Recently, Kanye West surprised the "American Idol" judges at the San Francisco auditions. West "auditioned" for a golden ticket to Hollywood by performing one of his biggest hits, "Gold Digger." Of course, the judges — Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr. — gave West a golden ticket. (How could they say no to our potential future president?)
Although "Gold Digger" was a hit with the "Idol" judges, some of West's more controversial songs may not have landed as well for his goofy surprise. For nearly every successful artist, some hits work for "Idol" and others don't. Let's discuss some of music's biggest names and which of their hits would and wouldn't send them to Hollywood.
Miley Cyrus
Good choice: "Wrecking Ball" – The judges would likely compliment Cyrus for her emotional connection to the song and her vocal range. (Too many "Idol" hopefuls already audition with "The Climb," so I had to disregard it.)
Bad choice: "We Can't Stop" – The FCC would definitely have some issues if Cyrus delivered an audition reminiscent of her 2013 VMA performance.
Bruno Mars
Good choice: Mars's collection of hits is so great that nearly all of his songs would be great audition songs, except…
Bad choice: "The Lazy Song" – Sorry, but as former judge Simon Cowell would say, "It's a no from me."
Nicki Minaj
Good choice: "Moment 4 Life" – This song is pretty much just a hip hop version of every "Idol" winner's coronation song, so it would probably bode well with the judges.
Bad choice: "Anaconda" – Everything about this song, from its juvenile rhymes to its racy message, would make an "Anaconda" audition nearly reach William Hung levels of terrible.
Drake
Good choice: "Hold On, We're Going Home" – Drake would show off his vocal chops best to the judges with this song, and he could slow dance with J. Lo during the audition for some brownie points.
Bad choice: "Hotline Bling" – Drake's current smash is an awesome, fun song, but it would not serve Drake well to perform such a repetitive song that does not display much vocal range.
The Weeknd
Good choice: "Can't Feel My Face" – The Weeknd would surely bring energy and strong vocals to this audition.
Bad choice: "Often" – Just no. Not strong vocally and not appropriate for this family show.
Taylor Swift
Good choice: "You Belong With Me" – Swift has many strong songs, both lyrically and vocally, but this one would help her stand out most in "Idol" audition rounds.
Bad choice: "22" – This is a fun song to listen to on the radio, but Swift would not come across as a serious "Idol" contender if she sang "22."
It's extremely unlikely that any of these stars will show up to audition for "American Idol," but who thought Kanye West would have? You really never know. If any of these artists are preparing to pull a Kanye, please take my advice.
Reach Staff Reporter Dustin Sloane here.
Annenberg Media