Why Matt Lost

[CarmenSandiego]

Four analyses done -- Michael, Hannah, Mariah and Nailyah -- and four to go.  Next up, I'll examine Matt.  He made the Top 20, but that was when his American Idol journey came to an end as he failed to make it into the Top 12.  But why was his time cut short?  As always, I'll look at the rules that Season 21 contestants should follow in order to find out what Matt did right, what he did wrong and why Matt lost.

 

Show Singing and Performing Talent

 

Matt had enough singing and performing talent in order to make the Top 26, and showed enough of both in Hawaii, singing a song directed to his wife well enough to make it into the Top 20.  So how did he do with "Say You Won't Let Go"?  Not nearly as well.  Most of those on IDF gave him scores lower than 7, with me giving him a 6 and saying that he was better in Hawaii, as did some others.  Crisis said that he tried to recapture what he did in Hawaii but fell short.  And the TooFab staff thought that while it wasn't terrible, he was only at his best in the middle, as he had no connection in the beginning and the ending got away from him.

 

Unsurprisingly, he failed to make the Top 10 but he still had a chance to save himself by getting one of the two judges' Wildcard picks.  So how did he do with "For Tonight"?  A little better  Some on IDF panned it, some found it solid, while others enjoyed it.  I gave him a 6.5 which was better than SYWLG but noted that it wasn't good enough anymore.  Crisis also thought that he did better on this song and thought that if it was based on vocals, he'd be a contender for a Wildcard spot.  However, the TooFab staff put him 8th of those who needed to sing for their survival because even though he was talented, they forgot what he sang and how he sounded.  Overall, Matt struggled with this rule but wasn't as bad as some others.

 

Song Choice Is Key

 

This might have been what got Matt in trouble on his first song in the Top 20.  Crisis hated the song and felt that a major reason why he failed to recapture what he did in Hawaii was because of SYWLG.  As for his survival song, Crisis thought that it was a much better song choice.  So overall, Matt stumbled on this rule but didn't do as badly as some others.

 

Be Consistently Outstanding or Better Yet, Consistently Improve Every Week

 

This was the first rule that Matt really failed on.  He did well with his Hawaii performance but then stumbled on his first song in the Top 20 before recovering somewhat with his survival song.  Up and down isn't going to get you very far on this show and thus Matt screwed up this rule.

 

Have the Confidence to Believe That You Belong

 

I think that Matt succeeded with this rule.  I saw no signs of confidence issues from him.  Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to save him but I'll move on.

 

Know Who You Are As an Artist

 

I don't think that this was a problem for Matt.  He knew what type of artist he was, a romantic crooner.  The problem was that he might have been too forgettable.  Still, he did well here so I'll move on.

 

Remember, You Are a Package

 

This was Matt's biggest problem.  While he had a good backstory with his teaching kids and with his obvious love for his wife, he was like Sir Blayke from last year in that he was forgettable.  He just couldn't stand out artistically from others in the Top 20.  So Matt struck out on this rule.

 

Take Any Advice Offered to You and Follow It

 

At least Matt didn't have any problems with this rule.  Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly enough to save him, so I'll just move on.

 

Gather a Fan Base -- and Sustain It

 

This was the final rule that Matt failed at.  Despite his having a solid artistic identity and a good backstory, he was so forgettable that he had trouble gathering a fan base and sustaining it.  It didn't help that his not being a country singer prevented him from getting dedicated fans from the viewers who preferred country.  He was able to get enough fans to get into the Top 20 with a very good performance, but he lost most of them with his first Top 20 song.  Thus Matt fouled up this rule as well.

 

Matt had some things going for him.  He had a solid artistic identity.  He had a backstory that could tug at hearts.  But he was also forgettable.  This hindered his ability to gather a core fan base.  Then his performances for America's votes were inconsistent.  As a result, he couldn't get the votes he needed and even though he sang his survival song well, there were others who were more memorable and thus were saved.  Matt just didn't have enough star quality.  And that is why Matt lost.

Edited May 2, 2023 by CarmenSandiego

[Carrie_On]

He reminded me a little bit of Dennis Lorenzo, although I preferred Dennis’ voice. Dennis was also much more robbed lol. Matt was very good but a little forgettable. Especially on a season with a lot of standout male talent. 

[BlkCountryFan]

I think he can be successful in the Contemporary Christian realm. 

[kenboy123]

1 hour ago, BlkCountryFan said:

I think he can be successful in the Contemporary Christian realm. 

Too bad Megan Danielle already took that spot from him on the show…

[BlkCountryFan]

17 hours ago, kenboy123 said:

Too bad Megan Danielle already took that spot from him on the show…

I didn't know only one contestant could be in the Contemporary Christian realm. I must have missed that.