The Next Presented by Cricket
The Next: Week Four- Chicago Sing-Off
Congratulations to Iliana for her winning performance singing Adele’s song “Set Fire to the Rain” during Week 4 of The Next in Chicago.
The four mentors went to the Windy City this week to meet with their local contestants: Iliana, Jabari, Julian and Janelle. Gloria Estefan sang at a Chicago Cubs game with Iliana. Nelly ambushed Jabari while he was on a date. Joe Jonas got a lesson in women’s shoes from Julian. While waiting to surprise Janelle, John Rich attempted to raise money playing at the ‘L’ Station. All of the excitement took place at Chicago’s Vic Theatre.
To get the latest news and updates for The Next and Cricket, as well as musical updates from Gloria Estefan, Joe Jonas, John Rich and Nelly, follow Cricket on Facebook and Twitter. And don’t forget to check back here every week for episode highlights and videos of each week’s performances, as your favorite contestants work towards earning a spot in the live finale of The Next!
The Contestants
Jabari
Age: 21 Hometown: Chicago, IL
Jabari is a second-generation musician and singer. His Dad is his inspiration. Jabari works as an audio engineer, and volunteers for Music Matters, an after school music program for at-risk youth. He performs regularly around the Chicago land area.
In Week 4 Jabari was mentored by Nelly and performed Grenade by Bruno Mars.
Janelle Kroll
Age: 24 Hometown: Chicago, IL
Janelle styles men at a clothing store in Chicago and interns at a casting agency. She plays gigs about once a month and was involved in Macy’s web-series called “Ragged Road”. Janelle has over 73,000 plays on MySpace and 34,000 views on YouTube.
In Week 4 Janelle was mentored by John Rich and performed Together Again by Janet Jackson.
Julian Bell
Age: 21 Hometown: Chicago, IL
Julian majors in Music Performance at Columbia College Chicago. He performs twice a month with his band and plays weekly at Potbelly sandwich shop. He also works days as a women’s shoe salesman at Top Shop. Julian performed for Blind Melon at The Metro and has opened for The Cold War Kids and Gold Motel.
In Week 4 Julian was mentored by Joe Jonas and performed Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer.
Iliana
Age: 23 Hometown: Glenview, IL
Iliana grew up performing at her Dad’s restaurant in Little Italy. Now, she and her Dad perform together on a regular basis. Iliana can sing in three languages and has opened for internationally known artist Zucchero.
In Week 4 Iliana was mentored by Gloria Estefan and performed Set Fire to the Rain by Adele.
Get sales and other offers in your area, and insider updates on phones, games, music, and more.
