A Chat With La'Porsha Renae, Who Could and Should Be the Last American Idol Winner
Entertainment
The first half of the two-part finale of the 15th and (probably) final season of American Idol airs Wednesday night, and with it goes an important chapter in American cultural history. While the U.K. had enjoyed Idol-type shows for years, before the competition premiered in 2002, Americans, long comfortable with the idea of overnight fame, had never quite seen it broadcast to them so readily. Perhaps more importantly, they had never before been able to involve themselves in the process.
But there’s more to Idol than the experience of watching it—there’s the thousands of people who have auditioned to be on it, and the far fewer who have actually made it far enough in the competition so that we remember them. Unlike The Voice, which is a ratings juggernaut but has done more for the fame of its famous mentors than its participants, or The X Factor, which barely lasted here, Idol actually made stars we still talk about, like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
Despite the fact that the judges’ table has gone through several iterations and looks very different than when the show began, and the fact that it’s been canceled because of falling ratings, Idol is still a huge deal to many people, and many of those who have made it into this final season have expressed excitement that they grabbed one last chance to be a part of history. Though the past few seasons haven’t seen an Idol winner become a big star, for viewing audiences, one impressive face has come out of this season: La’Porsha Renae, a 22-year-old single mother from McComb, Mississippi, who has a voice the judges have barely been able to critique.
La’Porsha is one of three Idol finalists, alongside Trent Harmon and Dalton Rapattoni. Despite the fact that the biggest Idol successes are women, and that the judges this season regularly commented on how many women made it through “to Hollywood,” Idol voters have historically not been friendly to women, preferring young singer/songwriter-type white men, often from the South.
Talent is subjective, but La’Porsha is undeniably the biggest presence on Idol this season. She boasts a huge, soulful voice that has earned comparisons to Aretha Franklin. She’s also been outspoken about her history with domestic violence; her ex-husband, with whom she had her adorable 1-year-old daughter, Nayalee Kaya, was abusive, and La’Porsha broke up with him shortly before auditioning for Idol. Her performances have clearly come from an emotional place, and have sparked the same from the judges—Jennifer Lopez cried following La’Porsha’s performance of Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama.”
On Tuesday, I spoke to La’Porsha about the experience of being consistently praised by the judges, being the last woman left on Idol, and what we can expect from her finale performances (even she doesn’t know). Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
Congratulations on making it so far.
Oh, thank you.
You first auditioned for American Idol when you were 16, during Season 8, but didn’t make it to Hollywood. What did you do differently this time?
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
