Season 9 Preview: Katelyn Epperly, Tori Kelly, Rose Flack

Hollywood week begins in earnest today. The Idol Wannabes arrived in town yesterday and word is that the first day of Hollywood week begins today. Hopefully, we’ll soon be getting spoilers (if you have them and don’t want to post them, please send them to MJ). They say that this year a woman will win and we are certainly seeing some very talented women.

Let’s check out a few (well, three).

Usual Disclaimer: Remember, that the Hollywood round doesn’t occur until this week this year. We don’t know how far any of these contestants might go. And since we never see some of the competition round contestants until the competition starts, we might never see some of these people. We might have even found the wrong person with the same name.

Number 26: Katelyn Epperly
Hometown: Des Moines, IA
Style: Indie/Folk/Experimental
Instrument: Piano

Number 27: Tori Kelly
Hometown: Los Angeles
Age: 17
Style: Pop/Electronic
Instrument: Guitar

Number 28: Rose Flack
Home State: Idaho
Age: 18
Style: Jazzy/Carol King

Pictures/Myspace/Links after the jump

Katelyn Epperly
Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3
Myspace
Almost Lover (youtube)
Bridge Over Troubled Water (youtube)

Katelyn has a beautiful clear voice and kind of a Brooke White vibe. She’s kind of the female equivalent of a WBWG. She’s a WGWP (White Girl With Piano). Brooke White did well in S7 perhaps indicating that this is a demo that AI might have success with. Often it seems that AI floats a type of performer a few seasons before to test the water before they decide that is the type of winner they’d like to have. So, perhaps this is the Year of the WGWP. From the contestants we have looked through so far, I think that this is a crowded field. It definitely looks like they selected a lot of blonde contestants who can play instruments and give off the singer-song writer vibe. Can Katelyn stand out from the crowd? Last year, she would have.

Tori Kelly
Picture
Tori Kelly
Fansite
RU Ready (youtube)
Hurry Up (youtube)
The Only Exception (youtube)
It’s Love (youtube from when she was 12)
Youtube Channel

Another girl with an instrument. Seriously, if you don’t have one this year, you might as well stay home. Clearly, there has been a major sea change in the Idol world. Remember when contestants who could play an instrument were a novelty? Anyway.

Tori comes to this show a seasoned-pro. When she was 11, she went on Star Search and went on to win “America’s Most Talented Kids” when she was 12. Even back then, she had a serious set of pipes on her. So, she’s not going to get rattled by the television cameras or the judges or the pressure or the voting. Also, based on her youtube videos, she seems to be able to mix it up. She can do acoustic, R&B, pop, electronic, you name it. So, theme weeks should be a snap for her. Add in the fact that she’s a very good looking girl and she looks to be a contender. Bonus: She’s not blond which will help her stand out. Her only negatives is that too many years spent singing over the crowd on the state fair circuit seems to lead her to being a bit shouty and some people will resent her for having had too much experience with talent shows.

Rose Flack
Picture (new Rose)
Picture (old Rose)
Myspace
Season 8 Audition (youtube)
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay (youtube)
Introducing Rose Flack (youtube)

Simon said it last year, “There is something about you which I absolutely love. You’ve got something special about you. And I don’t know what it is, but you are one of the few I’m going to remember”

Rose auditioned last year for AI. She was the “hippy chick” whose parents had both died. She fell apart in Hollywood largely due to the machinations of Bikini Girl whose drama completely de-railed their mutual group number. Rose left the competition in tears and many Idol fans were also sad to see her go.

She didn’t make the initial spoiler list, but her name is being bandied about now as having made it to Hollywood. If she’s back, she’s sporting a new look and I’m sure she will be much wiser this year. It’s nice to be nice, but you have to look out for yourself during Hollywood week. She may not have the best voice, but she does have a certain X-Factor that makes her memorable. If she’d kept it together, she might have gotten Megan’s casting spot last year, but her field is more crowded this year. If she does make it through the show, she’ll probably come with an existing fan base which may be enough to get her into the top 12 regardless of how she actually performs. If she performs well, she could go far. I’m not sure if her new look will help or hurt, though.

So, what do you think. Do any of these three have a chance?

If you’ve missed some of the Idol Hopefuls for Season 9, checkout the Season 9 Preview Roundup.

About Kirsten 3060 Articles
Kirsten has had a long love affair with numbers. Marry that with her love of cheese and the Numbers Threads at MJs were born.