https://decider.com/2018/03/19/american-idol-not-a-singing-competition/

Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie have already rejected some perfectly good singers because they know that the show is about finding the modern pop star, says Meghan O'Keefe. American Idol faltered in its last years on Fox because it was too focused on finding good singers, instead of singers who could actually become pop stars who sell albums -- like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. "American Idol is not — and has never been — a 'singing competition.' Like poker, chess, and CBS’s reality juggernaut Survivor, American Idol is a game of strategy," says O'Keefe. "Sure, the goal is to be crowned America’s next great music star, and to get there, contestants have to survive months of cagematch-like musical battles. You’ll hear judges give lip service to things like pitch and timbre. You’ll even notice the glory of a high note and catch the tragedy of a badly executed key change. But you don’t win American Idol by being the best singer. If that were so, Season 6 vocal standout Melinda Doolittle would be the show’s biggest success story." ALSO: Too many contestants have auditioned with original songs this season. (http://ew.com/recap/american-idol-season-16-episode-3/)

American Idol faltered in its last years on Fox because it was too focused on finding good singers, instead of singers who could actually become pop stars who sell albums -- like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

This is no secret. I mean a lot of AI winners were good singers such as Fantasia and Rueben Studdard but had poor album sales. They just weren't pop stars.

Also, are they implying that Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are not good singers, but just pop stars who sell albums? I know they didn't mean to, but just the way it was written, it made it read that way. If mentioning those two, it should have read pop stars who can sing AND sell albums. But they meant pop stars who were so-so singers but could sell albums.

This is no secret. I mean a lot of AI winners were good singers such as Fantasia and Rueben Studdard but had poor album sales. They just weren't pop stars.

Taylor Hicks was another AI winner who bombed.

I remember reading somewhere that AI reject William Hung sold more albums than some of the winners did.

Taylor Hicks was another AI winner who bombed.

I remember reading somewhere that AI reject William Hung sold more albums than some of the winners did.
I can't stand Taylor Hicks. He always looked constipated when he was singing.

I can't stand Taylor Hicks. He always looked constipated when he was singing.

:lol: "Soul patrol!"