The Big Gamble

I watched X Factor last night.  I wasn't so impressed by any of it except Drew.  She's 14 but that's really a footnote since she's probably the "best" of the lot.  There are a lot of ways to be good and there are a number of good singers/performers in this group of contestants.  I like Josh Kracjik but not last night.  I think Melanie Amaro has a very fine voice and is as good as any current singer but so what.  I think Rachel Crow is very good and can deliver, is amazing for a 13 year old but still, what is it about Drew?

She's different.  She's good AND she's not like everyone else.  (I still don't get how you learn to do that by the time you're 14.)

It's easy to copy what's already successful.  Oh geez, when they announced Melanie was going to sing something from The Bodyguard, I cringed.  "Oh no, please not I Will Always Love You" I said to Caprice.  (Caprice who I'm still talking to because she didn't kill the cat and Dinky did last night.).  Not that I don't love that song, under certain circumstances I do.  Like this



It's probably not going to get better than that, so I think it's skipable.

So Melanie sung something that Simon loved but I can't even remember what it was and it didn't have that much of a tune.  I'm sure if Melanie had done IWALY it would have been as good as Leona Lewis' version.  Apparently once you are that good, it's not that hard to copy Whitney Houston.

The point being Drew didn't copy anyone.  She actually is herself and references herself.  This of course is dangerous because most of the time the public doesn't want you, they want Whitney or Stephen King or Nora Roberts/whoever.



(I just want to say to LA Reid--How is that little rapper kid different every week?)

So you can try to copy someone who is successful and can get on the gravy train while it's still rolling, or you can be yourself.  Do you trust yourself that much?