But after watching for the past few weeks, my opinion has changed. The final five contestants, Janelle Arthur, Candice Glover, Kree Harrison, Amber Holcomb, and Angie Miller, were all strong women who demonstrated tremendous talent and poise on stage. And despite being a competition, the five showed a genuine respect for each other's talent, which came across in every duet and group performance. Any one of the five could have walked away the winner and everyone would have been happy with the results.
In general, the finale served as a reminder for skeptics like me that it is okay to let our guard down and appreciate Top 40 music. Pop music obviously plays a large role in popular culture, and as such, deserves as much critical attention as any other genre. Music does not always have to possess a strong political or social commentary to be worthy of or justify our listening appreciation. Often we just want a catchy melody that we can sing and dance along to. Pop music, when at the top of its form, has the ability to do both. The audience was witness to this last night, when watching Aretha Franklin sing with the top five ladies. The medley, which included Ms. Franklin's R&B classics such as "Think" and "Respect", got everyone out of their seats dancing, but more importantly the songs served as a reminder for us women to be strong and stand up for what we believe in. Even though the lyrics were written over fifty years ago, they still prove to be important lessons we can all learn and gain inspiration from.
Congratulations to the winner Candace Glover, who no doubt will go on to become a star in her own right.
I'm sure that her single, "I Am Beautiful" will inspire young girls of today's generation in the same way Ms. Franklin inspired young women of the 1960s.
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