(ABC American Idol).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Kinetic singer Cameron Whitcomb is our new Kamloops Idol

Apr 20, 2022 | 4:38 AM

KAMLOOPS HAS A NEW CELEBRITY and his name is Cameron Whitcomb.

The 18-year-old Harley-riding Trans Mountain pipeline worker made it all the way to the top 20 on ABC’s American Idol before bowing out this week. In my books, he should easily have advanced to the final group of contestants and even won the whole thing.

If Canadians had been allowed to take part in the show’s voting app, the outcome might have been different but the fact the judges and American viewers took to him in such a big way speaks volumes.

In the process, he brought a tremendous amount of positive publicity for Kamloops as media all over the province and from the rest of Canada and into the U.S. followed his progress.

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Though he’d never performed in front of an audience before entering American Idol, Cameron has a powerful voice and kinetic stage presence that makes him fun to watch and listen to. He jumps up and down, he pedals, he waves his arms, he does his signature back flip.

Make no mistake, he was up against many highly talented singers with a lot of experience and training, but he stood out from them all. While others strained and tried to hide their range limitations with falsetto, his voice is smooth, strong, easy.

He chose, among others, Bob Dylan’s It Ain’t Me Babe, CCR’s Bad Moon Rising and Black Sabbath’s Changes to showcase his impressive talent.

Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan clearly recognized that talent but were critical of what they called his “fidgety” movements on stage. The judges were wrong — Whitcomb’s joyful energy and charm are part of what make him special. Though the judges kept telling him he should be more “serious,” trying to be like every other microphone-stand hugging singer would be a mistake.

Don’t let them try to change you, Cameron, you’re just fine the way you are. You’re our Kamloops idol.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.