTS:

David A
David C
Syesha

13May08 - Top Three

I wasn't all that thrilled with tonight's show. Some of the song choices were lame.

David Cook showed his range & musicality, and particularly showed his great vocal tone in First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.

Unfortunately, Syesha had a chance to shine but chose less than stellar songs. She has great vocal tone but makes wierd song choices & has arrangements that make her gravel around in the low end of her range, Why, when you could sing any pop song around, would you choose to sing Fever. If nothing else you could choose to do a Girlicious version of an old standard. She would have sounded great doing an awesome Latin pop song.

David A was pretty predicatable. Soppy ballad & bubble gum pop.

Bottom two should be Syesha & David A. Unless there is some huge surprise, Syesha will go home.

Results - May 6th

Bottom two:

Syesha
Jason

Jason's time had run out, for sure. I hope Syesha and David C pull out all the stops next week. It's obvious who the judges would like to win, I hope they step up and blow him out of the water.

May 6 - Top 4

I felt rather uninspired by the show & was left with more questions than answers. What are the judges judging, and are they judging with integrity? Are they trying to influence the results? I ask this, because Syesha is clearly - CLEARLY - an extremely talented singer and also a very beautiful woman but the judges don't seem to support her at all. Whereas David A gets all the praise for playing it safe and singing hokey old songs -- where was the comment that he didn't change them up to be 'today' and that they made him look 'mature'. Makes you wonder, makes you wonder. David C is very talented & rocks it up well. Jason should never have made it to the top 10, but he did, and we may have to deal with the fact that he makes it to the finals.

DAVID COOK
Hungry Like a Wolf - he was in his element, rocked it out, but I wondered if he should have showed more range.
Teenage Wasteland - here David showed vocal quality and strength and musicality.

SYESHA
Proud Mary - I thought she came across as sexy, versatile, and powerful. Excellent musicality.
A Change is Gonna Come - this song does not have a lot of range, and sits pretty low in tessatura, but even though it was rather low, she never once went off pitch which shows great vocal ability. She sang something that really mattered to her. I thought she handled it well and I disagreed with the judging.

DAVID A.
Stand by Me - I felt it was a predictable, karoke style performance of a boring song.
Love Me Tender - another boring song, but sung with better tone & some interesting changes in the melody line. Still, with the hundreds of great songs in the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame, it's odd to pick this one. I disagreed that his performance of both songs were the best of the night. No they weren't. Syesha could outsing this boy with both hands tied behind her back.

JASON
I Shot the Sheriff - jazzy sort of folk version, showed some vocal tone, sang it okay.
Mr Tamborine Man - another strange song choice, for me. He forgot the words. But you know, the fact of the matter is that Jason is a folk singer, and he just doesn't have the ability or range to sing anything like David C or Syesha.

Personally, I think Jason should go home (as I've been saying for weeks), but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Syesha, clearly the judges are not supporting her.