This week it was announced that in Season 10, "American Idol" will lower its audition age limit from 16 to 15. Not exactly earth-shattering news, maybe, but perhaps this casting decision is indicative of greater changes in store for "Idol."
See, over the past few seasons, the "American Idol" audience has obviously aged. The biggest breakout stars of the past few seasons have been ones who hearkened back to the classic rock era--like Doobie Brothers-loving Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks and hugely successful dyed-in-wool rocker Chris Daughtry; Season 7 bar-band dude David Cook, who beat out teen heartthrob David Archuleta; and Season 8's Adam Lambert, who made a name for himself covering Led Zeppelin and performing onscreen with Kiss and Queen. And the graying of "Idol" was especially apparent in Season 9, with champion Lee DeWyze choosing to cover Simon & Garfunkel and the Box Tops, Crystal Bowersox channeling Janis Joplin and '90s Lilith Fair icons, Casey James performing in a throwback blues style, and Michael Lynche earning comparisons to Luther Vandross. Meanwhile, contestants who seemed more appealing to teen viewers--Alex Lambert, Tim Urban, Aaron Kelly, Katie Stevens--failed to make the top four.
Additionally, the "Idol" producers certainly seemed to aggressively court the older demographic this past season--packing the top 24 with sedate singer-songwriters; having the contestants perform the songs of Elvis Presley, Lennon & McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and Frank Sinatra; and inviting veterans like Hall & Oates, Alice Cooper, the Bee Gees, Joe Cocker, and Chicago to perform on the season finale. Not exactly moves designed to attract the Teen Nick/Radio Disney demographic, really.
So, by lowering the age limit on the show, as well as hosting auditions on MySpace, are "Idol" producers indeed shifting their focus next season and making a blatant play for the tween audience--the kids who adore Justin Bieber and don't even know (or care) who Hall & Oates are? And are they hoping to find the next Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, or even the next Greyson Chance...instead of, say, the next Janis Joplin? Possibly.
"A lot of young, talented people are now seeking careers and representation before they turn 16," executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz told the press. "Lowering the age limit allows us to tap into this talent pool."
It remains to be seen if this age-lowering strategy will pay off for "Idol." Yes, there are a lot of talented youngsters out there, but some of them may not be ready for the stress of live-televised cutthroat competition--especially if these kids have received nothing but glowing praise from their parents and teachers all their lives, thus rendering them woefully under-prepared for the vicious barbs of brutally honest judges. It should be noted that Simon Cowell's other show, "Britain's Got Talent," came under fire last year when some younger, more delicate contestants cracked under pressure (10-year-old ballerina Hollie Steel, 10-year-old singer Natalie Okri, 12-year-old drummer Kieran Gaffney, and 11-year-old dancer Aidan Davis all broke into tears on the show), and while a 15-year-old isn't a child, a 15-year-old isn't exactly an adult, either. How will younger contestants handle the difficult "Idol" experience?
Honestly, I personally would rather see the audition age limit raised, not lowered, on "Idol." Keep in mind that the biggest success story of all reality singing competitions in recent years has been 48-year-old Susan Boyle, and that Season 9's biggest "Idol" sensation was, arguably, 64-year-old General Larry Platt. Now, I'm not necessarily saying that senior citizens need to join the "Idol" ranks, and yes, I do understand that the show's producers probably want to seem more relevant to the top 40 marketplace in this tween-pop age. But I do believe this show improved when its age limit was raised from 25 to 28 in Season 4, thus allowing more seasoned singers with both performance experience and life experience--Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Melinda Doolittle, Michael Johns, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Casey James, Michael Lynche, et al--to make it through. If the age limit had remained 25 years old, none of those popular contestants would have ever competed on the show. So is it possible "American Idol" would be a better show if the age limit were raised again, to 30 or even 35?
Perhaps we'll never learn the answer to that. But in the meantime, let's hope all those hopeful 15-year-olds are ready for their 15 minutes of fame.
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