She was once the contestant to beat in the top 36. Lil Rounds’ audition tape smacked of brilliance. Her first performance on the live show as part of the Idol top 36 was equally exciting. Her sassy, authentic, and downright disarming performance of Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” made her an early audience favorite. Little did she, Simon, the other judges and the rest of America know, that would be her peak. Lil was eliminated in what is now the infamous ‘Double Disco Elimination’ of Idol Season 8.

The weeks leading up to the double disco cut were nothing short of Shakespearean tragedy as we watched our hero fall victim to some festering tragic flaw self-destructing slowly on the stage for all to see. Right before our eyes Lil transformed from self-assured diva to second class pageant queen- eager to please, but with little self initiative or judgment to accomplish it.

Through each successively botched performance the judges each begged for the “real Lil” to please come back. And while Lil did appear to receive and absorb the judge’s critiques in the beginning, she always hinted in her responses that she was the real Lil. The exact reason why Lil crashed and burned is hard to pinpoint, after all this is a show centered around that ethereal” star quality” that successful performers possess, and there is no one definition of what that is. We can however, point to evidence of some of her deficiencies.

1. Personality

As a singer, Lil exhibited no specific kind of personality except of course on her first night on the Idol stage. That is what Cowell expected to see every night; this sort of diva-esque, sassy, woman with an attitude persona. This is most likely why he told Lil she should have sung more Mary J. Blige.

2. Styling

While it is par for the course for Idols to undergo sometimes drastic makeovers, usually these abrupt changes in appearance occur once or twice during a season. Lil seemed to change her entire appearance on a weekly basis. This chameleon-like approach to her craft seemed to reflect in her inability to carve out an artistic personality for herself.

3. Being an Artist

The key to Lil’s demise may have been her misunderstanding of what it means to be “an artist.” The judges all consistently told Lil that they could not figure out who she was an artist. Lil’s attempts week after week seemed to be an effort to prove that she could sing many different types of styles and genres, hence the “copycat” performances. It seems that to Lil, being an “artist” was more about being able to perform other artist’s versions of a song and not about catching the audience’s imagination with uniquely styled renditions of song. She may have not understood that people want to hear, not just a good singing voice – they can hear that at church or at karaoke (sometimes)- they want to hear an interesting and moving interpretation of a song. It is less about hitting the right note than it is about hitting the right emotional chord within the people who make up the audience. All too often, the uninitiated forget that a singer’s performance conveys feeling and attitude. This is why Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder bring us to our feet and this is why ultimately, Lil’s hopes were dashed in the double disco elimination.