Erika Van Pelt: The Song Should Have Remained The Same

Erika Van Pelt is a good singer. She may even be radio worthy, though I could see her as a lounge singer in a Vegas jazz club more so. I have watched her on American Idol and found her to be somewhat entertaining, and she had a great visual appeal; had being the operative word. Erika Van Pelt walked away from American Idol being a victim of taking too much advice.

Look, you cannot be a contestant on American Idol and not have some sort of image transformation, for the most part. But just because Tommy Hilfiger comes on the show to offer image tips, that doesn't mean he is always right, or that his advice should be taken to the extreme. This is what caused the demise of Erika.

On a contest like American Idol, the public perception starts from the auditions, and waxes or wanes accordingly. Erika had created a persona that her fans had come to associate with her and her talent. Suddenly she makes a drastic, whole-image altering change and her fan base is left scratching their heads. Sure she came out and had a great performance; however, judgments were made as soon as the spotlight came on.

Most of these contestants may not realize that they are dealing with, primarily, a static fan base. If you make a major change to your look, those that disapprove are moving on before the first note clears the stage. Tweak the image as you progress in the competition, as your talent and popularity grows. Don't drop a bombshell on your fans that will leave them voting for DeAndre.