Haley Reinhart fans finally have news to celebrate after their favorite growler failed to make the top two on Season 10 of "American Idol." It's finally been confirmed that Haley has been signed to Interscope Records. The big question now is what her new record will sound like, and if she'll be able to resist the bland pop packaging that many "Idol" alums have received.
Haley's Wishes
In an interview with Reality Rocks' Lyndsey Parker, Haley said of a prospective album: "In a perfect world, I would love it to be bluesy, soulful, funky -- a lot of stuff incorporated. I think it's possible." Most outlets are throwing out Adele comparisons, but fans are worried that "copycat" artists don't tend to be as successful as the front-runners. Haley has a good shot at carving out her own niche. Considering the way she added her own yodeling lilt to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," it sounds like she's got the skills to put a unique spin on whatever tunes the record company gives her.
Knowing how the "American Idol" machine works, Haley's prepared to fight for herself at the record company. "I'd rather make something right," she said backstage on the "Idol" tour. "I want it to be something I'm really proud of and that defines me. I'll probably have to fight my way in, and really just stress 'this is the direction I want to go' because I know it's not the general pop style." Haley is conscious of what her fans are looking for, and she doesn't want to alienate them in the hope of garnering that bigger pop audience.
The Reality
It's still just rumor, but early word on Haley's singles sounded something like the set-up Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert garnered. An anonymous source said that Haley was getting an unrecorded Kris Allen track and a single originally intended for Katy Perry ("Beat My <3"). She also supposedly co-wrote a tune called "A Retro Kind of Girl."
Having an Allen song and a Perry song on one album definitely shows the diversity Haley said she was hoping for. And anyone who's listened to Perry's album "Teenage Dream" knows that the pop princess has depth to her range, with some belted out big vocals and a little retro '80s and disco sound enriching many of her tunes. The fact that Haley has at least some songwriting leeway on her tracks is also a good sign. While Lambert's mix of ballads, disco and pop/rock tunes weren't what some of his hard rock fans were expecting, it was still a solid and interesting album, and has done fairly good sales in a sluggish market. Hopefully Haley can have the same or better results with her first outing.
Artistic Integrity
Despite what the judges had to say during her run on "American Idol," Haley is confident she's got a handle on who she is as an artist and what she wants to accomplish. Having grown up and performed with her musically talented family, she's got a solid base of talent and experience to build on. Looking back on her "Idol" experience, she's learned what choices were good ones and which situations she should have fought harder on.
While it's good to maintain your artistic integrity, it's still a wise idea for Haley to listen to her record company about what sells. If she can add some bluesy, funky spin to pop tunes, she can get the best of both worlds -- keeping her unique sound and gaining new pop fans. Something a bit alternative like Florence and the Machine could also do well for her.
Will Haley Succeed?
The Interscope press release rightly pointed out that Haley was "the only contestant from Season 10 that reached over a million views on three of her performance videos on YouTube." This included her 2.3 million total views on "Rolling in the Deep" (here's one of the many versions on the site.) It's clear that Haley got noticed during her "American Idol" run, and despite what sometimes seemed like Herculean efforts by the producers to eliminate her, she managed to climb all the way to the top three. If fans get to hear all the layers of Haley's bluesy, sultry voice on whatever covers and cast-offs Interscope gives her, she should make solid album sales.
More From This Contributor:
'American Idol': Country Radio Won't Play Scotty McCreery?
'American Idol' Top 3: Haley Goes Home
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