Who do you think should WIN?
Makaya Quirke [ 8 ] [53.33%]
Kalina Rai [ 7 ] [46.67%]

Voting is over!

Makaya Quirke

Last Week: “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, and “I Will Get There” by Boyz II Men (Top Vote Getter)

This Week:

Previous Song

Ah… the finals! It’s what we’ve all been waiting for all season. So I know I cannot disappoint with my performances tonight. The first song I’ll be singing is one of my previous songs. It was a hard choice for me because I enjoyed all of my performances and different people like different songs. I knew I would have to perform a song that was one of my better ones and that it shouldn’t be from last week because that would be too boring. I decided I would go back to Top 5 week, which was Queen/Rolling Stones week. For my first song that week I sang “You’re My Best Friend” and I heard plenty of positive feedback from the judges, my fans, and my family. I decided that this would be the right song to sing tonight because other people thought it was a very good performance last time. Also, this was one of my favorite songs to sing. The song is all about loving your spouse so much that they are your best friend. I hope to one day have that feeling also.

I will be singing this part of the song:

“Ooh you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me
It's you you're all I see
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live

Ooh you're the best friend that I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine and I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
Oh you're my best friend

Ooo you make me live

Ooh I've been wandering round
But I still come back to you
In rain or shine
You've stood by me, girl
I'm happy at home
You're my best friend

Ooo you make me live
Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooo you make me live now honey
Ooo you make me live

You're the first one
When things turn out bad
You know I'll never be lonely
You're my only one
And I love the things
I really love the things that you do
You're my best friend

Ooo you make me live”

Here is a video of Elliott singing this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXzyLDkchtg

When the song starts, I’ll enter the stage from the side. I’ll make my way to the center of the stage where there will be a microphone stand. I’ll put my microphone into the stand and I’ll sing at the center of the stage for a while. After that, I’ll start walking around carrying the microphone stand.

And of course I won’t be wearing the same outfit tonight. I wore a dress the first time I performed this song, but now I’ll be wearing something different.

My shirt:


My skirt (it will be a couple inches longer though):


My shoes:


My necklace:


My earrings:


My hair and makeup (and again it will stay the same for all three performances since there won’t be time to redo it):


I hope you enjoy my performance of “You’re My Best Friend” by Queen. Maybe I can even make it better than last time I performed it. That’s definitely my goal for this song.

Makaya Quirke

Last Week: “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, and “I Will Get There” by Boyz II Men (Top Vote Getter)

This Week:

Contestant’s Choice

Just when I thought this competition couldn’t get any harder, it did. Contestant’s choice means I can do any song that has ever been recorded. I could choose from any genre. I could stick to my element and sing R&B/Soul or I could surprise people by singing country or rock. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to stick to R&B/Soul. And I’m not singing a song from this decade because the quality of the music isn’t as good as it used to be. I decided to go way back into the 1960’s. I’ll be singing “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Ever since I first heard this song, I’ve been in love with it. I thought Gedeon McKinney did a good job with this song last season, but I’m hoping I can do even better. This song was written during the Civil Rights movement and it talks about the change that was going to come soon for blacks in America. The Civil Rights Movement was one of the most important times in American history. I absolutely hate racism and everything it causes. I wanted to share that with all of you today. We are all equal. Remember what the Declaration of Independence says?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The change sung about in this song was an important and needed one.

I’ll be singing this part of the song:

I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I've been running ever since
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

And then I go to see my brother
And I ask him to help me please
And he just winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees

It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
Cause I don't know what's out there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

If you don’t know this song, you can listen to it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjsz8VGXLqs. It's part of a Black History Month tribute someone made.

My shirt (it will be a baby tee instead though):

I am wearing this shirt for two reasons. One, Martin Luther King, Jr. was an important person at this time. Two, I look up to him and he is an inspiration to me.

My capris:


My shoes (K-Swiss is my favorite show brand):


My necklace (except I will have only one ring on it that says “DREAM”):


I’ll be wearing one of these wristbands on each of my wrists:


My earrings:


Like I said earlier, my hair and makeup will remain the same:


This is one of my favorite songs and I hope after I sing it, you’ll love it too!

Makaya Quirke

Last Week: “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, and “I Will Get There” by Boyz II Men (Top Vote Getter)

This Week:

Elliott Yamin Song

Yet another difficult decision to make! I love all of Elliott’s performances and almost all of them fit me quite well also. Even though Elliott did an amazing job with it, I will be singing “If I Can Dream” by Elvis Presley. This is one of my favorite Elliott performances. The song fit him perfectly and I believe that it fits me very well also. It is so important to dream. And if you work hard, your dreams will come true. Making it to the finals of American Idol was my dream and after months of singing, rehearsing, and working hard I am here. I never could have imagined this happening a few years ago, but now it’s happening. That shows you that dreams can come true. So all of you children and teens out there, if you want to be a professional athlete, a singer, a writer, or anything else that needs a great deal of hard work and patience, my advice to you is just go for it. Same to all of you adults; go and do what you want as if there was no way you could fail. Dreams can be turned into reality. Always remember that!

I doubt you’ve forgotten Elliott’s performance, but if you want to see it again go to:
http://www.yaminions.com/yaminions/modules...media=yes&id=51

I will be singing this part of the song:

There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky so blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true

We're lost in a cloud
With too much rain
We're trapped in a world
With too much pain
But as long as a man
Has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly
He can fly

And while I can think, while I can talk
While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true
Right now

At the beginning of the song, I will be standing in the middle of the stage with no lights except for a spotlight shining on me from each side of the stage. After the first verse the lights will turn on. They won’t really be dim or bright; they’re going to be more in the middle of the two. I will remain in the middle of the stage for the rest of the song.

I will be wearing this dress:

The dress is named “A Moment in Time”. This really is a moment for me. Not that many people get to experience being in the final of AI. Kalina and I are only the 11th or 12th people to experience it. Also, when I thought of what I wanted to wear for this song, a long blue dress came into my mind.

I will be wearing these shoes (you won’t really see them since but dress is long though):


My necklace:


My bracelet:


My earrings:


Hair and makeup:


I cannot believe it! This is my last performance ever on American Idol! No matter what happens now, I am thankful for this experience. Even if I lose, I have no regrets. Sure, winning would be the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae, but of course, the ice cream sundae itself is a treat. Thank you America for voting for me to get this far! I love all of you!

Kalina Rai:

Last Week: “Travelin’ Band” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, and “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb And Nine Stories (Bottom 2)

This Week:

Previous Song

I chose to sing Don't Stop Me Now by Queen, as my previous song choice. There are several reasons why. I had originally decided to re-sing Night Time (Is The Right Time), but went ahead and chose this one. It's probably my favorite song, I've performed, because it mixes vocal ability with performance skills. This song as well stretched my range greatly, because Freddie Mercury was had a lot of operatic training. So not only did it stretch my vocal ability, it also showed that I can be a performer as well. That I have grown throughout this competition, like the others have done as well. It's was an honor to sing this song, and it's an honor now. This time around though I want to change it up a little bit and go for even more of a performance, as my following songs will be for showcasing my own voice. I have some very very tough competition, so all I can do is go out there tonight and perform my heart out. I hope it will be as well recieved. Also that my performance will fit into the song and how much I love to keep going on and not stopping. That I am having a great time here, and don't want to stop at all, ever, pardon my cheesyness, but it's true. And thank you all for letting me get here it means a lot. More than I can ever say. And I'm hoping that my performance will remind you of why I am here, that I do belong here, that I hope to go all the way. If I have accomplished to show why I belong here, I feel that I've done my job as a singer and as a performer.

Here is the parts of the song I'll be singing:

Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive and the world I'll turn it inside out - yeah
And floating around in ecstasy
So don't stop me now don't stop me
'Cause I'm having a good time having a good time

I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me

I'm burnin' through the sky yeah
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

Don't stop me don't stop me
Don't stop me hey hey hey
Don't stop me don't stop me
Ooh ooh ooh, I like it
Don't stop me don't stop me
Have a good time good time
Don't stop me don't stop me ah
Don't stop me now!

What I will be doing during the performance:

For the very first verse, the entire studio will be darkened out. And I will be singing just to the soft beginning background music in the middle of the stage. At the start of the second of the verse the lights will fade in and the music will start quickly in the background. The midway through the second verse I will grab the microphone of the stand and move to behind the judges table. Dancing slightly, but a little bit more of jumping then dancing, and full of energy. And in the last verse, I will be with a couple of the audience members singing in front of them and spinning one of them around, before quickly darting back on stage and finishing up the song with an arm pose.

Here is my eye-makeup and the rest of my make-up for this song.





Here is my hair:



Here is my outfit, which includes shoes, a necklace and a bracelet:

Kalina Rai:

Last Week: “Travelin’ Band” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, and “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb And Nine Stories (Bottom 2)

This Week:

Contestant’s Choice
I chose for my own special choice a song called Buy Now Pay Later (Charlie No. 2) by my all time favorite band The Whitlams. They are an alternative Australian band, that are classified as Piano-driven pop/rock with lyrics full of charming cynicism. They are probably the biggest band in Australia, but are little known of in the United States. The reason I love the Whitlams so much is that there music isn't just one genre. They have songs that range from bluegrass, to soul, to dance, to rock. They don't let things shield them down. Tim Freedman, the lead singer is amazing as he writes, plays, and records all of The Whitlams own music. This specific song is part 2 of the three part Charlie series, which are all featured on there best album Eternal Nightcap. These three songs as well as many other songs, were dedicated to one of the original Whitlams band members, Stevie Plunder, who had a drug addiction, which led to his own suicide. It affected Tim so much, that he never got over it. This song is the pinnacle of what had happened. It is one of the most passionate songs ever sung, especially when it's just Tim with the piano. Which is what I'll be doing, just a piano in the background while I sing it.

The reason I actually chose to sing this song, besides being one of my favorite songs, is that as a message to all the listeners, that things will get better, that too never give up, like so many have. Friends of mine, foes of mine, I have seen give up. And it doesn't hurt worse then watching someone give up. I want this song to get across to those who are listening. Any way at all, so people all around have hope and don't have to worry about someone they know, not getting along as well as they can. That there is always someone out there to listen to you no matter what. And that in all cases I hope that it gets better.

Here is the song sung live. Don't be discouraged this song is not Made Me Hard, they just have the title wrong. It's actually Buy Now Pay Later.: http://videocodezone.com/videos/t/the_whit...de_me_hard.html

Here is the parts I'll be singing:

Charlie you're not my Charlie anymore
You're screwing it up
You're killing your soul with an audience looking on
If I hadn't left early last night
I would have made a speech to you
How you're not the only one you're going to hurt

If you don't believe me I don't believe in you
Makes it all feel better does it?
Makes you feel like heaven does it?
You loved it and you spent accordingly
You can't afford it now
You'll try and you'll fail
And love it like a little dog
And feed it on the scraps you find
And kiss it while you're still asleep

You buy now and pay later...

So where's the problem you can ask if you keep your head up
But the road is long and you're falling asleep at the wheel
Here's a girl going crazy about you and I'm not far behind
Can you care about your friends anymore?

What I will be doing during this performance:

For this performance, it will be very simple. As I want this to be more about myself singing this beautiful song. The entire song will just be to an accompanied piano. During this performance I will be sitting on a chair (Similar to Elliott's performance of home.) But there will be no microphone stand. Just a microphone nothing else to detract from the performance. There will be two of the spotlights from the top, each one from different sides of the studio. Both of those will be placed around me while I sing the song. When the song ends the lights will fade off and my head will be hung and the microphone too. Trying to get totally into character for the song as it is a horribly sad song.

Here is my makeup for this song:



Here is my hairdo for this song but darker since my hair is dark:



Here is my outfit for this song which includes my dress shoes, my necklace, bracelet, and earrings:



I hope you enjoy this stripped version of my all-time favorite song from my all-time favorite band. And if you like it you should check out the band.

Kalina Rai:

Last Week: “Travelin’ Band” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, and “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb And Nine Stories (Bottom 2)

This Week:

Elliott Yamin Song

I chose, What You Won't Do For Love by Bobby Caldwell, but done on American Idol by Elliott Yamin. For of course the Elliott Yamin song choice. I wanted to do a song that hadn't been sung already on the show this year. As well as a song that would fit into my genre. Which again is more of a soul sound, and this song is it. Both of these singers, Elliott, and Bobby are the true core and undeniably blue-eyed soul singers. I also think this song is Elliott's most underrated performance. It came on top 3 night, the sad night before he was eliminated. Unjustly of course, and this is my second favorite performance of his on the show. The first being If You Really Love Me, which really caught me as a huge squealing fan girl. He has an awesome voice, which is definitely why he is my favorite idol contestant, although we have different genre's we sing. Good music spans all types of places. And it's great. This song in particular is about someone loving someone else, and willing to go to the ends of the world for them. That they won't stop loving them. That they do things that in normal circumstances you wouldn't do. Hence: "In my world only you made me do, for love, what I would not do." Love can make us crazy, but love makes the world go round. The way I'll be singing and performing this song is a little different, I want to go for a much more soulful 1970's sound, the way it was originally performed. This song is full of soul, full of passion, full of everything, and Elliott was excellent at it. I hope you all enjoy it half as much as you did his, because that would be an honor.

Here is the parts of the song I'll be singing:

I guess you wonder where I've been
I searched to find a love within
I came back to let you know
Got a thing for you and I can't let go

My friends wonder what is wrong with me
Well I'm in a daze from your love, you see
I came back to let you know
Got a thing for you and I can't let go

What you won't do, do for love
You've tried everything but you don't give up
In my world only you made me do
For love what I would not do

But then I only want the best it's true
They can't believe the things I do for you
What you won't do, do for love
You've tried everything but you don't give up
In my world, only you makes me do
For love what I would not do
Made me do for love what I would not do

What I Will Do during this performance:

For this performance, the song will start out softly with the music playing in the background. The again the lights will be darkened out, until the music starts, where it will be revealed that I'm sitting on the platform behind the judges table. I'll sing the first verse and a half sitting down, until the second half of the second verse comes on, I will then stand up and walk off the platform and back up to the stage. Never letting my eyes leave the audience. For the last verse I will be on the side of the stage leaning against the curtain before finishing up the song, in the middle of the stage. All throughout the song there will be a little swaying back and forth but no actual fast paced dancing.

Here is my makeup:


Here is my hairstyle:



Here is my outfit which includes my shoes, bracelet, necklace and earrings:



I hope this performance gives you that feeling of happy nostalgia of Elliott singing on AI. Because he is amazing.

Voting is over!

Your American Idol is... Makaya Quirke, with 53 1/3% of the vote!

Congratulations, Makaya! :D

Thank you, thank you. *bows*

yes congrats makaya!!! :yes: :) :woohoo:

Thank you.
:woohoo: