Not one but two Filipino-American contestants made it to the next
round of “American Idol” after passing the Hollywood rounds of the
popular talent reality search series.
Malaya Watson and Marrialle Sellars earned their golden tickets to Hollywood after initially passing the Detroit auditions held last July at Ford Field. Still in their teens, Malaya and Marrialle were both born to Filipina mothers.
Although Malaya describes herself as “the very first tuba player on ‘American Idol’,” an earlier interview with the web series, “B in the City” revealed that the talented 16-year-old native of Southfield, Michigan comes from a family of musicians and also knows how to play other instruments such as the violin.
After making a good first impression with a stunning rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way”, Malaya then consistently wowed judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. with subsequent performances of Alicia Keys’ “Brand New Me” while playing keyboards and the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” in the group round together with hopefuls Christina Collins, Olivia Diamond and Queen Bulls.
In the first day of the “Hollywood Round, Top 30 Reveal” episodes, Malaya had to do a double take of her performance of Fantasia’s “I Believe” after Connick noticed that she sang in the wrong key and ordered her to do it again. Her second stab at the song drew a standing ovation from Urban and Lopez but it was Connick who broke the good news to her after getting to the judges panel from the so-called “Elevator of Terror”.
“I’m glad that you reminded me of the pronunciation of your name because that name has great potential to be a star at some point,” Connick Jr. said after she told him that her name Malaya means freedom. “You’re going to be on the Top 15. Congratulations, we look forward to seeing you grow”.
Watch Malaya’s “American Idol: Final Judgment” video here:
Marrialle, on the other hand, advanced on the second and final day of the Top 30 reveal rounds. The 17-year-old native of Indianapolis first impressed the judges in Detroit with a spirited reading of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” accompanied only by her acoustic guitar.
“You are going to be a nightmare for the other competitors,” Connick enthused as he even asked Marrialle to face the camera and boldy declare, “Hello, my name is Marrialle Sellars, and I plan on being the next American Idol!”
That first impression didn’t quite last as Marrialle struggled during the Hollywood rounds. As people started comparing her to Miley Cyrus, she nervously went on to perform “Wrecking Ball” which turned out to be quite a train wreck for her.
And Connick, her biggest fan in her initial auditions, also turned out to be her most vocal critic as he pointed to her inconsistent performances as something that she needed to address even though she was good enough to make it to the Top 30.
Watch Marrialle’s “American Idol: Final Judgment” video here:
Malaya Watson and Marrialle Sellars earned their golden tickets to Hollywood after initially passing the Detroit auditions held last July at Ford Field. Still in their teens, Malaya and Marrialle were both born to Filipina mothers.
Although Malaya describes herself as “the very first tuba player on ‘American Idol’,” an earlier interview with the web series, “B in the City” revealed that the talented 16-year-old native of Southfield, Michigan comes from a family of musicians and also knows how to play other instruments such as the violin.
After making a good first impression with a stunning rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way”, Malaya then consistently wowed judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. with subsequent performances of Alicia Keys’ “Brand New Me” while playing keyboards and the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” in the group round together with hopefuls Christina Collins, Olivia Diamond and Queen Bulls.
In the first day of the “Hollywood Round, Top 30 Reveal” episodes, Malaya had to do a double take of her performance of Fantasia’s “I Believe” after Connick noticed that she sang in the wrong key and ordered her to do it again. Her second stab at the song drew a standing ovation from Urban and Lopez but it was Connick who broke the good news to her after getting to the judges panel from the so-called “Elevator of Terror”.
“I’m glad that you reminded me of the pronunciation of your name because that name has great potential to be a star at some point,” Connick Jr. said after she told him that her name Malaya means freedom. “You’re going to be on the Top 15. Congratulations, we look forward to seeing you grow”.
Watch Malaya’s “American Idol: Final Judgment” video here:
Marrialle, on the other hand, advanced on the second and final day of the Top 30 reveal rounds. The 17-year-old native of Indianapolis first impressed the judges in Detroit with a spirited reading of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” accompanied only by her acoustic guitar.
“You are going to be a nightmare for the other competitors,” Connick enthused as he even asked Marrialle to face the camera and boldy declare, “Hello, my name is Marrialle Sellars, and I plan on being the next American Idol!”
That first impression didn’t quite last as Marrialle struggled during the Hollywood rounds. As people started comparing her to Miley Cyrus, she nervously went on to perform “Wrecking Ball” which turned out to be quite a train wreck for her.
And Connick, her biggest fan in her initial auditions, also turned out to be her most vocal critic as he pointed to her inconsistent performances as something that she needed to address even though she was good enough to make it to the Top 30.
Watch Marrialle’s “American Idol: Final Judgment” video here:
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