With those questions in mind, here's a fun exercise for you. Let's put ourselves in charge of the 19 Universe for just a moment. In addition to Kradam, you can sign two additional finalists, and one semifinalist, to a deal. No more than that! I know you might be tempted to pick more, but even the biggest labels have to put a cap on the number of artists they can put their money behind. And to show I'm not above following my own torturous rules, I'll go first and name my talented trio:
Allison Iraheta: Oh, hi, yeah, she only has the potential to be one of the great female rock vocalists of her generation. So unless 19 has an appetite for self-destructon, they will close the deal with the red-headed rocker…immédiatement! (Bonus reasoning: If you believe in signs, the girl's initials are A.I.)
Anoop Desai: This one hurts the most, choosing among 'Noop Dawg, Alexis Grace, and Matt Giraud. (What can I say? Matty G won me over with his Idolatry interview…I'm a sucker for good sports!) But of the three, I'd have to go with Anoop, a contestant who took a little while to settle into his Idol groove, but also showed he was capable of cool, contemporary arrangements ("True Colors," "Dim All the Lights") and buttery smooth, highly distinctive studio renditions of his songs on iTunes. (Bonus reasoning: If you believe in signs, the man's last name ends in "ai.")
Mishavonna Henson: Again, a tough call here, as there were a half dozen or so semifinalists (Kristen McNamara, Jesse Langseth, Felicia Barton, Ju'Not Joyner, Ricky Braddy) I loved this season. But last week while procrastinating on iTunes, I discovered Mishavonna's five-song EP, and realized her underrated "Drops of Jupiter" during Group 2 night was just the tip of the iceberg. Check out "Tear Myself Apart" (after the jump) and tell me the girl's not destined for a platinum future! (Bonus reasoning stretched to the far boundaries of credibility: If you believe in signs, look at mIshAvonna's name again…you can't spell it without an 'A' and an 'I.' Spooky!)
Okay, Idol addicts: Those are the two finalists and one semifinalist I'd sign if I ran 19 Entertainment. Let's hear your picks in the comments section below!
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Comments (1-30) of 534 Add your comment
The girl’s not destined for a platinum future.
Allison definitely needs to be signed.
Matt Giraud was definitely not my favorite, but his brand of music is so popular right now! He’s also charasmatic, and a low risk, so business wise he makes the most sense… besides the gorgeous and amazing Rocker, of course. I wouldn’t sign any semi finalists. Too high risk.
Rumors have Alison signed to JIVE Records. They should be announcing sometime soon.
Other than that, I don’t care for anyone else.
Although I wouldn’t mind if they signed Alexis Grace. But going out at 11th might hurt her…
This is easy:
Finalists~
Allison Iraheta
Matt Giraud
Semi Finalist~
Ricky Braddy. He was so robbed of a spot in the top 10. He is so incredibly talented!
Allison Iraheta
Matt Giraud
I would buy both of their music and don’t really care about anyone else in the finals or semi finals.
I’d have to go with Matt G. and Allison…no semi finalists for me. Not even Junot. And Michael, get your ears checked…this girl is average at best.
Matt and Allison DEFINETELY!!! =)
… and since I have to pick a semifinalist, I’d probably go for either Felicia or Ricky Braddy
Expect Allison’s press release soon..they are already setting up her site: allisonirahetaofficial.com
There are twitters of her meeting with producers/songwriters at Jive…
Another fact, Allison’s A&R is Theresa LaBrabara-White
Allison for sure! I can’t wait to hear who she signs with.
Then I would pick Matt.
And instead of picking a semifinalist, Im going to pick Allison again!
Matt Giraud
Allison
I can listen to their music over and over on my ipod. They are the most talented and both unique.
Definitely gotta pick my rocker chick Allison Iraheta! I’d love to see her front a rock band and go multi-platinum like Daughtry. The other one is kinda a toss up but ultimately I think Matt Giraud would do well as long as he sticks to JT, One Republic type and doesn’t try to go Cold Play or The Fray route.
Semi-Finalist- Ju’Not Joyner hands down.
Allison, Allison and Allison.
Can I take one finalist and two semifinalists? ‘Cause I’d sign Allison, Jesse Langseth and Ricky Braddy in a hot minute.
Matt Giraud DEFINTELY and Allison without a doubt. The Semifinalists… ehh, I guess I would go with Jesse Langseth or Ricky Braddy.
Matt Giraud
Allison Iraheta
Jesse Langseth
Dude, I totally agree with you.
Allison and Anoop better have recording deals by the end of the summer!
I’m gonna say it……Megan Joy Corkrey
Slezak, you totally read my mind.
Allison is a no-brainer. Duh. I wish she’d won the entire competition.
I go for Anoop. Matt G’s awesome too, but I’m a Carolina girl. Gotta stay true to my roots.
I guess the semifinalist one’s the hardest, but Mishavonna really stood out to me just for being so mature and so talented for her age.
Ju’Not Joyner!!!!!
his version of ‘hey there delilah’ was smooth and sweet and melancholy.
love love loved it. he deserves to be heard!
I completely agree about Anoop and Allison. No doubt about it IMO. But as far as semifinalist I have been increasingly more and more taken with Felicia Barton and would love to hear more from here. Check her out here: http://www.rickey.org/?p=17281
Allison, Matt and Ju’Not
allison!
matt g.
alexis
oh yeah
Michael, there seems to be a lot of certainty over at MJ’s that Allison is going to be signed to Jive–already has been signed, actually, and has a great team–and that this will be announced soon. They would be insane to let her go–I do love Kris, but Adam and Allison were the two whose voices consistently stunned me. Voices like that are rare.
I’d love to hear from Jorge. He totally went home too soon. Saw a rerun of Ellen and he is incredibly talented. Just needs a mentor. Are you listening JLo?
Allison Iraheta and Jesse Langseth. I hate to pick your fav’s Slezak since you were mostly crappy to Adam this season.
I’d have to pick Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai. I love their full songs on itunes. And my semifinalist would be Jesse Langseth. Her voice is just so awesome. But I still love you Ricky Braddy, don’t lose hope!
allison, matt and ju’not. definitely.
Here are mine:
Allison Iraheta
Megan Joy (sort of a mess live, but could be great with the proper guidance)
My semifinalist would have to be Kristen McNamara.
Finalists—Anoop and Allison (Anoop’s voice is the real thing. It reaches into every girl’s female reproductive organs. I am not quite getting Allison, but she is HUGELY popular among my daughter’s friends who are between the age of 11 and 13.)
Semifinalist—Jesse Langseth (the only non-Anoop iTune track I was compelled to spend $0.99 was her bette davis eyes.)