Nazzy Idol concluded Monday with the voices of Kara Magnuson, Raijene Murchison, and Nick Burt being put on display, with Burt reigning as the overall winner and this year’s Nazzy Idol.
The crowd was amazed by the three rounds of Nazzy Idol and the categories for each round. The first round was designated for songs of 2014. The second round was the singing coach’s choice. The third and final round was the contestant’s choice.
Magnuson started off the night by singing “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, followed by Murchison doing her rendition of “Say Yes” by Michelle Williams, and Burt concluding the round by singing “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit.
After the singers finished round one, the judges gave criticisms and comments about how they felt each singer did, generally commenting their amazement towards the passion and dedication of each singer.
The second round began with Magnuson, whose coach was J.D. Brenke, singing, “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” by KT Tunstall. Murchison followed and had the crowd standing while she performed, “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston, per choice of her coach Priscilla Ozodo. Burt, being coached by senior Michael Maynard, finished the round off by getting the crowd going with “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith.
All of the singers gained confidence as they sang in the second round, and the crowd began to get behind them, standing and cheering as they sang. The singers in the second round stepped out of their comfort zones, and really had the judges and crowd amazed by their efforts and talents.
The final round was where the singers chose any song they wanted to perform, and their final attempt to win over the crowd. Magnuson decided to perform “Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. Murchison chose “Unbreak my Heart” by Toni Braxton, showing off her vocal range. Burt finished off the round by singing “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé.
After the contestants finished singing, they were all brought to stage and praised for their efforts to captivate the crowd with their voices and entertainment skills.
The people in the crowd got to decide the winner by text-in vote, and after a drum roll, Murchison was named the third place winner, Magnuson was named the runner-up, and Burt was titled the winner of Nazzy Idol.
Burt gave praise to all of the singers in the competition, stating that in his mind anybody could have won.
“Overall I was shocked. All of my competitors had a phenomenal last night, really it could’ve gone any way. But I’m glad people seemed to enjoy my last three performances, and I’m happy to be [the students’] Nazzy Idol,” Burt concluded.