By Sarah SumadiThe Daily Northwestern
A Northwestern graduate is "the one to beat" on "American Idol," according to Randy Jackson, one of the popular music competition's three judges.
Sabrina Sloan, Communication '01, got rave reviews after singing Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You" on Wednesday night, and viewers voted her into the top 20 Thursday.
Sloan, 27, was the fourth of 12 female contestants to sing live Wednesday, and even Simon Cowell - notorious for being impossible to please - said her performance was the best he had seen so far.
"You really showed the difference between just taking part (in the competition) and genuinely having a desire to win with talent," Cowell said.
Jill Hudson, a representative from the "American Idol's" public relations department, said in an e-mail that contestants aren't allowed to do press interviews.
Theatre Prof. Dominic Missimi knew Sloan by her maiden name, Sabrina Scherff. He directed her in several NU productions and counted her among his favorite students.
"She could sing, act and dance - a real triple threat," Missimi said. "She was outgoing but never over the top. And she knew the value of hard work."
Sloan's work ethic at NU helped her develop a powerful voice, Missimi said.
"Her voice started out small and sweet, not a lot of presence," she said. "But it kept growing until she could finally make a lot of noise with it."
During her senior year, Sloan was cast as the lead in NU's production of the musical "Children of Eden." Both alumni and professors said her powerful, gospel-infused performance as the matriarch Eve and Mama Noah was her most memorable role.
"When she sang that role, she didn't even need a spotlight," said Prof. Rives Collins, who directed "Eden." "She lit up the stage all by herself. There wasn't a dry eye in the house."
Talleri McRae, Communication '02, also appeared in "Eden" and recalled the first time she heard Sloan sing a solo in rehearsal.
2008 Woodie Awards
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