Pia Toscano may have finished in ninth place on American Idol last season, but with the amount of promotion she’s gotten since the show wrapped, you would almost think she’d won the whole contest.
Interscope signed the raven-hared balladeer in early July and released a debut single, “This Time” a week later. Despite heavy promotion and Pia’s recent performance slot on last week’s So You Think You Can Dance, the track has yet to take off on the charts, though.
So I’m sure both Interscope and Ms. Toscano are hoping that the the just-released music video for “This Time” will give the single some much-needed momentum. Check out the clip below:
The video—like most Idol videos that are shot while the kids are on tour—is pretty straightforward. (I could swear I used that exact line earlier today…) Pia sings her song in a series of unrelated locations—a meadow, a beach, a convertible, a city street—and that’s pretty much it. Basically, it’s a three-minute clip of her looking stunning (not that I’m complaining).
But there’s definitely something missing from the clip—namely, personality. Pia looks positively gorgeous when she delivers her sultry stare into the camera, but every time she opens her mouth to perform the song, that connection disappears—and that’s a major problem for an amateur pop star.
When Pia claws the sand on the beach, scrunches her hair, giggles in the waves, clenches her fists, or bends her knees and lifts a diva arm, it never reads as an authentic, intentional expression of the words she’s saying.
Oh, wait, you think I’m missing the point? You’re right. She’s hot!
Jordin Sparks and Carrie Underwood both felt similarly stiff when they first began their post-Idol careers, and they’ve become exciting performers with a real ability to emote. Maybe what Pia needs most is just some experience.
What do you think about the new video? Will it help the single take off?
Read more on EW.com:
Scotty McCreery releases ‘I Love You This Big’ video: Watch it here!
Haley Reinhart signed to Interscope Records
‘American Idol’ finalist Pia Toscano claims her spotlight with debut single ‘This Time’
The queen is back!
she needs to get naked
Did her b00bs get bigger? Seriously…
It’s almost like the director of the video is trying to hide them.
Here’s one barometer about Pia’s potential for success as a recording artist: this thread has 49 posts. This indicates that 1) not that many people are interested in reading the story, and 2) fewer still are interested enough to comment.
52 comments! CAN WE MAKE 53? Come on—do it for PIA!
Or does Miss Pia look like young Susan Atkins? Oh Susan, what a life you could have led as a pop star for 15 minutes, and then it’s back to Charlie and blood, stab, blood, stab, blood.
I half expected Shia LeBouf to drive up in Bumblebee.
Love it!!
Why does she look angry through most of the video?
Umm maybe the fact that she is singing the lyrics, ” I’m mad as hell and I can’t take it no more” !!!?
Good lord, that was bland. She’s so “mad as hell” that she’s going to frolic on a beach? All this song/video make me feel is an intense longing for new Kelly Clarkson music.
Okay… 1) they filmed a country music video for a vaguely hip-hop song. 2) the video is little more than her standing, or gyrating slightly, or stroking her hair whilst standing and gyrating slightly. 3) it’s not a very good or exciting song—do these people not understand that a power ballad is about the lousiest way to sell a brand new artist? Two words: DANCE MUSIC, PEOPLE. Well, that was actually three, but you get the point. Bye Pia.
She looks fine to me. I wish everyone would give her a break. She’s got a sensational voice and deserves a chance to have her music heard.
Amen Brother!
Cute song, did Kara write it? Sounds pretty cookie cutter but, well…..
Is there a cliche they didn’t stick in this soppy, drippy mess?!? Sounds like poetry from a 13 year old girl. And, no – she does not have any detectable personality.
Face it starmakers this woman is BORING. She doesn’t have IT. She’s never had it and she’s never going to have it.
That’s a little harsh. It’s only her first single, she has lots of time to improve. I think her people are smart enough to know that her second single has to be much better for her to really break out. I still say she should be in the Whitney/Celine lane though.
Yeah, but you see—record companies have a habit of dropping artists that chart in the low 90s (or don’t chart at all) with their first single or two. If there’s anything she DOESN’T have, it’s lots of time.
I completely agree Templar, she just doesn’t have IT. Her performance on SYTYCD was awful, my hubby and I changed channels 30 secs into her performace
She is to music what Megan Fox is to acting.
HOT
I’ve spanked it twice since I’ve been here.
When I was a teenager, my friends and I went to see “Showgirls” and we were all amazed that it was possible to make a movie chocked full of nudity that was also sooooo boring (a near-impossibility for 17-year old boys).
I feel the same about “This Time” – Pia’s enormously pretty, but my mind kept wandering (what kind of gas mileage does a Mustang get?) because the video and song were soooo bland.
This heavy promotion of losers before the winner gets their album out will ultimately dilute the AI brand. Horrible song by the way.
Looks good and my husband will love it.
Give her a break! The girl can sing. She just needs more experience.
and a better song.
I don’t know why people are so harsh with her. She is just starting out, she gorgeous, and she has a great voice. Give her some time to grow. I’m betting we’ll see a whole lot more of Pia in the years to come.
people are so willing to give HER a chance when she’s okay at best. There are plenty of other musicians who are as talented or better and as pretty or prettier. If she’s just starting out, then she needs to do what every other real musician does—play at clubs, go on the road, and make interesting videos with better songs than this. Just because she was on a TV show doesn’t mean she gets any street cred as an artist. Even Adam Lambert—who is arguably one of the most talented performers ever on the show—does small venues and works his a** off in a show. And he’s not nearly as famous or successful as he SHOULD be.
I agree with you, accept for the Lambert part. If he were truly that great, he would be a bigger artist. With all the promotion and hype that he got, he should be a superstar. But he’s not.
@Jeremy: dude, there’s plenty of artists who SHOULD be superstars based on talent alone, but they aren’t. And there’s plenty of stars who used to be big, but the market moved on. Talent doesn’t automatically equal success, which is the hardest lesson for a performer to figure out and accept.
The Megan Fox comparision is spot on…but I like both so I guess time will tell if Ms. Pia can stick with listeners. Good luck.
When she gets off tour and can start promoting the single and her album, sales will follow. She’s got a great voice, is pretty, and has a major label invested in her success. Most of the Pia hate are from women jealous of her. For any successful public figure, there must be detractors. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have their share of haters. Don’t know if Pia will hit it big, but there are worst places to be.
“When she gets off tour and can start promoting the single and her album, sales will follow.” No they won’t. By the time she gets done with the tour (and it will be low-grossing since there are no real headliners this time out), the single will be done and gone. She’ll be dropped from the label in the space of a year or less. The best thing for Pia to do with her career at this point is to try her hand at acting in indie films and hope she can piggy-back a song or two into the public consciousness. If the winner of the show can’t make it on the charts, she sure as hell won’t.
She looks beautiful but the video kind of feels like she hired a professional camerman to film a goodbye to her ex-boyfriend. Not necessarily a bad thing, though. It’s her journey to leave him. LMAO Driving, stop in a field, end up the beach, all while looking gorgeous making him wish he didn’t behave like a jerk. ROFLOL!!! Nice job Pia!
Who wouldn’t be jealous of that Klingon sized fivehead?
It’s OK. The real star of the video are those hair extensions.
Kim Kardashian has never sounded so good!