'Idol' 80's Week Was Made for Jax

If 80's week on Idol was made for any one contestant, it would be Jax. The 18-year-old became a favorite early on, but she's flat-lined over the past few weeks due to some poor song choices. Her performance of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" was the perfect song choice for 80's week — and it was made even stronger by her work on the piano. I was starting to doubt that she still had it — but Jax has put her self back on the Idol map with tonight's performance.

There are so many things to love about Jax and her performance tonight showcased all of those things.

1. She's original. Unlike so many of the other Idol contestants, Jax performs her own arrangement of popular songs week after week. Whether it's an 80's classic, a tween pop hit, or a soundtrack single, Jax always adds her own personality into the song and never sings it how the original artist did. This shows that she knows who she is as an artist and really likes to have fun with what she does — which is so important if this actually becomes her career.
2. She has many talents. There's no denying Jax has an extremely unique voice, but it's her musical talent that makes her stand out. She played the piano with ONE HAND tonight — seriously, that's pretty amazing. Her ability to sing, play, and perform every song makes Jax a triple threat.
3. She's fun. Sure, this isn't an attribute that's necessary to win American Idol — but it definitely helps. Jax is one of two female contestants that really took the 80's thing all the way into the wardrobe and it says so much about her personality. Jax has wasted no time showing her true colors in this competition and that's what has made so many viewers love her. She's quirky, fun, weird, and relatable, which is why she keeps coming back week after week.

I've made it no secret that Jax has been my favorite contestant since day one, and I still think she has what it takes to win. She's young, but has everything it takes to become a star. Scott Borchetta hit the jackpot when he signed Taylor Swift. Jax would be like the next Swift for Big Machine — except the much edgier and quirkier version with less cats.

Image: Michael Becker/FOX