Thursday, September 16, 2010

Idol 32 - Nadia Turner

32. Nadia Turner
Season 4, 8th Place

Originally, I had Nadia at somewhere below the rankings, but after re-watching her performances on YouTube, I decided I had to give the edge to my girl Nadia. I definitely love her, but I certainly haven't always loved her. It all started long long ago.. *cue eerie music and cool fade to grey old film reel* Haha.

When Nadia first auditioned in San Francisco, I remember being very underwhelmed. I expected great things from just seeing her, but she didn't blow me away with her vocals like I expected. She definitely strained a bit, and you could see the veins bulging from her neck. Fortunately, things changed when the semifinals started. Heck, I think Nadia was severely underrated.

Yes, Nadia was NOT a diva, and she wasn't trying to sell the crowd with a big voice. She was a soulful rocker chick, and never claimed to be anything more. Also, she, to me, was seriously a FANTASTIC performer! Her rock - funk - soul style was so unique too and just another thing I found so interesting about her.

Consequently, she became my favorite girl going into the Top 12 of Season 4. But, seeing Nadia for who she was, and not based on my stereotypes of black females on the show, she wasn't extremely consistent. I think she could spit out some of the hottest performances of that season one week and then the next week she would quite strained and pick songs that don't suit her voice at all.

It was a rocky road for Nadia, but I was definitely rooting for her. She was exactly what the show was about and the kind of contestant that deserved to go far. But my hopes of seeing Nadia around for long slowly diminished with each Bottom 3 appearance she had. Then, she finally succumbed.

For me, that was just another nail in the coffin of season four. The people I loved were dropping like flies, and it was quite discouraging to watch.

Favorite performance(s): When thinking of Nadia's best performances on Idol, there shouldn't even be a question. She by far did her best with Try a Little Tenderness and You Don't Have to Say You Love Me - maybe even The Power of Love. Hands down. Try a Little Tenderness started off a bit slow, but she woke up the crowd for sure when she got to the upbeat part of the song. Everything worked out so perfectly for her on this song. I loved the attitude, the grit, the dancing. She killed it and showed some real star quality. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me was the first time she really showed me how good of a vocalist she could be. The performance was very sultry and sexy, and no one has been able to do the song nearly the same justice on Idol since her. It was just great!

Try A Little Tenderness


You Don't Have To Say You Love Me


The Power of Love


#31 - Terrified

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