Dear Top 12: Some Advice

Dear Top 12,

I have some advice for you. This advice will only be helpful to those who are very savvy...or perhaps just very lucky. I am not sure what it is.

My advice is this: Peak at the right time.

If you peak too early, you will spend the rest of the season chasing after that performance...just ask Andrew about that. Some people still offer amazing performances even after a fantastic peak. But that never pans out, either. Think back to David Archuleta (or "Little Davie" as I call him). He peaked during the Top 24, continued doing well...but by the time the finale rolled around, we were all very impressed but not impressed enough to do anything about it. Some might argue something similar happend with Adam Lambert, but I think with him it was more about the fact that his style didn't mesh with all fans.

Who peaked at the right time? I think the prime example of that is Kris Allen. When the Top 12 started out during Season 8, many of us were saying, "Who is that kid again? That young one who plays the guitar? He won't last long." He did just enough to get by, and then took off at the right moment. Importantly, he had the skills to keep himself sailing after his initial peak.

Another person who peaked well is David Cook. He timed it just right. He took off just as the rest of us were finding Little Davie to be quite predictable (predictably brilliant, but predictable all the same). He played that perfectly.

Another example takes us back all the way to Season One. From the beginning, we all oohed and ahhed over Justin.  He was talented and he knew it. Kelly was great and didn't seem to know it. Her confidence grew, and she kept on climbing right on past Justin.

How do you manage perfect peaking? I am not really sure. Part of it is that you can't bring it all out week one, but you certainly need to bring out enough to stay in the race. Another part is that you need to be able to grow each week; keep improving. Being a frontrunner in this competition is a dangerous place to be. Any frontrunner as a Top 12 member really doesn't win. Stay humble and keep trying to improve yourself. That is the best shot you have at actually winning this thing.

But if you aren't great at strategy and/or just aren't that lucky, don't fret. Plenty of winners have released only one album, while plenty of, uh, not winners? have done very well. A great example of that is Chris Daughtry, who, as place number four, has sold more albums than the three ahead of him combined. There is always hope.

Good luck!

PS I am still hoping this will actually be a Top 13. If Anoop deserved it, Alex sure does!

Dear Top 12: Some Advice