American Idol has been off the airwaves for almost two years, which surprised me because it hasn’t been on my radar for far longer than that. Like millions of Americans, I was a fan of the show from the very first episode and still have artists like Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks, Adam Lambert, Katharine McPhee, Brooke White, and Melinda Doolittle in my iTunes account, with fond memories of voting for each of them. But if you asked me to name even one Idol contestant from the show in the past ten years, I would look off camera and say “Line!” because I haven’t been watching.
When ABC announced that Idol was returning and switching networks, it caused me to evaluate why I turned my back on it years ago. I didn’t leave it for one of the many other singing competition shows, with the exception of one season of The X-Factor to support my queen, former Mouseketeer Britney Spears. A couple of things occurred to me, the biggest being that I had grown intolerant of the show’s exploitation of crushed dreams. In my high school days, I thought it was funny to watch people who believe they can sing discover that they’re not only awful, but meme-worthy. I bought William Hung’s album, that’s who I was. I’m better than that now and those moments make me cringe. By the time people were trolling Sanjaya Malakar and voting him further into the competition as a joke, I became so disgusted with the process that I was ready to be done with it.
The other reason I gave up on the show was that too often I would fall in love with a performer who wasn’t able to make it past the top 3. That usually translates into bubkis in terms of a music career and I got tired of investing emotions in hopeful artists who didn’t get far enough to land a record deal, while the ones who did usually didn’t make a big impact anyway. I mean, why isn’t Melinda Doolittle a household name? Where was her record deal? She could have done so many things!!! I’m not over it and it’s been ten years. I’ll never get over it.
*breathe*
While I did follow Simon Cowell to another reality show (for co-judge Britney Spears), I had never seen an episode of Idol without him and his brand of tough love was a necessary part of the experience for me. When ABC announced Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry, I wasn’t excited at all. Richie is great, that’s not debatable, but Bryan is from a genre that historically “Don’t impress-a-me much.” Katy Perry would be/could be/should be my brand for her fun pop hits and out-there style, but she’s put her foot in her mouth more than a few times, “Her mouth speaks from that which fills her heart,” and I may be ready to forgive, but not ready to forget.
Ryan Seacrest returns as host and at the start of the two-hour premier episode, I felt like I was watching a rerun because the show hasn’t changed much. This two-hour beginning to the audition round introduces us to the new judges and a handful of hopefuls going to Hollywood and Lionel Richie is the clear leader of the group. Luke and Katy both listen to him, respect his opinions, and I have to say it’s refreshing to see a team of judges that get along and value each other’s comments… so far, at least.
For reasons I’ve already stated, I had my guard up regarding any of the singers vying for a golden ticket to Hollywood. I was not expecting Noah Davis, an 18-year-old farm boy from Arkansas who so clearly belongs in the spotlight forever. I don’t trust you America, you can’t let this kid down. He needs to win, he needs his record deal, he needs to co-headline a world tour with Beyoncé, and I’m convinced that if I’m not there watching every week and voting nonstop until the time is up, he won’t win and won’t change the world with his incredible voice. Darn it, Noah, now I have to watch this show! Wig.
This season kicked off at Disney Springs at the Walt Disney World Resort and I was expecting a lot of Disney in this episode. In the 2-hours, you get maybe 5-minutes in the second half. I can’t stress this enough, there is not enough Mickey Mouse on ABC’s American Idol. However, we do get to see a few of the Orlando locals audition in New York and I will be paying close attention to Alyssa Raghu, who is a big Disney fan and is definitely making it to the top 12, where there better be a Disney night because she obviously knows all the songs. I want her signed to Hollywood Records with a Disney cover on every album, please and thank you.
When the premiere ended, I realized something. The episode spent almost all of its runtime on singers who were actually going to Hollywood. There was an oddball or two who didn’t make it and were featured for their unique qualities, but the judges were at least kind to them. Nobody gets laughed out of the room. American Idol is back and this time, it’s respectful and taking its job a little more seriously.
If you’re like me and you gave up on American Idol years ago, I recommend revisiting it on the American Broadcasting Corportation. It’s more respectful and inclusive than I remember it, refreshing in comparison to its past iterations. At the end of the premiere, which I watched only for review purposes, I had made up my mind that I will be watching this season. Disney fans and pop music stars unite! Let’s get Alyssa Raghu past Disney night and lets make Noah Davis the next American Idol.
American Idol returns Sunday, March 11th, on ABC.