Swedish Idol 2009 - Erik Gronwall Receives Rave Reviews for Queen's The Show Must Go On
Hailed By Some As Best Performance In Swedish Idol History
I first randomly ran across Erik Gronwall while surfing YouTube. Being an American, we don't really get any news on any other Idol shows. But I was so impressed by Erik that I went ahead and wrote an article on Erik Gronwall and his rising status as a legitimate rock singer. After getting through the audition rounds of Swedish Idol 2009 and making the live shows, though, I knew it would get tough. Erik stumbled a bit on "Beat It" but came back and did well on "Thriller." In the last show, he has gotten rave reviews for his performance of Queen's "The Show Must Go On." This was, indeed, a great performance. I am not as crazy about it as the other reviews would suggest, but it is clear, like others have said, that Erik is right up there with the best contestants on American Idol and other shows.
In fact, one Swede fan was so enthusiastic that she translated and sent me some comments from the judges. Thanks for these comments, Anna:
1. Anders Bagge (the bald one) - Sh**, close this competition!
2.
Laila Bagge (former wife of Anders) - Erik I was incredibly touched
When I read the you should sing this song, I really hope you would
deliver, because this song is best song ever and it means so much for
me, and you did!!
You sang it whit an incredibly feeling, you are a star! You made me cry.
3. Anders Bagge again - I would give everything below my neck for your voice. You are glowing like gold. Super!
4.
Andreas Carlsson - I don't know what else I can complete to this, but
the question is if this show could go on without you? I don't think I
ever have heard a Swedish singer sing like this, you are really needed
in the sad climate of the music industry of today. Promise me that you
will always be just like this!
Those are some seriously glowing comments and suggest just how much potential Erik Gronwall really has. I felt this immediately after seeing his audition of "18 and Life," and that's what compelled me to write the first article.
Anna also told me that Erik set a record for polling in a daily newspaper, garnering 66% of the votes. On a show like this where every contestant has a committed fan group who will vote for that contestant every single time, this is an astounding number.
As to Erik's performance of "The Show Must Go On," I feel that the control necessary to pull off that song is at a high level, and he maintained it throughout the whole competition and delivered a solid performance. The volume control was excellent, and the emotion was fine, too. I don't know if the song choice is as good as advertised, but he pulled it off like a real rocker. We've got a genuine rock star here in my opinion. And what's also great is that Erik is a pop singer and a rock singer rolled into one.
When I look at contestants on a show like Swedish Idol, I'll try to look to the cumulative talent they display over the wide variety of genres thrown at them over the course of the competition. While I don't get overly enthused about a single performance like the solid "The Show Must Go On," I do feel that Erik is easily in the Top 10 compared to all American Idol contestants. His nice mix of rock and pop is not common at all, and he consistently brings power and control to his vocals. For example, I would personally place him in the same ballpark as Adam Lambert, who is receiving consistent buzz and featured on the soon-to-be blockbuster "2012" movie that is about to come out.
In other words, Erik is an international sensation, not just a local Swedish product. By the way, let me thank Erik himself for linking to my article on his official Swedish Idol blog. Keep up the good work, Erik. Now let the voters make the right decision!
