In her time on the reality competition, American Idol contestant Malaya Watson was known for a few distinct characteristics: Her goofy and carefree manner, her incredible voice, and her braces. The singer and Idol hopeful is one of the few names to make an impression on the Idol stage while still wearing the painful teeth straighteners, and as judge Keith Urban said after one of her performances, Malaya makes "glasses and braces look cool." Well, we should probably change that to "made braces" look cool, because prior to Wednesday night's American Idol finale, Malaya had her braces removed.
The finale will bring together Season 13's top 13 contestants for a little onstage reunion, giving the folks who earned America's votes another chance to sing for them. Malaya will be along for the ride, but she may look a little different to folks who don't follow her on Twitter, Vine, and Facebook, where the singer has posted profusely about her dental transformation.
Of course, Malaya wasn't only known for her appearance. As we saw during her criminally short stint on Idol, Malaya had pipes for days. She famously knocked the judges out with performances of Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man" (not unlike Idol winner Candice Glover before her) and especially with the classic Ray Charles song "Hard Times." Watson will no doubt bring her incredible voice to the Staples Center for the Los Angeles-based American Idol finale on Wednesday night — she just won't be rocking anything on her 100 watt smile.
Here She is, Smiling and Free of Braces
And in case we didn't get the picture
And Hey, No One Likes Getting Their Teeth Worked On
But it's worth it. Girl, You Look Great!
Image: Fox
