tournament Diversity 2 | WINNER: Janelle Monáe (Dessy)

[shelven]

Rihanna

Spoiler

You Da One: This is honestly one of my favourite Rihanna singles and the fact that it didn’t smash is a travesty. I think your own explanation of this song nails what I love about it, the combination of reggae, dancehall and pop is so seamless and it makes for such a fun and interesting song.

 

Russian Roulette: Somehow I’ve never heard this song before now nnn. It’s a good mid tempo ballad. Rihanna has other songs in this similar category which I personally think would have been better choices for this spot, but this is still a pretty good choice.

 

Pour It Up: As I already said when you first used this song, this is one of my favourite urban Rihanna songs, so definitely good choice choosing this song to represent that side of her.

 

Kiss It Better: Unpopular opinion time: I’ve always found this song SO overrated on ATRL. It’s a strong song, but labelling it Rihanna’s greatest song of all time is absurd to me. That being said, I do think it’s a great example of her more rock/R&B fusion side.

 

Overall EP: I think you did a great job doing both things that the challenge asked for - picking 4 really strong songs that are also 4 songs that highlight Rihanna’s diversity as an artist. While these aren’t necessarily my 4 favourite Rihanna songs, I think they’re a really great representation of who she is as an artist and what makes her so unique. If I had one critique, I maybe would have replaced either PIU or KIB with one of her more pure pop songs since that sound has been such a big part of her career, but also I understand that you only had 4 slots and Rihanna has gone through more than 4 different sounds, so I don’t think you made a wrong choice. I also really like the title of your EP - it’s simple but it’s appropriate, and I could totally see Rihanna releasing an EP under this name. Finally, even though it wasn’t asked of you, I really appreciated the things you added to your submission to make it go above and beyond like the EP cover and the explanation graphics. You definitely went into this understanding that it was the finale and it shows!

 

Final Season Thoughts: Congratulations on making it to the Final 4 @EriKills! Your run throughout this season has been so interesting to watch - you kind of flew under the radar throughout a lot of the competition, but you really picked up steam towards the end and your three consecutive wins leading up to the finale is very impressive. You’re definitely peaking at the right time! I’ve always been a pretty big fan of Rihanna, but I’ve never explored her entire discography, so you’ve done a great job both introducing me to new songs this season and reminding me of some of her classics that I love. So thank you and good luck!

 

Britney Spears

Spoiler

…Baby One More Time: I said this when you first submitted this song and I’ll say it again - a CLASSIC!! This is such a bop and a perfect encapsulation of why Britney took the world by storm. I never get tired of listening to this, truly a fantastic pop song.

 

Circus: Whew the way I used to be OBSESSED with this song. I haven’t listened to it in a while and honestly it’s held up super well - I expected to find parts of it dated, but it still sounds like a really well-produced pop song.

 

3: I don’t know if you did this on purpose or if it’s just a coincidence, but 3 being your third track is cute. Anyways, another classic pop song with Britney’s signature sound. Unlike with Circus, the production on this does feel a bit dated and grating listening to it in 2020, but it’s still a pretty good song.

 

Hold It Against Me: This is another solid pop song, but I think this one really feels frozen in the time it was created. It just screams 2011 the whole way through. But that being said, there are still parts of this song that hold up well today - the first half of the chorus in particular still sounds great. Overall, though, I think you could have used this slot better.

 

Overall EP: You’ve picked some solid songs for this EP and I think you’ve definitely captured the signature pop sound that Britney honed in on throughout her career. My main issue with this EP is it really doesn’t showcase her artistic diversity to me. All four of these songs have a very similar pop sound to them, and if these were the only 4 songs I had ever heard by Britney, I would leave thinking that she’s kind of one-note as an artist. So I think you did pretty well on the part of the challenge that asked for discography highlights, but not so well on the part asking for diversity. Your EP title is a cute combination of the first and last track and I could see it being used as a title for a Best Hits EP, but I do wish you had been a bit more creative with it.

 

Final Season Thoughts: Congratulations on making it to the Final 4 @A Public Affair! After your first round elimination, I think a lot of us counted you out when you came back and were skeptical of if you would be able to go all the way. But you definitely proved us wrong! You had a very strong run after your comeback and you certainly earned your spot in the finale. I think you mentioned in here at one point that this is the farthest you’ve made it in an ATRL game in a while, so you should be really proud of herself! You did a great job reminding all of us throughout the season why Britney is such an iconic pop artist, so thank you and good luck!

 

Janelle Monae

Spoiler

Cindi: Your original submission of this song was one of the best surprises from any contestant this entire season and your strongest round in my opinion, so I’m very happy you thought to bring this back! This song is so beautiful and unique, I love it.

 

Come Alive: This was a very creative choice, and I think it works extremely well in the context of this challenge. Janelle’s acting success has been a huge part of her career and I think this is a very effective way of incorporating that into this finale submission. It’s an enjoyable performance too, I love how theatrical and grand it is.

 

Tightrope: This is a solid and fun pop song - I’ve never been a massive fan of it, but it’s cute and it puts you in a good mood. I think the live performance of it is really strong, it really brings out the fun and positivity of the song in a great way.

 

Queen: Ooh, this is very funky and fun. I think this is a good song to showcase some of her musical influences and how she’s built off of many sounds of the past to create her own fresh, unique sound. I think this is a good use of one of your spots!

 

Overall EP: Making a Live EP was definitely a risky and inventive choice, but personally I think it REALLY paid off. I think all four of these songs really come alive in these performances and show off Janelle’s talent and artistry in ways that the studio versions wouldn’t have done on their own. It was also a smart way to remind us of Janelle’s vocal talent since you never had to do a sing-off! As far as the challenge requirements, I think this EP is a good combination of strong songs and a set that shows off her diversity (both musically and overall career-wise). If I had one critique, I maybe would have replaced Tightrope with something a bit more interesting? But overall this is a good selection, and again, I really admire the fact that you didn’t play it this round super safe and you went with some really interesting choices. I also really love your EP title - I don’t know what it is in particular that I like about it, but it feels so fun and inventive.

 

Final Season Thoughts: Congratulations on making it to the Final 4 @Dessy! Looking at the scoreboard and thinking of your run this season, I think it’s safe to say that you’ve been the most consistently strong player throughout this whole season. The fact that you never once had to go through a sing-off in 13 rounds of play is a huge testament to your overall strength. You always seemed to make the right choices and never slipped up, and I think this very strong finale submission from you is another example of that! Out of the 4 finalists, Janelle is the one whose discography I knew the least going into this season, and you did a really great job introducing her to me. There have been multiple submissions of yours throughout this season that I had heard for the first time but went back and listened to again, so you definitely succeeded this season! Good luck!

 

Katy Perry

Spoiler

Witness: This is my first time listening to this song in full and I like it quite a lot! The production in the verses is very mesmerizing and captivating, and the chorus is catchy and smooth. I think this is a strong example of the post-TD heavier pop that she started making, so I think it’s a good choice!

 

Teenage Dream: Like I said when you first submitted this, I’ve always found this song to be a tad overrated, but that being said, I think you basically had an obligation to include this song! It’s definitely such a clear representation of the happy, bubblegum pop that gave Katy so much success for a big chunk of her career and it definitely earned a spot on this EP.

 

Walking On Air: This is an interesting choice because it kind of feels like a midpoint between the pure bubblegum pop of Teenage Dream and the heavier electro-pop of Witness. And it’s a strong song too - I remember not liking it much when it first came out, but I’m enjoying it a lot more listening to it now.

 

The One That Got Away: I’ve always really liked this song - it’s so cute and endearing without feeling corny or annoying. One of my favourite songs on Teenage Dream and a very strong example of her more romantic, emotional side.

 

Overall EP: All four of your picks are strong songs and I really like how you have a good mix of hit singles, promo singles and pure album tracks in here. I think each of these 4 songs has a unique element to them and so the EP as a whole does a good job at showing off how Katy has stuck to an overall pop sound but made some tweaks and evolutions to the specifics of that sound as her career has gone on. I will say I think Teenage Dream and Walking On Air, while having different sounds, are similar enough where I think it would have been worth it to replace one of them with a different sound altogether - something felt like it was missing in this EP, and I would have loved to see either one of her earlier pop/rock songs or a true ballad to maximize the artistic diversity. But overall, I think you did a good job of this challenge and this EP successfully highlights the interesting take that Katy has had on pop throughout her career. The title of the EP is very cute - the double meaning of it being both a short EP and leading into the first track was creative!

 

Final Season Thoughts: Congratulations on making the Final 4 @kiiwii! I’d argue you’ve come into this finale as the underdog with no round wins, but if anything, that shows off the consistency of your gameplay and your ability to make it to the finale off of a series of strong choices without needing a blowout win. While you know I haven’t always loved your submissions and I’ve given you some critical scores at times, I’ve really enjoyed you and Katy being in this season - Katy’s never been one of my favourite pop girls, but you’ve definitely reminded me of the many things I do like about her and just how deep and strong of a discography she has. There really is something for everyone in her discography and you did a very good job proving that this season! So thank you and good luck!

 

 

[luckystrike]

WE ARE STARTING THE FINALE NOW! TUNE IN!

Spoiler

@fiercE @thecptz @Touch It  @PinkBox @EriKills @kiiwii @A Public Affair @Noah @Staryu @Alena @Anthem @Not Like The Movies @Dessy @icy @Namigo @boys @Rence @Rosépop @Dibbles @Sabbath @Mr. Duff @Disruptive @URBAN @Apostolis @Kylie Jenner @kipperskipper @Moonlightbae  @K$Ellie @touya kinomoto @Legend E @clue @Diarrhoea

 

@Astronomy @shelven @Overprotected @Genio

 

[shelven]

Good luck girls   @EriKills @A Public Affair @Dessy @kiiwii

[genio]

arrived

 

 

may the best woman win 

[Alena]

rooting for miss Erika and king Dessy <3

[Dessy]

Arrived

 

[shelven]

Let's start

 

[Alena]

btw stream the real winner's latest single for good luck! xoxo

 

 

[Alena]

here to watch! x

 

[touya kinomoto]

i'm here

[luckystrike]

 

Welcome to the Diversity 2 Finale! First of all, I wanna thank you all for participating and for making my debut as a host a great one, I had a lot of fun doing this  

 

To my Top 4 contestants @EriKills, @A Public Affair, @Dessy and @kiiwii, you all did amazing and it's been great to see your journey.

 

Now, we will reveal 4th place first. I want you all to know that you did amazing and SCORE wise all 4 of you were so close, so let's get started...

 

[luckystrike]

 

 

 

This contestant proved that you can truly fall and get back up and showed us how much she wanted to be in this finale. in 4th Place...

Spoiler

 

@A Public Affair glad you made it this far! Unfortunately it was not enough to crack the Top 3, thank you so much for playing!

 

[Dessy]

Farewell to Miss Jean

[genio]

[luckystrike]

Katy Perry, Janelle Monáe, Rihanna...

 

WHO WILL IT BE :SHOCK:

[EriKills]

Late but im HERE

 

[Overprotected]

Hold it one more time

[luckystrike]

Our 3rd Place... she fought all the way and with a silent but deadly game, managed her way into the Top 3

[genio]

Just now, luckystrike said:

Our 3rd Place... she fought all the way and with a silent but deadly game, managed her way into the Top 3

 

[luckystrike]

3rd Place

@kiiwii congrats! you may have not snatched the crown but you did amazing and I'm personally very happy you made it this far, thank you for playing 

[Dessy]

I didn't realize Selena Gomez made it to the finals

[kiiwii]

cute, thank you! i had fun playing. thanks for hosting and the judges serving taste from time to time 

[Not Like The Movies]

I wanted to post a red carpet picture but Alicia's red carpet dresses are ugly! 

[EriKills]

congrats kiiwii KING

this top two tho  :praise: 

[icy]