On Group A: Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks
On Group B: Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze and Scotty McCreery
I hope you see the huge difference here.
American Idol Season 11 is coming to a close and in just a matter of days, Ryan Seacrest will all grace us with the kind of announcement he'd been doing for a decade now. From 13, we're down to two.
It could be Jessica Sanchez or it could be Phillip Phillips.
The past four seasons of American Idol have flaunted the illusion that white guys who play guitar will most likely be the last man standing at the end of the day.
Yet, the success of the Idol ladies has proven that American Idol can produce legitimate artists - the ones who can last in the industry; the ones who can win ACM Entertainer of the Year twice; the ones who can sell two million digital copies of a song about having no air; and the ones who can beat a record that was once held by The Beatles.
Sure, American Idol has had its taste of ups and downs - and that doesn't include Randy Jackson's "Yo!" at the start of his every sentence - but we all don't need to debate about the fact that Idol's credibility is mostly donned by its female winners.
That makes me put all my taxes on 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez.
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Jessica Sanchez, 16
San Diego, California |
She got my attention when she performed Whitney Houston's toughest song, I Will Always Love You.
But she won me over when she so-creatively repackaged Beyonce's Sweet Dreams.
At 16 years old, the girl sure knows how to sing.
Let's be real here, even Jennifer Lopez - who critiques America's best singers yet sings on auto tune every damn time - wouldn't be able to pull off a clean falsetto the way Sanchez perfectly does, every single time.
Sure, the girl couldn't pull off a Queen performance good enough for the judges or her Tina Turner seemed a bit slutty but despite her flaws, listen to her voice.
Really. Listen. To. It.
Jessica Sanchez - Everybody Has A Dream
Other singers work their whole lives to get their pitches as perfect as hers or to learn to growl majorly without sounding like a hungry wolf. Yet, Jessica Sanchez is 16 years old and she does that almost effortlessly.
Her skills are beyond her years. Can you imagine how much she had to work hard to get her voice on that shape, at 16 years old?
Where were you when you were 16?
Other artists could only wish they could sing like her and yes, Rebecca Black, I was talking about you.
She reminds me of a younger Charice - the one prior the blonde hair and tattoo. You see her there, smiling like a freaking unicorn and you just have to ask yourself - where on Earth did she get her talents from?
Don't get me started on her vibrato. Some singers die without learning to perfect theirs and Sanchez just nails it whenever she wants to.
I may sound like a total fangirl here but what I really like the most about Sanchez is that she doesn't need to hit big notes to make an impression. Her rendition of Jazmine Sullivan's less popular song "Stuttering" proved that.
Jessica Sanchez - Stuttering
That's the reason Joshua Ledet never worked for me. I mean...
Going back to business.
Lastly, I'd give it to Jessica's versatility. It is something other contestants in this batch didn't have.
Sure, Phillip Phillips took on different artists but he had to redo the song to make it sound like him. While that is admirable, it doesn't present flavor - and that's Jessica Sanchez for you.
Flavorful.
We've heard her take on songs of artists from different generations yet, she always managed to give it justice; like every song is a tribute.
Sure, Joshua Ledet was good. He had moments but let's get real here, imagine his album and we all know we'd hear the same thing - big notes and all. His material is good but it is exhausting.
Again, that's Jessica Sanchez for you.
Variety.
On another note...
I'll take myself back to reality.
There's been an endless debate whether American Idol is a talent show or a popularity contest. I admit, cultural differences are quite a factor here.
Phillip Phillips is a white, good-looking all-American guy who has the ability to make you swoon when he sings and plays the guitar. (I know for sure. I'm on Team Jay all the way but he did make me swoon more than once.)
And Jessica is a half-Filipina, half-Mexican girl who's only qualified as American because she was born in the US.
Votes-wise, we'll have to rally and horde the voting lines to get the girl up there.
Votes-wise, we'll have to rally and horde the voting lines to get the girl up there.
Before someone reacts, those are facts. Some will not understand this but this factors matter.
I just hope for once that people will vote because they believe in talent.
I do.
And I am voting for Jessica.
