Measure for Measure: Blake Lewis and the a cappella world

By Mike Chin on Feb 6, 2008 in Featured, Measure for Measure, News

Each Friday an A Cappella Blog contributor will take a look at both sides of a controversial, interesting, or seemingly random statement related to collegiate a cappella.

We welcome you to weigh in on the topic at hand by posting a comment. We also welcome readers to offer up their own statements for our writers to consider, Measure for Measure.

By rising to stardom via American Idol, Blake Lewis went a long way toward bringing vocal percussion and, by extension, contemporary a cappella into the mainstream.

True: American Idol is among the most watched spectacles on modern television, period. Blake Lewis showed the nation that vocal percussion is serious business, and may have inspired a new generation of young beat boxers. All of this is good for a cappella. People liked Lewis, and they will want to see more of his unique talents. The fact is, there are better vocal percussionists on the professional and collegiate scene, and new fans are going to take notice, and stick around.

False: The weak box office results for this year’s American Idols Live tour demonstrated how little staying power Blake Lewis has in the American consciousness. Sure, he had his fifteen minutes. Heck, he may even steal fifteen more with a guest appearance on the show later this year. The bottom line is that people who liked Lewis like the total package, though, and aren’t going to go wild trying to see every beat boxer they can. Lewis’s stint on Idol will not have any meaningful impact on the a cappella world.