Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery, Idol's youngest finale pairing, will each perform three songs: their favorite from the season, a new single chosen by producers and a song picked by their idols (Carrie Underwood and George Strait, respectively). USA TODAY's Bill Keveney sizes up the competition, with insights from music producer Tricky Stewart, who has worked with both, and Idol executive producer Ken Warwick.
By Michael Becker, Fox, via AP
Lauren Alaina, 16, of Rossville, Ga.
Your singing style:
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"It's country with a little bit of pop. But I would say it's more country than anything. It just has a little bit of pop influence."
What kind of album would you make?
"I want to have mostly upbeat songs — I like to move around a lot on stage. But then I want to have some sweet, laid-back ballads. Just mix it up a little, countrify it. … I love Miranda Lambert. She's like rock-solid country. And then I love Carrie Underwood. So I would say in between those two."
Describe your fellow finalist:
"Scotty is one of my best friends. We'll be friends for the rest of our lives. I can talk to him about anything, and when I'm upset, he makes me feel better. … Scotty is definitely a ladies' man. All the girls love him."
As a singer, "he doesn't realize how absolutely amazing he is. He's got a beautiful voice. He thinks because he doesn't sing high notes all the time that he's not as good as other people, but that isn't true at all because he's got this beautiful talent."
On having two country singers in the finale:
"Country's coming back. We haven't had a country winner in a while. Now they're guaranteed to have one."
Who's the front-runner for the title?
"Scotty and I have a lot of the same fans, so I think it just depends on our performances. Scotty has teenage girls rooting for him; I have little girls rooting for me. Scotty is going to be tough to beat."
Why should viewers vote for you?
"I want people to vote for me because that's what they want to do. If they like Scotty better, I want them to vote for Scotty. I want whatever's supposed to happen to happen."
Tricky Stewart's take:
"Lauren just has a very special voice. It's one of those things that is pure. You don't have to do a whole lot to make it great."
"Those eyes, that smile, that voice, the way she delivers a song" are all part of her appeal.
"She's still very young, (but) you want her to know, 'You've done something not a lot of people in the world even have the courage to begin to do. (And) when you go out there, just be a little more sure of yourself.' Sometimes, she can get in her own head just a little bit."
Ken Warwick's take:
"She's the girl next door … which is what every country girl who ever made it is. She's pretty. Big heart. Cries at the drop of a hat. Wears her heart on her sleeve. She's the kid that just wants to be there, wants to win it and loves it all."
Scotty McCreery, 17,of Garner, N.C.
Your singing style:
"I have a little bit of old country in me. I listened to Hank Williams growing up and Conway Twitty. I grew up listening to Elvis Presley, definitely. I like to have that old flavor in my voice but with a contemporary feeling to it."
What kind of album would you make?
"Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not, I love that song. That's the kind of song I'd like to put out, a song that everybody can connect with."
Describe your fellow finalist.
"Bubbly. She's always got something to talk about. She's just such a sweetheart. Me and her, we're always there to pick each other up.
"She has an unbelievable talent. … Her singing is just impeccable. I'm just glad I got to be on this ride and share it with her."
On having two country singers in the finale:
"Country fans, they're great, they're loyal. They've been by me and her side since day one. A lot of people thought we'd be splitting votes and one would go home early, but they've kept us around and we're just glad to be here."
Who's the front-runner for the title?
"I don't think of myself as a front-runner. Anybody could have won it this year. The talent was that good, from the top 40 on."
Why should viewers vote for you?
"A lot of the reason I connect with people is because I'm just normal. I was just a 17-year-old kid in high school bagging groceries for a living and now I'm on this show, trying to sing for a living. I'm still the same Scotty who left Garner a couple of months ago."
Tricky Stewart's take:
"Scotty has a voice beyond his years. That's initially what made people pay such close attention to him, because his voice sounds like hit records. It's the first time America is seeing a young superstar country artist develop in front of their eyes.
"He has an ability to make you feel you're the only one watching him when he's singing. … He's always had a surety about himself. That's what I call 'country swag.'
"If he takes that competitive edge he has and applies it to music, he will be an awesome treasure for the music business."
Ken Warwick's take:
"He's everybody's boyfriend. He's got the voice. He's mature. He's cute. He's got that deep voice so he sounds like he's in charge of everything, which every girl loves. He's a genuinely nice guy. He's got the crossover between athleticism and the heart of an artist, which is what every heartthrob since the beginning of time has had."
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