‘American Idol’ Finalist Zachariah Smith Blasts Show
Zachariah Smith was successful when he appeared on American Idol. He was in Season 21 of the hit reality singing competition series. Smith finished in the Top 5 before his elimination. However, looking back at his time on the show, Zachariah wasn’t really happy about one aspect of the show. He felt Idol forces singers into “lanes.”
Here is what Zachariah said about his time on American Idol.
Zachariah Smith Blasts American Idol
Zachariah Smith was talking with some fans on Instagram, and the topic moved to whether he would appear on another singing competition series. It all started when a fan said Smith should try out for The Voice when the show has its next virtual open auditions. “Your voice would totally rock and bring the house down,” they said.
Smith liked the idea, and while he deleted his response later (via The U.S. Sun), he made a pointed comment about American Idol when addressing the opportunity. He started out by stating that he would perform as a country singer, which is not what he was doing on Idol.
“If I were to ever go on another show, I would definitely want to make sure the audience knew I was a country singer,” Zacharia said. He said that was his only regret on his last reality TV appearance. “They stuck me in a lane and would not let me choose genres.”
Zacharia Smith’s American Idol Journey
When Zacharia Smith went onto Idol, he introduced himself as a diner cook. He chose not to audition with a country song, though. Instead, he auditioned with “Hurts So Good” by John Mellencamp. Possibly thanks to his start with a rock/blues song, he ended up doing almost all rock songs the rest of his time on the show.
In the Showstopper Round, he sang Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Seeing his country career, it seems almost hard to believe this was what he was doing on Idol. In the Top 26, he sang “Lucille” (The Little Richard song, not the Kenny Rogers one). He then sang Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Up next was Toto’s “Hold the Line” and ELO’s “Don’t Bring Me Down” in the following round. In the Top 10, Smith sang Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.” After singing Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic” on a theme night, his last performance was a song from The Lion King on Disney Night.
Zacharia Smith never sang one single country song in the entire competition. Iam Tongi won that season, the first non-country music singer to win in three seasons.
What are your thoughts on Zacharia Smith’s frustration that he wasn’t allowed to sing country music on American Idol? Are you surprised the show won’t let singers perform their preferred genre? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
- ‘Survivor’ Jeff Probst Says Rachel Made ‘Mob Boss Move’ On Show - September 28, 2024
- ‘Today’ Jenna Bush Hager Explains Missing Wedding Ring - September 28, 2024
- NBC Explains Who Will Replace Hoda Kotb On ‘Today’ - September 28, 2024
I stopped watching it after that season. It doesn’t surprise me that they did that to Zach. After watching the Hawaiian boy singer be the winner of that season and their more a couple other contestants who were far better singers and performers then the Hawaiian boy. The whole show is rigged …… that’s why we don’t watch anymore!!