Why Mia Lost

[CarmenSandiego]

Yesterday, I did an analysis of all the reasons why Kayko was eliminated in the Top 10 round.  But there was one more person who was eliminated alongside him, and that was Mia Matthews.  A lot of people (including me) thought that her being a country singer would take her farther than Top 10, but we were very wrong.  But why did she fall short so early?  A look at the rules that American Idol contestants need to follow (along with a little assistance from the comments of Mia herself on IDF) will help explain what Mia did right, what she did wrong and why Mia lost.

 

The first rule states that contestants must show singing and performing talent.  Mia had a decent amount of performing talent -- at least, when she was behind her guitar -- and unlike Kayko, she definitely had singing talent, and she showed both more than he did during her run.  She was second on IDF in the Hawaii rounds, 5th in the Top 20 reveal round, 2nd again in the Top 14 reveal round, 6th in the Top 14 round and 2nd again in the Top 12 round.  She was actually doing well enough at this point.  But then came her final performance of "No One Needs to Know" by Shania Twain -- and she stumbled hard.  Most people gave her a score below a 7.  Only TaylorKat and I gave her a 7 and I said that it was good but wasn't great.  IdolChatter gave her a B-, alongside Kayko, and those were possibly the lowest scores in that round.  Thus Mia stumbled with this rule at the end.

 

What about the second rule, which states that song choice is key?  I think that Mia did pretty well with this rule.  While she wasn't great or even very good with "No One Needs to Know", the fault didn't lie in her song choice.  While it didn't save Mia, at least she followed the second rule, so I'll move on.

 

What about the third rule, which states that contestants must be either consistently great or consistently improving?  I think that Mia was being consistently very good, which isn't quite what this rule had in mind, but still she had no major problems until her final performance, when she stumbled badly.  Thus Mia struggled with this rule at the end.

 

I think the fourth rule, having confidence, was the biggest problem for Mia.  Mia herself said that she read about how so many people wanted her to lose the guitar and work the stage, and she didn't have the confidence needed to recognize when advice, no matter how well-intentioned, can be detrimental.  While the advice of losing the guitar and working the stage is usually good, she let the advice go to her head and let herself be pushed not only beyond her comfort zone but also her capabilities.  Thus Mia struck out on this rule.

 

The fifth rule states that contestants must have a strong, current and marketable artistic identity.  Mia had it until her final performance, when she allowed the messages she was reading to get to her and convince her to perform in a way that wasn't true to herself as an artist.  Thus Mia blew this rule at the end.

 

Mia had minor issues with the sixth rule, which states that contestants need to remember that they are a package.  She packaged herself as a country singer and had the backstory of being part of a trio with her mother and her sister, who fell short in Hollywood week, to help her out.  But she could have used the part of her being a trio with her mother and sister (or maybe just used her connection with her sister) a little more effectively than she did.  Still, I don't think that the sixth rule was a major problem for her, so I'll move on.

 

The seventh rule states that contestants must take advice given to them and follow it -- within reason.  This is because advice, no matter how well-intentioned, can be detrimental if you allow it to override your instincts about what is best for your identity as an artist.  Haven had that problem last season, and Mia had it here.  She allowed the advice she read online to get to her and cause her to make decisions that were false to her artistic identity.  By contrast, Abi Carter was also advised (by judge Luke Bryan) to work the stage more and not be behind the piano so much, and she followed the advice while still staying true to her artistic identity and staying within her capabilities as a singer and performer.  Mia didn't do that, so she fouled up this rule as well.

 

The final rule states that contestants must have is that they must gather and sustain a fan base.  And here Mia had her final problems.  While she had country fans on her side, she didn't seem to have as many of them on her side as Triston and Will (the other two country singers) had.  Thus she needed the support of casual voters more than they did.  And her final performance didn't give casual voters enough reason to get on her side.  Thus Mia screwed up this rule in the end.

 

Mia had some things going for her.  She was a better singer than Kayko; she had a strong, current and marketable artistic identity, and she had the package of being part of a trio with her sister and mother.  But for whatever reason, she had a hard time getting as many fans as Triston and even Will did.  Then she began reading our comments on IDF, and allowed the advice that she lose the guitar and work the stage more get to her, affecting her confidence and causing her to follow the advice to the extent that it caused her to be false to her artistic identity, and pushed her not only beyond her comfort zone but also her capabilities.  Mia needed more confidence to stay true to herself, and she didn't have it.  That is why Mia lost.

Edited May 10 by CarmenSandiego

[TeamAudra]

I’m just going to focus on her obsession with reading the comments. I’ve been very consistent with this over the years. Don’t do that. I’m not a fan of contestants joining IDF either. It doesn’t influence my opinion of her abilities, I just don’t think it’s a good idea. 

[QueenKalie]

Singing shows are very physically and mentally draining. It's a lot of work and it definitely takes a toll on all of the contestants. But yeah Mia said in her recent live that she was ready to go home and she was mentally checked out and that's probably what caused the off performance.  

 

She will be fine she just needs to take some well deserved time off and then start the song writing grind and work on releasing new music.