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Date Posted: 02:19:06 03/24/06 Fri
Can Older 'Idol' Singers Find Success?
By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer
+++++++++++++++++
YES they can.. ;-}
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LOS ANGELES - When "American Idol" contestant Taylor Hicks belted
out Stevie Wonder's golden oldie "Living for the City" there was
scant age difference between the singer and the 32-year-old song.
Hicks, 29, and other "Idol" finalists edging near 30 are testing the
limits of just how old an aspiring pop star can be and still gain
acceptance from the music industry and the public — while the TV
contest reaps the rewards of showcasing older performers.
The top-rated Fox show is attracting a bigger audience than ever in
its fifth edition as it offers a wider range of talent, which
producers say is why they raised the audition age limit from 24 to
28 last year.
This season, the change opened the door for half of the dozen
finalists: Besides Hicks, who turned 29 after making the cut,
there's Mandisa, also 29; Bucky Covington, 28; Chris Daughtry, 26;
Elliott Yamin, 27, and Ace Young, 25.
"There's a lot of really good singers we were turning down because
of the age limit, and we realized it was silly," said executive
producer Ken Warwick. "You're certainly not over the hill by 28."
Not yet, but there are uncomfortable hints the crest may be in
sight, said Mandisa, a veteran performer who dedicated her powerful
voice to Christian music pre-"American Idol."
"A lot of people say it's kind of the end of the road for me, so to
be able to have this competition and be right at the brink where I
can still make it, it's a dream come true," she told The Associated
Press after being voted a finalist. "There's really no turning back."
That's right — and it's wrong, according to music business insiders
and observers. It's certainly true that young consumers and the
artists they favor dominate the music marketplace, to an extent that
makes TV look relatively age-inclusive.
"When you talk to guys in the record industry you do hear a lot
of, 'Wow, she's 30, she's 35,' as if that completely ends any
discussion," said Sean Ross, editor of Edison Media Research, which
conducts research for radio stations and others.
"And, in fact, you see a lot of artists who aren't that old who have
lost their own deals and go to work writing for Avril Lavigne
and Kelly Clarkson," Ross said, naming the 21-year-old pop star
and the inaugural 23-year-old winner of "American Idol."
Rocker Sheryl Crow, 44, has had to "fight for her place" in
radio for the last five years, Ross said. It's the same in R&B:
While a star like Mary J. Blige has endured, others are exiled
to adult contemporary radio.
After Janet Jackson bared her breast at the 2004 Super Bowl, "it
was discussed as a pathetic attempt to stay relevant" by the now 39-
year-old singer, Ross said.
But there is hope for comparatively older artists, according to Ross
and others. Talent can trump age for a stellar artist or one who
aims for a career other than teenagers' darling.
"It's certainly more difficult as you become older," said TVT
Records founder Steve Gottlieb. "But every success is an exception
to the rule. No one gets a free pass, and unique talent trumps
everything else."
There are examples of singers who are beyond the Clearasil years
making a splash.
At age 28, James Blunt of Britain became music's latest hot property
with the hit ballad "You're Beautiful," which was a mainstay on
American adult contemporary formats before crossing over to top 40
radio.
Mariah Carey, 36, had her biggest hit yÿ
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