Syesha Mercado's long, bulletproof thrill ride finally came to an end Wednesday night on American Idol. Faced with the daunting task of outpolling the dynamic David duo (Archuleta and Cook), she didn't stand out sufficiently and justified Tuesday's unusual third-place prediction from ultra-optimistic judge Paula Abdul.
She auditioned for American Idol Season 7 in Miami, Florida singing “Think" by Aretha Franklin where she made it to Hollywood with all three judges saying 'yes'. When she arrived in Hollywood she had lost her voice and insisted on going on vocal rest. She was seen communicating through pen and paper throughout the week. She sang “Chain of Fools" and was accepted into the top 24.
Mercado was the last woman standing on the top-rated Fox contest. The big-voiced belter surpassed a more accomplished Carly Smithson, fan favorite Brooke White and statuesque country crooner Kristy Lee Cook. She was the only female in the top 3 and was voted off on May 14th allowing fellow contestants David Archuleta and David Cook a chance to compete in the finale. Despite fairly good reviews from the judges, Mercado had been in the bottom two or three, five times without being voted off.
Many believe her style is more suited for Broadway then pop music. According to her AmericanIdol.com profile, Mercado's musical influences are Whitney Houston, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Zap Mama, Lauryn Hill, and Aretha Franklin.
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