So, singing competitions on TV are full of cover songs. The contestants sing famous songs, trying to make them their own and wow the judges. But you've gotta wonder - are these just glorified karaoke, or can they actually be good?
There's definitely some entertainment value there. Like when Christina Aguilera did Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" on The Voice - that was pretty awesome. Or on American Idol, when someone takes a Michael Jackson hit and does an acoustic version or mixes it up with some reggae. Sometimes you even get to hear a song you didn't know before, like when Scotty McCreery did Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" on Idol. People loved that.
But judging these performances can be tricky. A lot of times, the judges want the singers to stick really close to the original, which kinda sucks for creativity. And some contestants just try to show off their voice tricks instead of connecting with the song. Like, imagine someone trying to do all these vocal runs on an Adele song - it just doesn't work.
Do the judges always get it right? Not really. Sometimes a simple acoustic version or a totally different take on a song can be just as good as copying it exactly. The key is to respect the original song but still make it your own. Think about how Adam Lambert put his own spin on Queen songs on Idol, or how Kelly Clarkson's powerful voice made "A Moment Like This" her big hit.
In the end, what's cool about covers is that there are so many ways to do them. These TV shows might not always get it perfect, but they keep us talking about how great songs can be done in all sorts of different ways.
