100 Singing Cowboys: UW Idol Begins

While American Idol may be sweeping the nation, UW Idol is sweeping the campus. Over 300 people packed themselves into the Union Ballroom last Friday night to witness the initial, open-call auditions for UW Idol.  One hundred students were each allowed to sing a thirty second a cappella excerpt from a song of their choice.

Their song choices were as varies as their outfits.  Some, in complete cowboy gear, belted out popular country singer classics by bands like Lady Antebellum and Johnny Cash.  Their big belt buckles jingles right along with their twangy voices.  The Band Perry’s, “If I Die Young” remained a popular tune with the female contestants.  Others were a bit more formally dressed, including one contestant, Jake, who, in a stylishly cut suit, lead the whole audience in a rousing round of happy birthday to Whitney, an audience member.  His stylish suit was matched by his character, as he also brought a birthday cake to give to Whitney.  While Adel was a popular hit with many of the female contestants, the UW students showed their style through choices like Frank Sinatra, Uncle Cracker, a few Disney song selections, and a round of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” sung by a bold international student who humorously began her song by claiming, “I am an international student and not a native speaker, so forgive me if I forget the words.”  The crowd loved her joke and her song.

Since my music judging credentials are severally lacking, rather than try to review the best contestants, I will review some of the surprising highlights of the night.  After Jake and the birthday cake, another contestant got the audience to provide back-up vocals for “Don’t Worry Be Happy.”  Another contestant put a new twist on a classic 90’s TV theme song, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire.”  Instead of rapping like a young Will Smith, the contestant “Diana-tized” the song and shock up the audience. However, the most humorous, and arguably one of the most talented, singers was not technically a student, or even a human.  The singer, a mouse-like looking creature, approached the stage with is ventriloquist and sang “In the Jungle the Lion Sleeps tonight” flawlessly.  His ventriloquist’s mouth never moved a muscle, yet each note was clear and clean.

The audience was excited to be witnessing the event, and it seemed that several singers had brought their own cheering sections.  The audience clapped, snapped, and cheered along with many of the singers, and created an inclusive, light-hearted ambiance, which was good for the nervous contestants.  One contestant, junior music education major Levi Johnson, after hearing that there is a thousand dollar grand prize, said, “A thousand dollars? I was just here for the embarrassment.”  However, he had little to be worried about with the great crowd and his even more refined and professional voice.  His “manager,” who wished to remain unnamed, joking said, “What his phone number for all his adoring fans?” And while the crowd was great, another contestant mentioned how difficult it was to fit “something into 30 seconds.”

Despite the time limits and their nervousness, the contestants put on a great, lively show, so be sure you do not miss the semi-finals next week, Friday February 3^rd at 9pm in the A&S Auditorium.