American Idol, the final season

They keep emphasizing it. American Idol (AI), the final season. It is the truth, the show will now come to its end after 15 exciting years. A tinge of sadness permeates everything and the mood gets even darker with the arrival of returning Idol winners and finalists and the showing of old clips.

It is sad, indeed, not just because a great show is ending but because, Idol, true to its name, did produce the stars. The Voice may now be raking in the ratings and hogging sponsorships but admit it, it has not produced anybody as successful as Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson or Chris Daughtry, which Idol did.

This fact is also what makes choosing the 15th American Idol very, very difficult. Whoever wins the competition this year will be expected to continue the Idol legacy. He or she will be the last American Idol, the one who will be the right bookend to the series. And a look at who the left bookend is, is enough to send shivers through the contestants’ spines. This is because out there is Kelly Clarkson, the first American Idol 15 years ago. Anybody who wins must not really fill her shoes but should be able to keep in step with her as an American Idol.

And who will that be? The show is now down to eight contestants and favorites are starting to emerge. There seems to have been a conscious effort among the judges to have very young singers this year. Their ages range from 15 to 25. They are all great looking and very talented. Truth to tell, I am now watching the show not thinking if a finalist is the best of the batch, but if he or she will adequately fill the role of American Idol. It is a tough fight, which I am sure viewers everywhere will enjoy.

And here they are, the week’s Top 8 contestants and their songs to help you recall each of them. One of them will be the next American Idol: 

MacKenzie Bourg, 23 sang Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me). From Louisiana, he is a guitar-toting singer-songwriter. Nice vibe. Simple and laidback but with expressive tones. He was booted out of the third season of The Voice.

Lee Jean, 16, from South Carolina. His song was Use Somebody by Kings of Leon. Judge Harry Connick keeps putting emphasis on his story-telling voice. And he is right, Jean literally leaps out from the background once he starts to sing and the audience hangs on to his every note.

Trent Harmon, 25, from Mississippi, with Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman. The all-American boy of the batch, he has been singing since he was a child and was thought to be so worthy of a spot in the finals that the judges decided to exempt him from the group round when he got sick. He did his part, solo and advanced. 

Tristan McIntosh, 15, from Tennessee sang Go Rest On That Mountain by Vince Hill. Very pretty, she has been singing and winning singing contests since she was a child. She has a natural country style that is very appealing. 

Avalon Young, 22, is a food server from California. She did Earned It by The Weeknd. She plays the guitar and was in a band. She makes strange choices for her songs but her striking good looks and simple style never fail to impress the audience.

Dalton Rappatoni, 19, from Texas did Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. With that shock of bleached hair and eyeliner, Dalton was clearly born for show business. He is this season’s combination of Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert. Win or lose, I can already see this guy with a successful singing career.

La’Porsha Renae, 23, from Mississippi sang Halo by Beyoncé. She is a call representative with such amazing pipes, that she has received standing ovations from the judges. If voters stick to the belief that Idol is a singing contest, then she is already a winner.

Sonika Vaid, 20 from Massachusetts performed Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson. If she wins, she will be the first American Idol of Indian descent. She was studying biology in college until she got into Idol.