The Four: Battle for stardom
Rebecca Holmes, Staff Writer
Picture courtesy of Unsplash.com
There’s a new reality music competition taking over our television screens. Fox’s The Four: Battle for Stardom is a new and fresh look at talent searches: four talented vocalists who fight week after week to keep their spots as the top four. “The Four: Battle for Stardom” introduces viewers to a brand-new way of formatting a reality music competition.
Newcomers perform for the panel each week in hopes that they will bump one of the top four vocalists and keep their place in the final four until the end of the season. The judge’s panel is stocked full of musical expertise and experience. It includes producer DJ Khaled, media master Diddy, Grammy-awarded artist Meghan Trainor and record executive Charlie Walk. If all four judges vote yes, the singer has the opportunity to battle a member of the four of their choosing. The audience then votes on which vocalist will be awarded a spot in the top four.
I know most of us are thinking how is this different than “American Idol” or “The Voice?” Why should we watch this reality music show when we already watch the others?
“The Four: Battle for Stardom” is different from “American Idol” and “The Voice” because it introduces a musical chair aspect to the show. This inherently increases the suspense and also raises the stakes much higher. Whereas a vocalist is only competing with themselves in “American Idol” and “The Voice,” in “The Four,” the vocalist is constantly competing against multiple vocalists each week.
“The Four: Battle for Stardom” is also the only reality music show that gives more than just advisement as the finishing prize. In “The Four,” the ending winner gets the unique opportunity to work with the entire panel of judges to build a career as an artist as well as an iHeart Radio “Artist on the Verge” contract. This contract immediately puts their song on hundreds of stations across the country.
In terms of kick-starting a music career, no winner of “The Voice” has managed to achieve mainstream success after the show, and “American Idol” hasn’t put forth a star since Phillip Phillips in 2012.
Since “The Four” can lead to a legitimate start in a music career for an aspiring young vocalist, it could rise above both “The Voice” and “American Idol” in terms of reward. “The Four” is quickly gaining popularity and will soon be in the same league as the current singing competition shows.
Don’t forget to tune into Fox’s “The Four: Battle for Stardom” this Thursday, Jan. 8 to watch the season finale to see which contestant will be awarded the iHeart Radio “Artist on the Verge” contract.
