Oh, say can you sing?
“That we may be free” … were the words from an old slave song sung by the crowned USU Idol, Nicole Foust.
Or maybe she meant that we may be free from awful singers, because Foust certainly wasn’t one of them.
She amazed the judges and audience by singing a cappella about freedom from slavery.
“She pulled out something no one was expecting,” said the host of USU Idol, Christian Heidicker, after the show. “An a cappella slave song?”
USU Idol returned for the finals held Thursday at 1 p.m. in The Hub sponsored by USU Housing and Food Services and Coca-Cola.
The finalists advanced from three previous auditions held at The Junction throughout November. The final 10 then went on to perform different songs from their auditions.
The auditions were over and it was time to see which singers would impress instead of torture the judges and audience.
The show began with Heidicker saying, “let’s rock and roll.”
There wasn’t much rock or roll, but instead amazing talent by the 10 USU Idol finalists who performed.
Heidicker said, “We managed to weed out the riff-raff, not that they weren’t talented. But [they’re] not the fine 10 individuals that are here today.”
The finalists were Jenny Shaw, Summer Reinhart, Wilson Bateman, Calvin Smooth and J Rod, Christina Zaccheis, Candace Liab, Chase Christensen, Foust, LaCinda Dodds and Kirsten Harrison.
The judges and audience heard everything from, “Like a Prayer” by Madonna to “No Place that Far” by The Dixie Chicks to a new rendition of “Hanukkah” about USU.
“If you feel like the only girl who’s not a True Agg-ieee. Wait until the next full moon then come and find meee,” was a verse from that song.
“It was really cool. It was fun to see the creativity. Everyone sang different songs,” Julieanne and David Ellie said about Idol.
However, unlike American Idol, the audience was unable to vote.
The judges narrowed the competition to six finalists: Harrison, Calvin Smooth and J Rod, Christensen, Liab, Foust and Bateman.
They then had to sing a different song including “Complicated” sung by Smooth, “What a Girl Wants” sang by Liab and “I Wanna Grow Old with You” sung by Christensen with his guitar.
Yet, it was Foust’s song that stole the show.
Logan Sampson, a judge for Idol, said, “You can sing any song perfect.”
After the contest, Foust said, “This was really fun. It turned out really good.”
She said she has been singing since she was really little. But she downplayed winning Idol and a flat screen TV by saying,
“I enter contests and win things.”
Second place winner was Candace Laib and third and fourth were Christensen and Harrison, respectively.
-acbailey@cc.usu.edu