The 12th Annual Topper Idol competition was held on Tuesday, February 6th, at West Liberty University. This event is put on by the Student Housing and Residential Life every year and showcases the singing talent amongst students on this campus.
Each week of the singing competition, the contestants compete against one another, with prizes going to the Top 3 of the final round. Whoever comes in first place wins a $1,000 scholarship.
Topper Idol is held every Tuesday in the month of February. This year, there were 14 contestants on the first night. The panel of judges said they were looking for overall stage presence, enunciation, and crowd interaction with each contestant.
The starting contestants this year were Noah Horvath, Mackenzey Infanti, Isabella Tressler, Waylon Moore, Tyler Kidwell, Ella Smith, Jadyn Hively, Bailee McNamara, Jamie Fowler, Linus Ebert, Emmi Cline, Anastasia Voevodina, Jonathan Stout, and Ashlyn Williams.
The first contestant was Noah Horvath. He said he is feeling anxious before his performance but is looking forward to listening to what everyone is bringing to the table this year. This is Horvath’s second year singing at Topper Idol, and he performed first both times.
Horvath has been singing since he was 15 years old, starting out in choir. He joined Topper Idol to promote his music under the name “Horvy.” One judge said “you could not have set the bar higher…That was the best way to start off the night” after singing “Cringe.”
The next contestant was Mackenzey Infanti. The panel of judges loved how she was able to smile throughout the entire song. The audience appreciated how difficult her song was to sing, and she was able to perform amazingly.
Following Infanti’s performance was Isabella Tressler, who left the audience feeling her emotions throughout the duration of her singing “Me.”
Tyler Kidwell sang “Friday I’m In Love.” Nobody in the audience could take their eyes off of him while performing. You could hear the technique in his voice and appreciate how much passion he has for singing.
Linus Ebert dropped everyone’s jaw immediately after he started singing “Another Love.”
There were many instances where the audience went completely silent and were filled with awe. Contestants Ella Smith, Jamie Fowler, and Ashlyn Williams were stand-outs that were able to move the judges.
After performing “Love In The Dark,” Smith sent chills through the audience and “truly made the song her own,” said one of the judges.
Fowler also made one of the judges tear up after their performance, who said “you reset the bar for this competition.”
When Williams’ started singing “The Ballad of Jane Doe,” Savannah Ott said “this performance is ethereal.” Williams’ vocal control and range left the audience in complete shock and wanting to hear more.
Even though emotional performances leave you speechless, ones that are highly interactive and upbeat are also truly incredible. Waylon Moore, Bailey McNamara, and Emmi Cline’s performances all had the audience interact along.
Everyone in the crowd clapped along to Moore’s and Cline’s performances. Both were able to stun the audience with their amazing vocals and stage presence. McNamara got the crowd to interact by singing along to the background vocals, creating a positive environment where everyone was happy to be there.
Jadyn Hively sang “Muzzle” by The Smashing Pumpkins and played the guitar during their performance. Hively started singing after learning how to play the guitar and is feeling comfortable performing at Topper Idol. While they feel nervous before every performance, Hively says that they know those nerves will go away once on stage.
Only nine contestants are able to move onto the next round the following Tuesday. Since it will be the week of Valentine’s Day, the theme of Topper Idol will be “love.” The contestants moving onto the next round must sing a song that corresponds to the chosen theme. This week’s finalists were Noah Horvath, Waylon Moore, Emmi Cline, Ella Smith, Jadyn Hively, Jamie Fowler, Mackenzey Infanti, Linus Ebert, and Ashlyn Williams.
