Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-36491208-20190822072014/@comment-39889817-20190824090255

Bob Buckleberry wrote: Jimpa1969 wrote: Jimpa1969 wrote: Guys! You who have watched the show for a few years, can you fill me in on something I'm wondering about on how restricted or controlled the contestants are.

Robert Finley and Chris Kläfford both performed original songs in the quaterfinal live show this week, but Robert's performance was filled with motion, a choir and a band and he performed longer than Chris. I really like Robert by the way!

Chris was on his own with just his voice and his guitar and only performed for under 2 minutes (again). He has had a total of only a little more than 5 minutes in total during his 3 performances.

It could very well be that Chris chose to perform like this (I don't mind because I totally love it), but is there a possibility that Chris could do a similar act like Robert Finley's in the semifinals or is he restricted by the producers to follow the same formula?

I just wonder, do you think Chris would be allowed to perform like this for example:

https://youtu.be/Wmo5aJd-xzE

This is a guest performance on Swedish Idol last year, the year after he won the competition. The song "What Happened to Us" is another original from Chris. I think he will perform with this song in the semifinals by the way. And what about Greg Morton for instance? Does he have to stay with voice impressions or will he be allowed to perform stand up comedy? He's absolutely brilliant at it. About Greg, the producers will probably want him to stick with impressions because people seem to like that, but anything can happen. I think that the producers probably want him to stick with his guitar (because he can sing without it, as shown on Swedish Idol), whereas they want Robert to sing in a different style. They also probably thought that Chris doing it solo would make the song more emotional. Chris could probably change his style in the Semifinals if he wants to, but I'm sure the producers will urge him to stick with what he is doing right now. About the amount of time he got, Chris possibly chose to make his song that length, or the producers just felt that Robert's song needed to be longer. Idk. Chris also probably had less to say than Robert in his intro package, so that is why there may have been a difference in that area.

In general, I don't know for sure, but I think a lot of the time producers choose songs for contestants, and kind of control the act, but I am sure that the contestants are allowed to give input (Gonzo responded to somebody, I forget who it was, saying that he would play Mr. Tambourine Man if the producers allowed him to, so I think that the contestants do have a say in things). Thank you. Great answer!