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Is it better for Blake that he didn't win Idol?
I was never a Blake fan, but as the end of American Idol season six drew near, I came to admire his attitude even more than his singing or beatboxing skills. I like that Blake never talked back to the judges in a snotty, defensive manner. I like that he took his lumps with a smile and a shrug. I like that he didn't cry "foul" when forced to sing the generic "This Is My Now." In the age of reality TV where everyone wants to win at any cost, it was nice to witness a guy who actually seemed to be enjoying the experience itself.
In a conference call with reporters, Blake said, "I honestly didn't care one bit [about] winning or losing, because I call myself a winner just by getting into the top 10."
Blake went on to say, "I'm kind of glad I didn't win just for like contractual reasons. I think if you're first you might have to come back for like three years or something."
Let's be honest, Jordin Sparks was made to be an American Idol. She wanted it the most. She truly connected with the sappy Idol-friendly "This Is My Now." She's young, innocent, and starry-eyed. She'll be easily molded into an artist with broad popular appeal. Sure, a couple of years from now, we'll hear about an edgier, more mature Jordin Sparks clashing with music execs as she fights for creative control. But for now (and the next seven years), she's exactly the kind of artist that will do American Idol proud.
I suspect that if Blake won Idol, he'd be clashing with execs and fighting for creative control immediately. Blake was clearly the most unique contestant (besides Sanjaya) that American Idol has ever seen. He didn't play by the Idol rules or take it all that seriously. He did his own thing, took risks, and messed with classic tunes. But if Blake won this year's title, 19 Entertainment and BMG would have most likely tried to broaden Blake's appeal, by minimizing all the things that made him unique. Blake was never a cookie-cutter contestant. Why would he want to become a cookie-cutter Idol?
So what will Blake do? He will continue to make music that is "very electro-pop, hip-hop music in a sense of Duran Duran [and] Michael Jackson." Blake explained, "I'm a child of the '80s, so it's definitely going to have very advanced thing to it with more of a melodic jazzy, like Maroon 5, Jamiroquai, but definitely more on the hip-hop and electronic kind of thing."
When asked which past Idol's career he would emulate, Blake (ever the non-conformist) responded, "None of them. I want to set my own path."
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