American Idol 7: Why Asia’h Lost

I didn’t predict Asia’h to go home this week, but I was soooo close to doing so in my pre-show prediction article with Sting7. So her loss was not as big a surprise to me as it was to some others. But why not? What caused Asia’h to leave us just before the top 12? Why did Asia’h lose?

The losses of Luke and Kady were completely expected. Danny’s was a bit of a surprise, but not too much when all things were considered. To find out where Asia’h’s really stands, we’ll take our usual look atWhat ‘American Idol 7’ Contestants Need to Know.

The most important factor, no matter what else might be going on, is to sing and perform well. Randy thought she proved that she deserved to be in the top 12 and Paula thought Asia’h nailed it. But Simon thought it was, at best, “second-rate Whitney Houston,” but agreed it was good enough to make it through.

Recapper Jenn said Asia’s no Whitney, “but it’s still very good.” Even so, she did note she was “still waiting for her to have her big moment.” The We’ll Be the Judge of That! panel generally felt good, but not great, about the performance. Kathy disliked it the most, saying she “found Asia’h’s voice a very thin and reedy version of Whitney.” Bruce and Sandy both enjoyed the performance quite a bit. I fell somewhere in the middle, but I have to repeat that I found her head-bobbing distracting and annoying. That may seem trivial, but it is part of the performance.

Joseph, in his NGH Report, apparently was closer to the view of the majority of voters, as she ranked her second-to-last, only above Kady.

One main reason Joseph panned the performance relates to the second rule, which emphasizes the importance of song choice. As he said, “The problem is that she picked one of the most karaoke songs of all time, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody.’”

Of course, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Performing a Whitney song is always dangerous, and that one in particular might have been fun, but it didn’t really allow her to show her vocals. Indeed, that was something of a continuing concern for Asia’h. In his Idol Ideals column, Tyler Sandersfeld noted of the second week, “While her song choice last week could have tugged the heartstrings, it just didn’t work for Asia’h’s voice.” He added, “Asia’h must use her rich voice wisely.” But she didn’t.

To wrap up this rule, let us also mention what Simon said when Ryan asked in the results show whether Kristy Lee or Asia’h would be going home. The obvious answer would have been Kristy Lee. But that’s not what Simon said. He noted that based on the song she chose, Asia’h would be going home – and he was right.

The third rule says contestants need to be consistent. In the first week, Asia’h earned compliments from all the judges, with Simon saying she was his favorite of the night at the time. (Personally, I didn’t like it, with the head-jerking bothering me even then – but I was apparently in the minority at the time.) In the second week, Asia’h had the money spot, performing last, but couldn’t quite pull it off. In the third week, she needed to really wow viewers with her voice, but she didn’t.

Fourth is to be unique. Unfortunately, I can’t think of anything in particular that made Asia’h unique among the top 16 contestants. She didn’t stand out for her voice quality like a David Archuleta or type like an Amanda Overmyer. She seemed like she had a fun personality, but she wasn’t unique for that either. It wasn’t that she was necessarily competing for votes with anybody, but she wasn’t setting herself apart either.

In following up with the fifth rule, Asia’h was memorable for only one – rather sad – reason. She was the girl whose father had died only a couple days before she auditioned. As sad as that was, I believe it actually helped her in the early goings. It ensured she was seen in the shows before the semi-finals, which is always a boost for contestants. And it might have even helped her last as long as she did.

I hate to say it, but she should have actually found a way to bring that up again in the third semi-final week. It may sound a bit sickening to suggest using a tragedy in that way, but I’m not here to make emotional judgments – I’m here to say what, objectively, should have been done or not done. If Asia’h wanted to move into the top 12, she should have ensured we were reminded about that because, unfortunately, it was the most memorable thing about her.

Asia’h also needed to do more to make herself a complete package, as the sixth rule says. She could sing and she seemed like a fun person, but that isn’t enough when it comes to Idol. She needed more to complete the package and truly give viewers a reason to vote for her.

At least she was fine in terms of the seventh rule, in that arguing with the judges was not a factor. But that brings us to the eighth rule and an extension of the problem we were talking about in the sixth. She did not really create a fan base. Why? Because fans need a reason to favor a contestant – and Asia’h didn’t really give it to them.

It’s not that Asia’h sang terribly – though not everybody was enamored of it, as we’ve already seen. It’s not that she was devoid of personality. It’s not that she was completely unmemorable. But Asia’h couldn’t pull it all together. She picked a couple bad songs in a row and was kind of middle-of-the pack in general. Sometimes it’s actually better to be really bad than mediocre. Why? Because when you’re really bad, some fans will redouble their effort to call in for you. If you’re sort of good and sort of memorable and just sort of okay, that won’t happen. That is why Asia’h lost.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:

David Bloomberg is the Editor of Foxes On Idol, and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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