After Kris Allen was deemed American Idol season 8 champ, message boards, bloggers and the media went into high gear to pronounce the win as a major upset. However, looking back at the season, the win isn’t as far-fetched as you may think. Nobody was as shocked at the win as Kris himself was. It was quite a moment. After all, the judges, media and the like pronounced Adam the winner. It seemed as if this whole season producers and judges were framing Adam to be in a position where he would be a shoe-in to make it to the finals. Even the finale was a bit unbalanced. Kris performed with Keith Urban, a huge country star and awesome musician. But Adam was paired with KISS, one of the most legendary rock bands of all time. It seemed a little odd, but maybe that’s just me. Then there was Simon Cowell, who didn’t stand up when the winner was announced. Shame, shame.
I want to make no mistake about it, Adam is insanely talented. I adore him, his voice, his poise and to steal a word from Kara’s vocab, his artistry. I will without a doubt buy his CD and I will love it. But Adam doesn’t need the win to be an icon. He can achieve that on his own accord by making the album that he wants to make. Kris on the other hand, needed the confidence boost that winning American Idol gifted him. Kris didn’t come out of left field to win. He was the anti Adam–understated, simplistic and shy. While both guys were going to win this thing on their own terms, Kris managed to do it in a way that caught us off guard: with quiet confidence. While we focused on Adams outfits, makeup and smoke-filled performances, Kris pulled us in with his awe-shucks demeanor and humility that hoisted him in a position to win.
America has and always will root for the underdog. To say that Kris winning was an upset is unfair. We put him there. Now let’s let him revel in his moment. That means you too, Simon.
Good article! I like how you guys show dif. points of view.. I love idol and you guys wrote two great articles about it! I love this site! Thanks!