Idol Chatter & Voice Views

 

If you ever needed an example of the power producers exercise on singing shows, you got it Sunday night on American Idol.

Four singers — Kyana Fanene, Grayson Torrence, Penny Samar and MKY — were eliminated from the show’s Top 24.

Grayson, 21, from Providence Forge, Va., and Penny, 23, of Williamsport, Pa., did not turn in the weakest performances on the Top 24 shows. Far from it.

Neither did Kyana, 28, of San Leandro, Calif. In fact, I ranked her performance of “I Am” by Stan Walker as one of the best on last Monday’s show.

What did Grayson, Penny and Kyana have in common?

A shortage of air time. They’re auditions aired, but they were largely ignored in Hollywood. And far less celebrated than contestants who seem to be show favorites.

With a few notable exceptions — Drew Ryn, Mattie Pruitt, Kolbi Jordan, Gabby Samone, Breanna Nix and Amanda Barise — that’s been a trend on Season 23 of American Idol.

The show has focused more on male than female contestants, treating many of the ladies as little more than cannon fodder, to be pushed aside whenever the contestant pool needed to shrink.

That was especially true in those head-to-head duets, where we briefly met Keilene, Cali Morris, Krystal Molina and Rylie O’Neill before they were promptly pushed aside. In most of those cases, they were eliminated in favor of a male singer.

As a result, American Idol heads into tonight with a Top 20 made up of 13 guys and just 7 gals. I wonder if that will give the ladies an edge on wild card spots if they aren’t voted into the Top 14.

Sunday’s show as pre-taped, so we got quick reactions from Kyana, Penny, Grayson and MKY on their Idol eliminations, as follows.

Kyana: “I may not have gotten through to Top 20 but it’s a win win situation. I got to be on this show, find lifelong OHANA in these talented beautiful humans AND I AM SO BLESSED WITH ALL THE NEW FAM joining my journey in music. Love you and stay TUNED for new things on the horizon.”

Grayson: “This journey has been an unbelievable blessing you have no clue. thank yall for all of the love and support during this journey. though it may be the end of my time on @americanidol it is not the end! thank you @americanidol for everything and for letting me meet some of the best people i’ve ever met in my life.”

Penny Samar: “Peace out @americanidol ! 💓🧌 I’m so grateful for all the friendships, lessons, and memories I will keep with me forever from this experience. This is just the beginning of the #pinkpennyclub. 🙏🏼💖 THANK U TO ALL WHO FOLLOWED ME ON THIS JOURNEY!! Please continue with me on what’s next.”

MKY: “I’ll forever cherish these moments, memories & friends I’ve made on this journey and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to sing and represent LOS ÁNGELES on the national stage❤️‍🔥 Although my journey is now official over on @americanidol I’d like to welcome and embrace all the new love and supporters I’ve gained recently! Be ready because this is just the beginning.”

Follow the links for more on the singers. All four already have music out.

Penny revealed that she would have performed “Impossible Dream” had she gotten the chance Sunday night and posted a cover of the song to Instagram. MKY said he’s already back in the studio, working on new music.