S11.E17: Live Top 12 Performances

[Michel]

9 hours ago, Noreaster said:

Billy Gilman is gay.  He came out of the closet a couple of years ago.  

A lot of the female fans don't know that. I wonder if they would be as excited about him if they knew that?

Edited November 19, 2016 by Michel

[Padma]

7 hours ago, Noreaster said:

Billy Gilman is gay.  He came out of the closet a couple of years ago.  

Oh, right. I remember something now about it being a big deal to come out as gay in country music. (Now he wants to be pop, right?) 

So the way the cameras and lighting --and Billy's performances--play up to the women is even more of a disconnect for me. No one else amps it up so much, that I can recall. They had him right there with the women spotlighted--it was so much like that Youtube video of him singing to 13 year olds back in the day.

(And I said he didn't project much sex appeal on stage, but he still could even if he's gay. Plenty of gay singers do, even for the gender they have no sexual interest in. I commend him for coming out, but there's still something very inauthentic to me about his performances, can't figure out what it is.  I think maybe he would be okay in a supporting role in a stage musical, assuming of course, that he can act,.)

[Gel]

I like Billy, but I think his performances have gone downhill since the blinds. His voice is gorgeous, technically, and he can sing any note, but to quote Joan Jett, "just because you can sing five octaves, doesn't mean you should."  I find for his performances since "When We Were Young" he gives the impression of thinking instead of feeling the song. I had thought "Crying" would be better than the peppier songs he's done that have been flat, but that turned into an exercise in vocal gymnastics as well. It's like he's trying really hard on the technicals, but none of his personality is coming through.

[Noreaster]

Billy reminds of Jordan Smith as some have said on this board (or maybe it's just Adam on the show?).  He has a similar tone (kind of thin-sounding) and is technically excellent, but I don't feel much from his performances.  As this entire cast is pretty weak to me, I would still rank Billy near the top (same way I would rank Jordan in his season) but I don't care for him that much.  

13 hours ago, Michel said:

A lot of the female fans don't know that. I wonder if they would be as excited about him if they knew that?

Wasn't it part of his backstory on the show?  In real life, it was a pretty high profile coming out in an industry that's not welcoming of gay artists.  Anyone that googles him would immediately see stories about this.  

[kassandra8286]

Yes, it totally was. He talked extensively about coming out during his pre-blind audition package. I doubt if it's true that "a lot of the female fans don't know that." Charisma is charisma, whether you're gay, straight or bi - case in point: Adam Lambert, a charismatic performer with a rabid mostly-female fanbase. I really wanted to like Billy after seeing his story, but I have to admit so far his performances have left me kind of cold.

Edited November 20, 2016 by kassandra8286