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Subject: Wikipedia has Katharine defined as a "torch" singer
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Username: Pheenomenon
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11/24/2006 2:36 AM Alert 

Probably solely based on IHN.

I can buy that, good company!

From Wikipeida, "Torch Song" and "Katharine McPhee" (Any budding writers with musical knowledge - Wikpedia is asking for someone to expand the "Torch Song" page.)

A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love.

The etymology comes from "Carrying a torch for him/her"; which means to long for a lost lover. A possible origin is that the singer (torch singers are almost exclusively female) sang in a sultry, jazzy way to bring out the sensual tones of the voice, thus resembling a smoldering torch... although most torch singers use the piece to display their vocal range rather than the sensuality of the voice.

Édith Piaf, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Julie London, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Olivor, Dora Gerson, Ethel Waters, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, among others, were renowned torch singers. Carrying the torch today are Morrissey, Ute Lemper, Diana Krall, Mariah Carey, Fiona Apple, Little Annie, Neko Case, Antony and the Johnsons, Patti LuPone, Laura Fygi, and k.d. lang.

 

Katharine McPhee in promotional shot for Sexy Hair
Katharine McPhee in promotional shot for Sexy Hair
Background information
Birth name Katharine Hope McPhee
Born March 25, 1984 (age 22)
Origin Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre(s) Torch
Pop
Rhythm and blues
Years active 2006—present
Label(s) RCA/19 (2006-present)

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11/24/2006 2:49 AM Alert 
Somehow the description of "torch" singer has trashy connotations until reading the definition of the word. It sounds better when you look at the list of singers who fall under that category. I guess this is the genre that we call ballads or standards.
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11/24/2006 6:01 PM Alert 
She could be a torch singer....she could be a lot of things. All this really indicates is that most likely one of her fans (or maybe just an AI viewer) decided to write on wikipedia that she's a torch singer....
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11/24/2006 7:37 PM Alert 
Posted By Sasha83 on 11/24/2006 6:01 PM
She could be a torch singer....she could be a lot of things. All this really indicates is that most likely one of her fans (or maybe just an AI viewer) decided to write on wikipedia that she's a torch singer....
Wikipedia is a bit more sophisticated than that. Most contributors know what they are talking about and if someone is incorrect, their submission is soon deleted.
I think Katharine's performance of IHN qualifiers her as a "torch singer", and she loved doing this song on AI, so I think we are going to see some more like this in her career, and very soon too. Mariah Carey is one of Katharine's idols and appears on this list.
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11/25/2006 1:07 AM Alert 
Yea! This is the first time i hear 'torch singer'..A bit weird, But still Great!
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11/25/2006 1:29 AM Alert 
"Torch" Singer - Yeaph I like it too...

How can she not be a torch singer? She had actually flashed 3 fingers with "I" "Love" "You" .....

hehheh

ps - anyone has a photo of those three fingers with the messages - please PLEASE share.....

cheers
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11/25/2006 3:49 AM Alert 
I don't understand the definition
Username: Gregoriancant
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11/25/2006 4:56 AM Alert 
To give a clearer definition to apply "torch singer" to Kat: She sang a lot of those lost love type of songs on 'AI'--which obviously persuaded someone out there to stamp that label on her. Songs like 'Until You Come Back To Me', 'Come Rain or Come Shine', 'I Have Nothing' etc., are true modern torch songs--because it's about losing a love or trying to keep one through any means possible. Though people like Billie Holiday would be the best example of a torch singer...because she was always singing songs about lost love and love gone wrong. Actually, those songs I mentioned above are the only closest examples to Kat coming close to that label. I suppose 'OtR' could be close to that category...despite being more ambiguous in Kat's interpretation. There's no references to a lost love in 'OtR' anyway.

That new material on Kat's album won't really fall under the torch singer label either--at least the three we heard. Torch singing is really a label used back in a different era when songs had more of a romantic vibe and longing for romance that was a major theme in those Great American Songbook songs. Songwriters from that era were generally depressed individuals who longed for sort of a fantasy/romantic world where everything worked out perfectly. In fact, that whole sensibility even translated into musical films from the 30's, 40's and 50's.

Today, most pop song material sung by women is more about putting down the male figure and independence. 'Open Toes' and 'Over It' from Kat certainly dominate in that category. 'Each Other' is a great romantic song--though it's about, well, 'Each Other'...meaning there's no break-up beforehand. It seems a lot of songs now about romance are about sticking together rather than laments about losing a love. I guess that shows there's more optimism in today's songwriters.

Well, there's still some lost-love songs being written if you listen to James Blunt.

I usually like Wikipedia--but the fact that some of the info is placed there by the public makes for some strange things read there on occasion. Kat sort of gave off the vibe of an old torch singer on 'AI'--even though that's not really her true musical aim as we all know now. Maybe she'll show more of that when she does a jazz/standards album down the road.
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11/25/2006 5:13 AM Alert 
Doesn't it say Katharine's "torch, pop, rhythm & blues"?  I think that covers it well.

"I saw Katharine McPhee when there were about 12 contestants left on American Idol. She blew me away. I loved her grace, her style, her poise, her voice and her hair! I wanted her to be the face of Sexy Hair because she represented everything that I had in my head for the brand: youth, beauty, talent, class, a young sophistication, and sexiness." -- Jim Morrison, CEO of Sexy Hair Products.
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11/26/2006 12:58 AM Alert 
Thanks for the better definition Greg.
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11/27/2006 1:23 PM Alert 
The show's producers may be propagating that notion.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

'American Idol' hopefuls flock to Key Arena

By ATHIMA CHANSANCHAI
P-I REPORTER

A random sampling of the estimated 9,000 hopefuls who stood in the rain at Seattle Center early Tuesday morning for a chance to become the next American Idol proved talent isn't a rare commodity, but maybe the elusive "it" factor is.

WHO'S YOUR IDOL?


Mugshots
We videotaped mini-auditions by several would-be "Idols" at the local auditions. Vote for your favorite.

"We're not looking for stuff we've already seen," said "Idol" producer Patrick Lynn. "We're looking for originality."

Tuesday's round of auditions was about three steps removed from the stage seen on TV. It was the early winnowing process. No celebrity judges. No Ryan Seacrest. Seattle was the last stop on a seven-city audition tour that began in August. Auditions hadn't been held here since the first season of the popular Fox series.

"We're not looking for gray-haired, bluesy rocker guys, or torch singers," Lynn said. "I can't really say I'm looking for X. You have to be open to what you see."
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11/28/2006 2:31 AM Alert 

I think what that guy was trying to say is they aren't looking for anything specific.  Whoever is good is good...they aren't looking for the next Taylor or the next Katharine or whatever.  They always toss out that "unique" thing.  Unique doesn't necessarily mean good.

Taking Taylor for an example.  They weren't looking for someone like him.  But they saw him...Paula & Randy liked him and off he went to eventually become the American Idol.  I think that's all this guy is saying.  I doubt they discriminate against "torch" singers if they are good.


"I saw Katharine McPhee when there were about 12 contestants left on American Idol. She blew me away. I loved her grace, her style, her poise, her voice and her hair! I wanted her to be the face of Sexy Hair because she represented everything that I had in my head for the brand: youth, beauty, talent, class, a young sophistication, and sexiness." -- Jim Morrison, CEO of Sexy Hair Products.
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11/28/2006 3:26 AM Alert 
It seems 'AI' defines a "torch singer" now as a standards singer. They've had that type of singer on there before--especially John Stevens several years ago...who was a flat-sounding standards singer. It's part of that 'role playing' structure to the show. They apparently pigeonholed Kat into that category...which she should crumble to pieces once her album gets released. That's the persona she held on 'AI' though...and makes you wonder if someone will hold that persona again on the show someday. It does help bring in an older demographic to increase 'AI's ratings.

From my perspective, it seems those musical personas 'AI' seems set up play musical chairs frequently. Maybe this year, they want to look for people who fit different personas. In another two years, they may be back to looking for the personas seen on Season Five. Though most people would probably argue that 'AI' has no clue what they're looking for...and it's just a natural progression. I've just noticed that the 'standards singer' persona repeats every other year with at least one contestant.

Maybe Kat will have more songs about lost love on her debut album to fit that "torch" title in there a little more securely. But as I said in my last post in this thread, that type of song rarely exists today. A lot of female pop stars sing material that celebrates independence from relationships...or just celebrating one that already exists. If Kat's singing some power ballads on her album, then those typically (in lyrics) are a little more longing or romantic. So I expect she'll cover all bases without emphasis on anything in particular.

Kat doesn't necessarily need to carry another torch...since she's already holding several of them passed on from Barbra (at least distantly), Whitney (directly)...and maybe Andrea.
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11/28/2006 3:07 PM Alert 
While watching football last weekend, I saw a commercial for the new season of AI (gee, *only* 2 months until the season premiere). They showed an attractive girl singing a beatiful, sultry version of "Stormy Weather" in her audition, as the judges glanced toward each other with their eyeballs enlarged, probably thinking "we have another Katharine here." Usually their promos highlight the horrible auditions, so AI might be remembering the big ratings from last season and trying to replicate her magic, despite that producer saying otherwise. (And I was worried that half the finalists this year would be country singers, with Carrie's breakthrough and Kellie's success - for a 6th place finisher, anyway.)
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11/29/2006 2:08 AM Alert 

As for the AI commercials...I saw one for this year with some guy singing something pretty well.  And then they said something about all your favorites from last year and showed quick clips of Paris, Elliott, Katharine and Taylor.  Guess what Kat was wearing in the clip?  Yellow dress!

But last year they used Kellie & Paris in the clips as "good" examples of what they had.  I remember seeing those.  Didn't know who they were at the time but...


"I saw Katharine McPhee when there were about 12 contestants left on American Idol. She blew me away. I loved her grace, her style, her poise, her voice and her hair! I wanted her to be the face of Sexy Hair because she represented everything that I had in my head for the brand: youth, beauty, talent, class, a young sophistication, and sexiness." -- Jim Morrison, CEO of Sexy Hair Products.
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