How to Win American Idol: Each American Idol Winner Has Characteristics in Common

It's the dream of every aspiring young singer today: to win American Idol and gain national exposure. Well, there are a few things that each American Idol winner seems to have in common that gives them an edge on winning.

1. Be from the South. So far, each American Idol winner has been from the South: Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and North Carolina. This year, only one final contender is from the South - Melinda Doolittle, from Tennessee - but she's very strong. There is a theory that this is because Southerners are more likely to have text messaging capability for voting. I think it has a lot more to do with #2 --

2. Sing in church every Sunday. Every American Idol winner to date has recounted stories of singing in church. This makes sense. There are few other places we go in our daily lives where singing has a large part. In church, American Idol hopefuls can also get professional help; most churches of any size have ministers or assistants with musical training or even music degrees who can teach aspiring young singers the proper way to breathe and project. And in the South, an awful lot of young people go to church.

3. Have an outgoing personality. To win American Idol, you must stand out from the rest of the group. Every single winner to date has had a unique and outstanding personality, seeming a little larger than life. There has been great variation in those personalities - the girl-next-door, the goofy guy, the fierce diva - but every single one has seemed to exaggerate the already-existing personality.

4. You must show growth over the show, both in your singing talent, onstage persona, and glamourous appearance. Looking at every American Idol winner so far, it is amazing how different they look at the end of the show when compared to the beginning. Carrie Underwood went from somewhat plain, though cheerful, to an adorable girl-next-door. Fantasia went from a sort of ghetto-chic to polished glamour. And if Jennifer Hudson had not persisted in wearing her friend's fashion designs - which alas did not flatter her - she might have won American Idol as well as her much-more-impressive Oscar.

5. You must be supportive of your fellow singers, but you also must know the value of your own talent. There are three basic types of singers that make it to the finals: the spoiled self-centered divas (male and female), the very supportive admirers of all the other singers, and the singers who are supportive and loving of their competitors, but who focus primarily on their own developing talents. The third type - nice, but focused - seem to be the ones who win.

6. You must have genuine talent, and have nurtured it. Every winner of American Idol so far has been a brilliant and talented young singer. Most of them have had some professional training. Only by having the great singing tools to begin with and by learning how to use them properly can you win the American Idol title.