Carrie Underwood reveals why talent alone isn’t enough to win 'American Idol': 'It's hard to...'
'American Idol' season 23 has crowned Mississippi native Jamal Roberts as the winner, with John Foster following as runner-up. Roberts seemed to possess the 'it' factor to top this season's rounds, according to judge Carrie Underwood. The country icon explained that a seasoned judge can easily 'spot' the winner with a keen eye and gut feeling, as per Entertainment Now. “It’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it,” she said.
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"The ‘it’ factor that I think we are looking for as judges is hard to define. You know, you can have somebody get up on stage that just has an incredible vocal instrument, and it’s like, ‘What is missing?'” She added, “And then later you’re like, ‘What did she sing? What did he sing? Why don’t I remember?' But then there are other people that might get up there, and maybe they didn’t have the best vocals, but there’s something about them that makes you want to listen, makes you want to watch."
Sharing her personal experience on her recent 'Idol to Icon' series, the 'Before He Cheats' hitmaker revealed that Simon Cowell had encouraged her to work on her 'spark.' She confessed that Cowell was confident about her win: "I, despite my mile-high hair, did a wonderful job tonight. All the judges praised me. Simon told me that I was not just the girl to beat, but the person to beat. He then went on to make a prediction that I would not only win the AI competition, but I would sell more albums than any other American Idol has," she revealed on the series. She recalled the record executive remarking, "You have something different.”
Underwood reminisced that she first learnt about the 'It' factor from Cowell's style of judging. “And that’s what you look for, which is that ‘it’ factor. And that’s what it’s all about,” she recounted her former mentor's advice.“It was definitely a confidence booster hearing Simon say that I did well and my vocals were good, and I had the ‘it’ factor,” she added. Despite facing constant criticism on the internet, Underwood confessed that Cowell's positive remarks put her on the right track to win. “And when all those things come together and they have that ‘it’ factor and they have that voice, that’s when the magic can really happen,” the 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' singer explained.
Underwood walked out as a proud judge after Roberts' win. In an exclusive with Extra TV, the country icon couldn't stop gushing about the Mississippi native. She praised Roberts' vocal range and called it a " god's gift." "Jamal just has a gift from God. His voice is insane. Every time he opens his mouth, it is flawless," she said. Additionally, Underwood expressed that it was a "life-changing" moment for Roberts as he is poised to do "greater things" in life. On a parting note, Underwood left an air of mystery when asked if she would return on the judge's panel for the following season. "There's no other place that you can find this much talent in one place," she said while signing off.