Year of the Young

Dear Contestants,

It is funny how the tides shift year to year. I remember the year they made the age limit higher--so older people could audition. After that, it seemed the top 12 was heavily filled with people in their late 20s. I even remember Simon commenting that the older people basically had much more emotion in their singing than the  younger people.

In those years, we had some young singers in the top 12. The comments always seemed to focus around how good they were for their age. Yes, they were great singers, but their singing ability seemed more impressive once you found out how old they were.

This year, they made the age requirement lower--meaning that 15 year olds could now audition. I remember during auditions being struck by how many good singers there were who were young. It seems to be the year of the young people.

These kids have basically been watching American Idol their entire lives--at least most of what they can remember in life. Some of them have been planning on this moment since they were 6. They have remarkable stage presence. And they are good--and not just good for their age, but good. Our three teenagers are also three of the frontrunners.

And what about the rest of the group? The "old" ones? All but two range from 20-22. The other two are 26. We have a year of young people. Young people who are are just plain good.

Here are Scotty (17), Lauren (16), and Thia (16)

 

Year of the Young