'Platinum Hit' Recap - The Winner Takes It All

[Platinum Hit - Season 1 Episode 10]

There are only three contestants left: Scotty, Jes, and Sonyae. Each contestant started to grow after weeks of hard work and deserved to make it to the final three.

Scotty woke up alone in Apartment 1, while Jes and Sonyae woke up in Apartment 2. The three got prepared for their final challenge excited about their opportunity. They got a note from Jewel to meet the contestants on the rooftop. Jewel and Kara Dioguardi popped the champagne and toasted the top three. Kara asked who would be each ones biggest competition. Scotty and Sonyae picked each other; Sonyae slammed Jes. Jewel announced the final challenge: write the hit of your life. It could be any genre or topic. They have one day and overnight. They get to work with JR Rodham the next day. There will be a full band and backup singers. There will be one final performance in front of music insiders.

The contestants had 10 hours in the studios to work on their music. Sonyae wanted some inspiration and was lost. Sonyae didn't have any tracks to work with. Jes wanted depth but powerful lyrics; she wrote about her last relationship with her ex-boyfriend. The concept "Come Alive" started to emerge. Scotty missed having boundaries. He needed inspiration.

Sonyae decided to have a concept about religion and decided to talk to Scotty. She called it "My Religion" and wondered about it. Scotty had problems with religion, so he suggested another song. Her second idea was about "capacity" and she left confused. Scotty instead decided to think about religion and how he reacted to all the suggestions from his family. He created a song about being beautiful no matter what.

With four hours Evan "Kidd" Bogart came to talk to the contestants. Jes was first and performed what she had of "Come Alive" but Evan suggested that she needed to be accessible; the chords and lyrics needed help. Jes wanted a pop anthem that everyone can relate to. Evan then visited Sonyae. She had no melody and a few ideas. Evan announced that he would ever call a song like "capacity" but loved "My Religion." She had no melody whatsoever. Scotty was last for critique and he created a song about being beautiful. Evan suggested that the song needed to lift and rise. With the day done, each of the contestants left for the apartments.

The next day the contestants went to J.R. Rotem's Executive Studio. Scotty started first and explained that he was similar to a Bruno Mars. The two went in front of the piano and discussed "Beautiful You." He suggested changing the chords from F to G, and agreed on the key. J.R. suggested having a stripped verse and a powerful chorus with multiple instruments.

Jes performed "Come Alive" on the piano. J.R. liked the chorus, but he thought it was far from radio. He suggested a driving Katy Perry-style. She liked the hot pop track to make "Come Alive" come alive.

Sonyae was last with her concept, verse, and lyrics. She had to verbalize as much in her head to J.R. and as he played the piano the two weren't as synchronized. He managed to get some good chords. In the studio, Sonyae evolved the song so it matched what fit in her head.

At the apartment Sonyae knew that she had to work hard to prove to her family and friends that she was a good performer. Jes would be so happy to have a solid job doing what she loved. Scotty was excited and met the two girls in their apartment. They all headed to the studio for the final time. Jewel greeted the crowd of executives and eliminated contestants. The final three emerged and sat on their couches; they caught glimpses of their parents in the audiences. As always Kara Dioguardi and Keith Naftaly joined Jewel for judging. The special guest judge was singer-songwriter Leona Lewis.

Jes was first to perform her song "Come Alive" and the song started slow and picked up speed at the bridge. The chorus had the drive, even though Nick wasn't feeling the song, everyone else was thumping to beat. I liked the section where the song was stripped down and then picked up again.

Scotty was next and sang "Beautiful You" in front of the piano. Scotty's father and boyfriend loved the song and like Jes, everyone was nodding to the beat. I liked his falsetto and it fit the song. The song itself would fit perfectly for someone like Leona Lewis or Jordin Sparks, but it had all of Scotty's spirit.

Sonyae was last and performed "My Religion." The song started off slowly and I thought of all the songs it was easiest to pick up the theme. I loved the "Is it blasphemy?" lyric which fit perfectly with the theme of the song. Sonyae had the spirit and soul to match her song.

The contestants stood in front of the judges and the judges talked to each contestant. Jes was proud of her song; Kara loved the melody. Leona thought there was a good cross-music appeal. Keith thought the song was her crowning achievement of the season, but the concept was only okay for him. Kara thought she was turning into a pop writer. Scotty's song "Beautiful You" was about his journey. Leona loved the sentiment of the song and loved how uplifting the song was. Jewel thought that the song needed to be streamlined. Kara loved how well he's evolved. Keith loved the melody, but he had a problem with the song. He thought the song sounded too much like "Just the Way you Are" by Bruno Mars. Sonyae's "My Religion" had a great concept. The judges thought it was deep and she managed to make the word "Blasphemy" fit in the song. Leona loved the soaring anthem. Keith knew that melodically, Sonyae was the weakness. Kara needed Sonyae to go higher in the chorus to fit more of a soul singer anthem.

Jes tried to convince the judges that she wanted to reach out and affect people's lives. Scotty knew that he was working hard, but wanted his voice to be heard. Sonyae wanted to make this songwriting living more stable. She was in tears trying to fight for everything. Kara knew that the real spirit came into her music. The judges let the contestants sit back in the studio while they deliberated. All three contestants wrote great songs. Her lyrics were the best of the season and created the best pop song. The song was the most mainstream. For Sonyae, her lyrics were beautiful and thoughtful. They loved the swell of the song. Leona loved Scotty's song because of the heart. He has the production chops and he has been a melody machine.

The judges agreed and brought the contestants in and the judges loved all three songs. Jes had a pop hit, Sonyae had a great concept, and Scotty had a commercial sound with heart. Jewel announced that Scotty was a miss. Kara knew that Scotty would do well no matter what happens in the future. He was thankful for the opportunity. The final two were Jes and Sonyae. Jewel announced that the winner was Sonyae. All the other contestants emerged with her family and congratulated her win.