American Idol contestants Karen Rodriguez and Jovany Barreto’s song choices seem to be giving them an advantage with the judges. For Jennifer Lopez in particular, their delivery of Spanish language songs has turned out to be a big win.

Rodriguez, whose mother is Peruvian, readily admits that she endeavors to be the first Latina American Idol. Her choice to perform a Selena song in Spanish, and to direct her performance toward Lopez, who played the late star in an identically-titled movie, may have played a role in Rodriuez’ current standing in the competition.

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{/googleAds}Barreto’s most recent song was Jon Secada’s “Angel”, which he performed intermittently in English and in Spanish. Though it did not win Barreto a spot in the top 13, he made it to the top 24 and got close to the top 13 by winning the opportunity to sing for his life.

Though Lopez and the other judges expressed appreciation for the authenticity of the mixed-language performances, it has yet to be seen how much of a role this will play in final standings.