Why Malik Lost

[CarmenSandiego]

Yesterday, I used my rules that American Idol Season 21 contestants needed to know in order to determine why PJAE and Elise, two contestants in Group 1, saw their journeys on Idol come to an early end.  But instead of analyzing why the last eliminated contestant in Group 1, Emma, lost, I will be turning to a contestant from Group 2, Malik.  Much like PJAE, a lot of people on IDF thought that Malik would be gone in the first cut and sure enough, he failed to make the Top 20.  But we still need to take a look at the rules I made to see what Malik did right, what he did wrong (a lot) and why Malik lost.

 

Show Singing and Performing Talent

 

Malik had enough singing and performing talent to make it to the Top 26, but he had definite problems showing that talent.  The fact that he and PJAE had to do a sing-off to figure out who would make the Top 26 only for both of them to get in anyway at the expense of someone who was going to be in until the sing-off was a early warning sign that he didn't always show his singing and performing talent even before he made this point.  So how was his first time performing for our votes?  He did better than PJAE, at least on IDF.  Zoey, for example, gave him a 9  while TaylorKat gave him an 8 (also !). Others were more critical, like me.  I gave him a 5 and said that he should've taken mentor Noah Cyrus's advice.  I'll get into that more when I get to rule #7.

 

Crisis was also rather critical, saying that Malik's voice was too smooth for "Ain't It Fun", that it lacked the sardonic bite that the original had, and that his performance needed more grit.  The TooFab staff, meanwhile, noted that he kept trying to do more with his voice than he needed to, especially in the second half.  All in all, Malik struggled with this rule, though at least he didn't completely strike out.

 

Song Choice is Key

 

Another problem that Malik had was with his song choice.  Crisis earlier noted that "Ain't It Fun" had a sardonic bite with lyrics such as “don’t go cryin’ to your mama, ‘cause you’re on your own in the real world”, and Malik failed to deliver the bite needed.  He should've chosen a song more suited to his smooth voice, instead of going for a song with a grit that he couldn't deliver.  Thus Malik failed with this rule.

 

Be Consistently Outstanding or Better Yet, Constantly Improve Every Week

 

This was another problem that Malik had.  He was good enough in his sing-off to make the Top 26, but then he took a step back with his Top 26 performance.  This was even more vital because he didn't have much exposure before the Showstopper round.  Thus he fouled up with this rule as well.

 

Have the Confidence to Believe That You Belong

 

This was one area where I think that Malik did well in, or at. least did well enough in that it didn't cause him to lose.  I never really saw Malik struggle with confidence during his run on the show.  Unfortunately, it didn't save him from elimination, but at least he did well enough with this rule so I'll move on.

 

Know Who You Are As An Artist

 

I do think that Malik might have had some problems knowing who he was as an artist.  While Crisis noted that he was able to arrange his song in a way that suited his voice, the TooFab staff pointed out that he kept trying to show off his voice when he didn't need to.  This indicates that he might not be experienced enough in his artistry to restrain his voice properly.  Thus Malik stumbled on this rule as well.

 

Remember:  You Are a Package

 

This was another rule that Malik had trouble with.  He wasn't a country singer.  He wasn't a rock singer.  He had an outstanding voice, but he didn't know how to use it properly.  And he had very little exposure coming into the Top 26, thanks in part to his audition being a song that ABC just couldn't air between 8 and 10 pm.  Thus Malik struck out with this rule as well.

 

Take Any Advice Offered To You And Follow It

 

Malik had some problems with this rule as well.  He was able to take Noah Cyrus's advice to rein in his tendency to do too many runs and notes in the first half, but after that point he apparently couldn't resist doing only big runs and notes at the very end.  So Malik definitely had problems with this rule as well.

 

Gather a Fan Base -- And Sustain It

 

This was the final rule that Malik failed to follow.  He couldn't appeal to country fans like Colin or Marybeth could.  He wasn't featured much before the Top 26.  He needed to come out and hit a home run.  Instead, he had a performance that got mixed reviews, which wasn't nearly enough.  So Malik screwed up this rule as well.

 

Malik had a lot of strikes against him.  He wasn't country.  He wasn't featured much before the Top 26 reveal.  And while he could be a vocal powerhouse, he didn't know how to use his voice properly.  Still, he could have managed to survive this round had he chosen a song that had lyrics which would suit his smooth voice, and had he been better able to rein in his tendency to show off his voice too much.  He failed in both areas, and paid the price.  And that is why Malik lost.

Edited April 30, 2023 by CarmenSandiego

[peachfuz]

hm — i’m really enjoying these write-ups, but there’s one little note on my mind that i wanna offer moving forward.
 

im having a hard time feeling like some of these criteria are really necessarily… i dunno, fair? at least two of the categories you’ve listed partially hinge on the singer’s identity or genre of choice — the insinuation sometimes feels like they fail by default because they aren’t white country singers? idk, the idea of framing these facts as the fault of the contestants just kinda doesn’t super sit well with me, but i might just be misreading a bit. otherwise, well done!

[m1key]

Yeah the idea that Malik didn't make it because "he isn't a country singer" is kinda faulty logic. There are many non-country singers in the Top 26 who advanced to the Top 20, and in past seasons in the ABC eras, multiple non-country singers have made the finale and outlasted other country singers in the competition.

 

All of your other points are great and insightful though! 

[CarmenSandiego]

50 minutes ago, peachfuz said:

hm — i’m really enjoying these write-ups, but there’s one little note on my mind that i wanna offer moving forward.
 

im having a hard time feeling like some of these criteria are really necessarily… i dunno, fair? at least two of the categories you’ve listed partially hinge on the singer’s identity or genre of choice — the insinuation sometimes feels like they fail by default because they aren’t white country singers? idk, the idea of framing these facts as the fault of the contestants just kinda doesn’t super sit well with me, but i might just be misreading a bit. otherwise, well done!

 

7 minutes ago, m1key said:

Yeah the idea that Malik didn't make it because "he isn't a country singer" is kinda faulty logic. There are many non-country singers in the Top 26 who advanced to the Top 20, and in past seasons in the ABC eras, multiple non-country singers have made the finale and outlasted other country singers in the competition.

 

All of your other points are great and insightful though! 

Unfortunately, too many country singers have outlasted vocal powerhouse singers.  Still, the point is well taken and I won’t mention the country singer bit from now on.

Edited April 22, 2023 by CarmenSandiego

[peachfuz]

43 minutes ago, CarmenSandiego said:

 

Unfortunately, too many country singers have outlasted vocal powerhouse singers.  Still, the point is well taken and I won’t mention the country singer bit from now on.

oh, yeah, you're 100% right about that. im more so having an issue with the fact that we're talking about these singers as if america not voting for them for being not country is their fault, yk?

Edited April 22, 2023 by peachfuz

[CarmenSandiego]

Just now, peachfuz said:

oh, yeah, you're 100% right about that. im more so having an issue with the fact that we're talking about these singers as if america not voting for them for being not country is their fault, yk?

 

I didn't mean it to come off that way.  It's not their fault that America isn't voting for them because they're country, you're right.