Just for fun, on the eve of season nine of American Idol, I thought it might be nice to look back at the season eight semifinalists.
Below are the introductions to the contestants I wrote prior to last year’s semifinals. I can’t promise those old links are still working. I’ve retained any pre-Idol photographs I ran with the original blog.
I’ve also added a blurb about how each contestant did on the show and, where possible, an update on what they’ve been doing since their time with American Idol ended. The links included in the “update” portion are active.
Unfortunately, the update section for a couple of contestants isn’t very informative. If anyone knows what’s up with Jeanine Vailes or Jorge Nunez, for instance, feel free to pass along the information by commenting below.
THE GALS
1. Alexis Grace
We met 21-year-old Alexis from Memphis, Tenn., when she was the subject of feature profile during the Louisville, Ky., auditions and won the judges over by displaying a big voice while singing Aretha Franklin’s “Dr. Feelgood.”
Idol identified her as a stay-at-home mom; she has a 2-year-old daughter named Ryan and is engaged to Ryan’s dad, who recently graduated from military school.
In her Idol video, Alexis reveals that she tried out for Idol twice previously and got turned down. On her MySpace page, she says she has “a soul, bluesy voice, the product of my roots. I am from “Midtown” Memphis, Tn., and have lived here my whole life. I have always been around music …”
The judges sent her off with instructions to dirty herself up a little and, courtesy of Kara, to make love to her fiance. Her reaction: “Is that going to be on TV?”
On Idol: One of the first semifinalists to earn a spot in the finals with her rendition of another Aertha Franklin song, “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You).” But fell one spot shy of making the summer tour after singing “Jolene” in week two of the finals.
Update: Alexis’ stay in the Idol finals was surprisingly short. But she recently completed a Christmas music tour with three other Idols — Michael Sarver, Gina Glocksen and David Hernandez. And she’s still hoping to and secure a record deal, according to a mid-December interview with WHBQ-FM in Memphis.
2. Allison Irehta
Allison is just 16, but she’s no stranger to televised singing competitions. In November 2006, she was named winner of the “Quinceanera” competiton on Telemundo, the Spanish-language U.S. TV station.
Quincenera is like a Sweet 16 coming out party for Latina girls except, as the name indicates, it occurs a year earlier. Allison sang “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the finals.
In a press release about the event, the vocal and stage performance training team of John Michael Ferrari and Pepper Jay said they “radically improved and cultivated her voice,” noting that her performance moved one judge to tears. For her efforts, Allison walked away with $50,000, a recording contract and won “the hearts of Latin music fans everywhere,” the press release says.
During her Idol video, Allison says she been anxiously waiting to turn 16 so she could try out for the show. Allison says she prefers singing soul; she auditioned in San Francisco.
On Idol: Finished fourth, of course. One of the most consistent performers, and her “Slow Ride” duet with Adam Lambert was a season highlight.
Update: Released a debut album, “Just Like You,” Dec. 1. It debuted at 35 on the Billboard 200, but has dropped rapidly since then. Idol Chatter says it deserves much better in this review. Her song “Scars” ranks number three on my list of favorite Idol non-singles released in 2009. Shared the stage at Billboard’s New Year’s Eve Bash with Kris Allen.
3. Ann-Marie Boskovich
Ann-Marie is 22 and hails from Nashville, Tenn., so it’s no surprise you can find a couple of videos of her singing country … as long as you check under the name Ann Marie and drop the Boskovich. She’s the gal who auditioned in Jacksonville, Fla., sang wonderfully, but was sent away to look more like a star. She came back with less clothing, more makeup and slightly tossled hair and got her golden ticket.
She’s hardly a novice at this singing business. On her MySpace page she says she first sang for an audience when she was 5 at her grandmother’s funeral, won her first grand prize singing when her dad snuck her into a Salinas Valley bar on karoke night. At age 13, she sang “Part of Your World” over the closing credits of the direct-to-video movie “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.” She also sang at the 2003 NBA All-Star Game.
She moved to Nashville in 2004, shortly after graduating from high school and has been pursuing a career there as a singer/songwriter, according to her MySpace profile. Idol identified her as a waitress/nanny during her audition.
On Idol: In Group One for the semifinals. Sang Aretha Franklin’s “A Natural Woman,” but failed to advance.
Update: Participated in 10-city tour with David Foster and Friends in October and November. The cast also included season seven contestant Michael Johns and season two champ Ruben Studdard. Keeps putting good new songs on her MySpace page. But I’m still wondering what happened to one song she used to have up — “What Happened in Mexico.” Talk about a great song!
4. Arianna Afsar
Another 16-year-old, Arianna is the gal who was profiled during the Phoenix, Ariz., auditions where she talked extensively about the Adopt a Grandfriend program she founded at her high school.
That accomplishment was also noted back in 2003, when she placed second in the first-ever Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition at age 13. A resident of San Diego, Arianna was named Miss California’s Outstanding Teen that year and went on to win the preliminary talent portion of the national pageant “with a powerful vocal rendition of ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade,'” according to a pageant press release.
The release says she had already won 50 talent competitions for her singing and received a $500 scholarship for her win in the talent competition. In her Idol video, Arianna says she likes to sing jazz and R&B.
On Idol: Sang Abba’s “Winner Takes It All” in week three of the semifinals. Failed to advance.
Update: Arianna made it home from Idol in time to graduate from high school, with a 4.1 GPA no less. She was accepted into UCLA as a major in musical theater. And she told me in July that she’s determined to become an entertainer, was auditioning for various roles and hoping, someday, to release an album.
5. Casey Carlson
I sorta feel sorry for Casey Carlson, Idol’s remaining bikini girl. The 20-year-old from Minneapolis proved she could sing during the Kansas City auditions.
But she also happened to pose for a bikini calendar for Campus Girls USA and, since she’s far prettier than Idol’s Bikini Girl #1, those photos are now all over the Web and YouTube.
Casey the singer? There’s not a sign of her. Though in her interview video for Campus Girls, she assures viewers that “music is the part in my life that makes me tick. If I didn’t have music in my day, I’d go crazy, I’d go nuts.” And she says her dream job would be to sing and dance on Broadway, even though her major at the University of Minnesota is in advertising and public relations.
In her Idol video, she says she prefers singing pop and alternative music. And, hey, she showed up at the Idol audition clothed. Kudos to her for that.
On Idol: An off performance of “Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic” by the Police in round one of the semis earned her an early exit. I’ve heard enough of her MySpace songs to know she can sing better than that.
Update: Casey’s been busy since Idol. She has joined the CW Twin Cities TV station as a host. She has co-starred in the “Sad Song” video for the Blake Lewis single. And she’s been in the studio working on her own music. She also changes the look of her MySpace page frequently.
6. Jackie Tohn
If appearing in a few movies, on a few TV shows (including “The Sopranos” and “The Closers”) and singing and playing guitars in clubs in Los Angeles and New York for 10 years hasn’t made you a household name, why not try American Idol?
That seems to be the rationale of this 28-year-old, who we saw audition in New York. In her Idol video, she says: “I think American Idol is more than, you know, just singers and people who wake up in the morning and think, ‘I’m a really good singer, I can go do this.’ It’s kinda also for those of us who have been stomping the pavement for so long.”
Judging from her Facebook page, Jackie released a 12-track CD named Beguiling in 2008. Judging from her resume on imdb.com, she also released an EP called “The Golden Girl.” She describes her music as that “quirk acoustic solo thing.” She acts pretty quirky, too.
On Idol: Had the honor of opening the first semifinal show with “A Little Less Conversation.” Failed to advance.
Update: The quirky “Beguiling” is available again. You can watch the even quirkier video for the title track on Jackie’s MySpace. Jackie continues to perform and I could have sworn I saw her on an Idol show or promo interviewing other contestants. But now I can’t remember when.
7. Jasmine Murray
And here we have another alum of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant. Jasmine, 16, was Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen back in 2007, went on to finish in the top 10 in the national competition and earned the honor of singing the national anthem prior to the Miss America Pageant in January 2008.
The Daily Leader newspaper identifies her as a junior at the Mississippi School of Arts, and Idol viewers got to meet her during the Jacksonville auditions. She’s the youngest in a family of five children and, in her Idol interview, says she likes singing country and pop-rock.
She’s a bit of a miracle, too, judging from pre-audition comments from her mother, who said she had extreme toxemia while pregnant with Jasmine and that doctors didn’t expect either of them to make it.
On Idol: Failed to advance from group two of the semis. But got to perform in the wild card round, sang “Reflection” and was picked for a spot in the final 13.
Update: Jasmine was ousted in the first week of the Idol finals, but got a hero’s welcome back home as April 14 was declared Jasmine Murray Day in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Her success on the show also caused applications to the Mississippi School of the Arts to skyrocket, according to an article I just read in the Daily Leader of Brookhaven.
8. Jeanine Vailes
Jeanine, 28, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., is a mystery gal in this competition. Have we seen her yet?
She auditioned in San Francisco, but Idol spent that episode featuring freaks and no-talents instead of singers with real Hollywood potential. In her Idol interview, she credits her sister for convincing her to audition, and it sounds like she might have tried out for Idol in the past.
“I was totally excited and shocked at the same time,” she says of her reaction to receiving a golden ticket. “I just didn’t think it could happen for me again because I thought I was out of chances.” She says she’s been singing since she was 4 and started out in her church choir.
On Idol: Sang with group two in the semifinals, performed Maroon 5’s “This Love,” but failed to advance.
Update: Jeanine was something of a mystery contestant heading into Idol — we got to see so little of her — and remains a mystery. Anyone out there know what she’s up to?
9. Jessica Langseth
Ever hear of a Grammy-winning blues guitarist named Jonny Lang? Well he was born Jon Langseth Jr., and Jessica is his sister.
I guess figuring what worked for her brother might work for her, Jessica shortened her last name and formed the Jesse Lang Band. The band was playing in the Minnesota area when it was featured in a January 2005 review in Blues on Stage. Asked to classify her music, Jessica told Blues on Stage: “It ain’t country. It’s good old rock, but it’s also me and what I do.”
She’s also included in the band profiles on the Bogart’s Nightclub (Apple Valley, Minn.) Web site, which says Jesse Lang … or Jessica Langseth … sang with a well-known Minnesota band T.C. Jammers around 2002 before deciding to put together her own band. In her Idol interview, Jessica, 25, says she’ll sing almost anything, but really loves “old Motown stuff.”
On Idol: Jesse got two shots, singing “Bette Davis Eyes” with the second semifinal group and “Tell Me Something Good” on the wild card show, but failed to advance.
Update: Jesse released a five-song EP called “Transitions” in June. It’s now available on iTunes, and you can check out three of the tunes on her MySpace page. She also appeared on her hometown FOX TV station after leaving Idol, performing and doing an exit interview with former Idol roommate Megan Joy.
Joanna Pacitti (scratched from competition)
This 25-year-old Philly native signed with A&M Records as a teenager and released a CD, “This Crazy Life” under Geffen Records in 2006 as simply Joanna. You can still download the 13-track CD — for just $6.99 — from iTunes.
She has also had songs on soundtracks, including Legally Blonde and the Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack. So, is she this year’s Carly Smithson? Well, at least Idol judge Kara DioGuardi immediately identified her as a former A&M artist during the Louisville auditions, as opposed to last year where there was barely a mention of Carly’s pre-Idol big-label CD flop.
Prior to her A&M days, at age 12, Joanna won a competition to play the lead role in the 20th anniversary revival of Annie. But she fell ill before the show landed on Broadway, returned to find she’d been replaced and wound up being interviewed on several national TV shows about the subsequent controversy.
As for “This Crazy Life,” Joanna shared writing credit on eight of the 13 tracks. And she seemed truly grateful after getting her golden ticket to Hollywood, breaking down in tears over her fresh opportunity.
On Idol: Between the Judges’ Mansion episode and the start of the semifinals, Joanna was disqualified. Idol still hasn’t given an explanation, that I know of.
Update: Undeterred by her Idol misfortune, Joanna has been spending lots of time in the recording studio over the past year preparing to release a new album. Just check out the Joanna tease on her MySpace. It ends with “album coming soon.” Of course, no definite word on what “soon” means.
10. Felicia Barton
Felicia, 26, hails from Virginia Beach, Va. The Idol blue bar, flashed on the screen when singers audition, identified her as a singer and mom. She earned her golden ticket by singing “Put Your Records On” in Louisville, Kentucky.
And she joins the long list of Idol semifinalists who can already be heard on CD, though Felicia’s is a little different. Felicia is a member of Freedom Fellowship in Virginia Beach. In fact, her husband of seven years, Loren, is an associate pastor, according to the Freedom Fellowship Web site.
And Freedom Fellowship has a live-worship record available on CD Baby “led by the powerful, passionate vocals of” … that’s right, Felicia Barton. The album is “You Are Near.” It was released in 2007. And you can hear clips of the songs here.
The folks at Freedom Fellowship are obviously pretty proud of Felicia. Their events page encouraged folks to gather at the ministry center to watch the Hollywood Week episodes. “Felicia grew up here at Freedom and has served as our worship leader for the past seven years,” the notice reads. “She is a powerful vocalist, song writer and mommy to Malachi.”
In a video posted on Idol today, Felicia says her son is 1 1/2. And in her Hollywood Week video interview, she said he was her inspiration for trying out for season eight. In Felicia’s words: “I decided to audition for American Idol because I have a little boy and I want to teach him to chase his dreams, and I think the best way to teach him that for him to watch mommy chase her dreams.”
On Idol: Sang “No One” in week three of the semifinals, but failed to advance.
Update: Felicia released a four-song EP through Major Bob Music after Idol. She’s also started her own blog, where she says she was surprised by the lack of drama at last week’s People’s Choice Awards, and pleasantly surprised by Carrie Underwood’s victory.
11. Kendall Beard
As a teen, this 24-year-old Texas gal apparently traveled around her home state performing at places like the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, then put her music career on hold while attendng the University of Texas, where she got a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.
In the summer of 2007, she moved to California to attend the university’s Los Angeles program and wound up interning for Sony BMG in the artist publicity department. “I thought I could settle for working in the business side of music, but once I was there, it became apparent to me that this was not where I was meant to be. My love for the creative side of music was too strong to deny.”
That quote comes from the product description for a self-titled CD she released under the Weberworks Entertainment label after meeting Grammy award winning producer Jeffrey Weber. Amazon.com lists four tracks on the CD, which is no longer available. Kendall described it this way: “This album is just like my personality, it has a touch of everything, a little rock, a bit of pop and a touch of country and blues.”
Meanwhile, the Lufkin Daily News has been tracking Kendall’s progress on Idol and reports that she had returned to Lufkin last year to play at the St. Cyprian’s Episcoplal School’s annual fundraiser, the Bayou Bash, and credited the school’s staff for helping her overcome dyslexia when she was a student there. The newspaper also reported that her father is friends with Britney Spears’ father, Jamie, an old college buddy.
Lufkin Daily News story: http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/01/
30/kendall_beard.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=9
On Idol: Sang “This One’s for the Girls” on week three of the semis and failed to advance.
Update: Kendall might not have won over the voters on Idol, but she won in fan voting to become the new CW Austin (Texas) Star, meaning she’ll work with the TV station in front of and behind the camera for the next year. She started her new gig Nov. 30. She’s now CWAustinStar on Twitter, or you can follow her at the station’s Web site here.
12. Kristen McNamara
Kristen, 23, from Napa Valley, Calif., was a contestant on season four of the Idol-like country music competition Nashville Star, placing sixth back in 2006. At the time, she toted around a squirrel skin as a good luck charm, according to her video blogs for the show.
According to her MySpace profile, her “first paying gig” was singing at a funeral and, before heading to Nashville, she sang for the San Francisco Giants and 49ers.
At some point she also recorded two non-country songs you can still find on YouTube, “Now That I Found You” and “Tonight is Goodbye.” The former is particularly good; most of the video you’ll see is from her Nashville Star blogs, where she dislayed her wacky side, singing while sitting in a hillbilly hot tub and interviewing a lobster she was in the process of eating.
In her Idol video interview, she says she now prefers singing “adult contemporary pop,” that friends talked her into auditioning for the show but that American Idol is “something that’s really good to have in your back pocket in the music business these days.”
On Idol: Told me she left her squirrel skin at home for fear of scaring other Hollywood Week contestants. Survived that drama-filled week, but failed to survive round three of the semifinals after taking the purple out of her hair and singing a pitch-perfect “Give Me One Reason.”
Update: Has moved to Los Angeles, where she’s living with Tatiana Nicole Del Toro. Released a Christmas EP of mostly original music, which has temporarily replaced some very good non-Christmas tunes on her MySpace. Oh, and also recently got a mouse, according to her Tweets.
13. Lil Rounds
Lil, 23, was the subject of a feature segment during the Kansas City audition. The segment told how she, her husband and their three children were forced to live out of a motel after a tornado destroyed their home at the Briar Club Apartments near Memphis, Tenn.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal tracked down Briar Club general manager Cynthia Johnson who recalled that Rounds and her husband were “good, quiet, humble people. Nobody knew she was as talented as she turned out to be.”
Indeed, Rounds has received praise from the judges every time she has sung. In her Idol interview, she says she’s been singing since age 2. “That’s when I was successfully able to sing the Happy Birthday song.”
Lil says she prefers singing R&B and a little jazz. According to a fan club Web site, she has sung at a Memphis Club called Fire & Ice.
Memphis Commercial Appeal story
On Idol: A judge favorite among female contestants … at least until the finals started. Made it to week seven of the finals (Disco Week) before being eliminated.
Update: Lil was the featured guest at a parade held in her honor in Memphis in late May. And you can catch video of her talking about her favorite Christmas and doing a weather forecast at the Web site for the FOX station in Memphis. Music? Haven’t heard an update. Anyone know what’s up with Lil musically?
14. Megan Corkrey
Megan was also featured during an audition episode, Salt Lake in this case. We learned that she’s the mother of a 2-year-old son named Ryder, that she decided to divorce his father because “I just knew the life that I had planned for us, that I had pictured, wasn’t going to happen.”
She wound up auditioning on her 23rd birthday, sang “Can’t Help Loving that Man of Mine” and drew rave reviews from all four judges. She was identified as a font designer on the blue ID bar that pops up on Idol when an auditioner begins singing.
In her Idol video, Megan says she usually sings jazz and bluesish and R&B type music. Here’s what she said about her decision to audition: “I was at a crossroads in my life and anything was possible and anything’s still possible, and why not chase a dream.” She shows the potential to be one of this year’s most likeable contestants.
On Idol: Changed the name to Megan Joy. Picked to advance to the finals after singing “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” in the wild card show. Finished ninth on the show and participated in the summer tour.
Update: Lately, she’s been busy posting new songs to her MySpace, songs she apparently wrote. Gotta say, she might be another former contestant far better off singing her own songs than covers. Just check out “Feel Love” and “Incomplete.” No word on whether she’s found the prince for her sleeve tattoo.
15. Mishavonna Henson
Mishavonna — pronounced Mish-a-vonna — is just 18 but has enough TV and movie credits to merit a page on imdb.com as Misha Henson and has a five-track EP under her belt as simply Mishavonna.
She sings country on the CD, released in April 2007, though a rapper interrupts the title track, “Edge of the World,” at a couple of points. I kid you not. You can check it out yourself. Free downloads of all five tracks are available at the Redrum Productions Web site; the EP is also available through iTunes for $4.95.
Among the songs, “Her Next Plan” is particulary good. And “Stand Back,” while young sounding, is quite catchy.
As for her TV credits, they includes appearances on an episode of “Frasier” and the Nickelodeon show “Unfabulous.” Mishavonna made it to Hollywood last year, but got cut on the second day. Here’s what she says about that experience in her Idol video: “I was heartbroken when I got cut. It made me realize how much I really want this.”
On Idol: Sang “Drops of Jupiter” on week two of the semifinals, but failed to advance.
Update: When I talked to Mishavonna over the summer (link here), she said she’d start releasing singles sometime soon. True to her word, “My Cowboy” is now available through iTunes. She also opened for Crystal Gayle at the Kern County Fair and just gave her MySpace a snazzy new look with a snazzy new photo. You’ll have to check it out. Oh, and the rapper on “Edge of the World” — that’s her brother.
16. Stevie Wright
We met 17-year-old Stevie in this year’s very first audition episode from Phoenix where she told the world that her parents named her after a far more famous singer, Stevie Nicks.
According to the Daily Press of Victorville, Calif., Stevie is a student at Serrano High School where she participates in the choral program. “I decided to audition because it’s been my dream snce I was 9 years old … and I was always saying, ‘Mom, when I turn 16, I want to do that.”
She says she prefers singing pop music and that she had a simple strategy for winning over the judges. “My game plan is to just be really bubbly and to show my personality and then just sing my heart out.”
On Idol: Sang Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” in week one of the semifinals and failed to advance.
Update: Sorry, I’ve lost track of Stevie. Anyone out there have any updates?
17. Tatiana Del Toro
Her laugh was featured during the audition show. The drama surrounding her nearly outdid the drama surrounding Bikini Girl during Hollywood Week. What’s coming next?
OK, down to facts. Tatiana is 24 and was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She bills herself as a singer/songwriter of all sorts of music and as a sometimes actress. She has performed at some of California hottest nightspots, Whiskey a Go Go, The Viper Room and The Cat Club, apparently as Tatiana Nicole.
Asked it she writes her own music in a 2006 interview, her response was: “Every note. I write, arrange, produce and perform it.” At the point in her Idol video interview where most contestants talk about the style of music they prefer, Tatiana says: “My favorite type of music is my own music. I love being a songwriter.”
At some point, she was also apparently a student at the New York Film Academy. Someone posted a congratulations to Tatiana on the site last week. One comment was posted under it. The person posting the comment closed with: “Please, try not to laugh so much.”
On Idol: Sang “Saving All My for You” during week one of the semifinals and again during the wild card show. Admits now that was a mistake.
Update: Says she took some time out of the public eye after Idol, but is ready to record new music sometime in 2010. She also hopes to tour and promote the pre-Idol CD she released in 2007, which is part in English, part in Spanish. Part one of my interview with Tatiana was posted over the weekend.
18. Taylor Vaifanua
Add Taylor to the list of Idol wannabes with at least an independent CD release in their past. The 16-year-old released 10-track CD named “Timeless” in 2006. It’s no longer available through CD Universe, but you can still hear short clips of each of the songs there.
The Deseret News of Salt Lake profiled Taylor at the time of her CD release. Taylor’s mom, Angie, explained how Taylor gained an appreciation for music during the five years the family lived in Samoa where “there wasn’t a lot of stuff to do.”
The family now lives in Hurricane, Utah; Taylor told Idol they moved to the United States so she could be discovered.
As for the CD, Taylor told the Deseret News the songs she recorded were mostly written by Christian writers, although they’re not necessarily religious songs. She described them as “kind of inspirational, but hip-hop and pop at the same time.” Idol made much of the fact that the teen stands 5-foot-11. No wonder the newspaper story mentions that she’s also a standout basketball player.
On Idol: Sang “If I Ain’t Got You” pretty darn well in week three of the semifinals. Failed to advance. And I’ll never, ever understand Kara DioGuardi’s “go shopping” critique following that performance.
Update: Her pre-Idol CD is available again. Since Idol, she has performed at the opening of the Huntsman World Senior Olympics in Utah and performed the national anthem at a Sacramento Kings game. And I bet she’d love to take Kara DioGuardi shopping sometime.
THE GUYS
1. Adam Lambert
Think back to that horrendous audition episode from San Francisco. The saving grace was this 26-year-old from Los Angeles, who’s been singing and acting for a while.
According to the artist profile on the Web site for the Upright Cabaret in Los Angeles, he’s been in the cast of “Wicked,” starred as Joshua in “The Ten Commandments” opposite Val Kilmer at the Kodak Theatre in 2004 and has also appeared in “Hair,” “Evita” and “Grease.”
Hey, no wonder he looked so comfortable at the Kodak Theatre during Hollywood Week.
As for music, the site says he joined forces with composer/guitarist Monte Pittman (who toured extensively with Madonna) to form an “alt/pop/rock/electro” band called The Citizen Vein and that the group was hoping to record an album. But he’s no longer listed as a member of the band on the Citizen Vein MySpace page.
In a just-posted video on the Idol Web site, Adam credits his fellow cast members in “Wicked” — he was part of the show for two years — for pushing him into trying out for Idol. In his Hollywood week interview, he says “I guess I consider myself a pop singer, whether it be pop-rock, pop-soul or pop-R&B.”
On Idol: Wowed the audience with “Satisfaction” in week two of the semis and could be counted on to provide a weekly spark throughout the finals. One of the best singers to grace the Idol stage. Also one of the most theatrical.
Update: Finished second on Idol but got a post-Idol red carpet treatment normally reserved for the winner. Spent lots of time on red carpets, too. Shocked lots of folks with unrehearsed moves at the American Music Awards, and also released a solid album, “For Your Entertainment.” Unfortunately, the AMA performance had people talking about him for all the wrong reasons, and he’s yet to score a hit single in a post-Idol career that looked like a sure-fire success.
2. Alexander Wagner-Trugman
Let your friends convince you to take a road trip, and look what happens?
That’s apparently how Alex, 19, of Studio City, Calif., wound up at the American Idol audition in Phoenix. Two of his friends wanted to travel to Phoenix, and the Idol auditions were their excuse, Alex explains in his Idol video interview. “We auditioned for fun, and I made it.”
This guy is quite the character. When we first met him on the Phoenix audition show, he told the judges he taught himself to sing in a moldy closet. Simon’s response: “So, you’ve come out of the closet.” Ha, ha.
Oh, and here’s something to look forward to. In a video Idol posted today, Alex says he can juggle. In fact, if he makes it far enough on Idol, he says he’d like to juggle fire on stage. Wow, don’t think that’s been done before. As for music, he prefers poppish, rockish music, he says, anything with soul.
Has he really spent all his singing time in a closet? I’m not sure. But I found a Web reference for an Alex Wagner-Trugman who attended the Buckley School, performed in musicals there and accompanied a school troupe to a performance in Scotland. Anyone know if it’s the same guy?
On Idol: Sang “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” in week three of the semis. Failed to advance.
Update: He acted a little goofy on Idol, so you won’t be surprised by the slightly goofy videos he’s posted on YouTube since Idol. In one, he sings “To Make You Feel My Love” (not too badly). But apologizes for his subpar guitar playing. And for singing so quietly. (Explains that his sister was sleeping.)
3. Anoop Desai
Wow, Anoop nailed that Boyz II Men song during the Kansas City auditions, didn’t he?
Little surprise. He’s apparently an old hand at singing Boyz II Men. In fact, if you head to http://www.clefhangers.com/ you can buy two albums of music by the Clef Hangers — “Facing Clarence,” released in 2005; and “Time Out,” released in 2007 — with Anoop as the featured vocalist on six tracks. Those songs include Boyz II Men’s “Can You Stand the Rain.”
The Clef Hangers are an a capella group of University of North Carolina singers, and Anoop is their president emeritus, according to a message posted on the site wishing the 22-year-old the best during his Idol run.
The Chapel Hill News recently ran an extensive feature on Anoop, reporting that he also founded a men’s a cappella ensemble at East Chapel Hill High School. Here’s what Charles Askew, a current member of the Clef Hangers told the newspaper: “Honestly, Anoop is the best singer I’ve ever heard in person. I’ve been in a capella groups for eight years, and I have yet to come across someone that talented.”
In his Idol video interview, Anoop says he prefers singing R&B.
On Idol: Failed to advance from week one of the semis. Got a second chance when selected for the wild card round. Then benefited from the judges’ decision to have 13 finalists instead of 12. Made it all the way to week seven of the finals.
Update: He helped host First Night in Raleigh, N.C., and announced that he’d be releasing a single in late March or April, followed by an album in April. And he just finished a writing session with Ricky Braddy and Josh Hoge and singing the National Anthem at the North Carolina Tar Heels ACC opener in men’s basketball.
4. Brent Keith
Brent is one of two season eight contestants to previously appear on the Idol-like country singing competition Nashville Star. He was on the show’s second season in 2004 and finished sixth. (Kristen McNamara would also finish sixth two years later).
Brent, 29, also sang the title track to Country Music Television’s 2007 documentary about the life of racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. The film was titled simply, “Dale;” Brent’s song was “Looking for the Road” and is still available on YouTube.
In his Idol video interview, Brent said he’s been watching Idol the last couple of seasons and decided to audition this year because it’s the last he would be eligible to do so because of the show’s age restrictions.
He lives in Nashville and says he prefers singing contemporary country and classic rock.
On Idol: Sang “Hicktown” in week one of the semifinals. Failed to advance.
Update: Judging from his Twitter comments, he’s sworn off reality music shows, but is still determined to make it in the music business. Judging from the new songs he keeps posting on his MySpace page, he has a good chance of succeeding at that.
5. Danny Gokey
Danny, 28, credits his wife, Sophia, for convincing him to try out for American Idol. Of course, as we all know by now, Sophia died four weeks before his American Idol audition in Kansas City, Missouri.
According to On Milwaukee.com, Danny is an employee of Wisconsin’s Faith Builders International Ministry. And in a video interview posted Thursday, he talks about spending a lot of time singing with his church.
Danny has also started “Sophia’s Heart Foundation” in honor of his wife. According to its Web site, the foundation’s mission is to “help mend and heal the hearts of children who have been touched by poverty, sickness, disease, broken families and broken dreams.”
This Robert Downey Jr. look-alike says his wife remains his inspiration. “Once she passed away, something on the inside me just bubbled up, and I have so much purpose. I feel like there’s so much destiny now in what I’m doing. I feel like there’s a message I have to give.”
Judging from the judges’ reactions to date, he’s been doing everything right.
On Idol: An early favorite who benefited from a heck of a lot of airtime early on in season eight. Sang Mariah Carey’s “Hero” in week one of the semis, advanced, then made it all the way to third place on the show.
Update: He’s gone country, performing at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (listen here) and releasing his first country single. The album, “My Best Days,” is due out in April; pre-order it here. Oh, and he just got his first tattoo, on his upper right arm. It reads, of course, “Sophia.” He sent out a twitpic for those who are interested.
6. Jorge Nunez-Mendez
American Idol came to Jorge, or we probably wouldn’t be seeing him in the semifinals next week.
The 21-year-old explains that his grandfather always wanted him to audition for the show and promised to finance his travel to the United States so he could do so.
But his grandfather died six months ago. Then, when Jorge discovered American Idol planned auditions in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he just had to try out.
In his Idol video interview, Jorge said he’s been singing since age 10 when he was in a choir. As a solo artist, he says he likes anything from classic to pop music. He also says he’s fluent in three languages — Spanish, English and French.
On Idol: Advanced from week three of the semis. Sang “Never Can Say Goodbye” in week one of the finals and was eliminated, hence missing out on the summer tour.
Update: Anyone have an update on Jorge?
7. Ju’Not Joyner
The second time in Hollywood proved a charm for Junot, 26, of Bowie, Md., who lists his name as Ju’Not on his MySpace page.
He lists Marvin Gaye and Ronald Isley as his musical influences and, in his profile, says he wants “to impact the world like a Barack Obama or a Tupac Shakur. I hope to do it through music.”
As for the second-time-around business, Junot made it to Hollywood in season seven, only to be cut. How did he feel after getting a golden ticket this year. “When I made it to Hollywood, my first thought was, ‘Wow, here we go again,'” he says in his Idol video interview. “Last season … of course, it didn’t turn out as I would have liked, but you put the past behind you.”
Viewers got to see very little of Junot until Tuesday’s final show from Hollywood, when he turned in a fine version of “Hey There Delilah.”
On Idol: Sang “Hey There Delilah” very well again on week three of the semifinals. Failed to advance. Somehow, also failed to get invited back for the wild card show.
Update: When I talked to Ju’Not over the summer, he said he wasn’t bitter about the Idol experience. The word he used: “enlightened.” He came away feeling contestants had little control over the outcome. Who could blame him, given the ridiculous season eight semifinal format? He also said he was working on an album to be called “The Lover, the Leader and the Lunatic,” and that the first single would be his own full-length version of “Hey There Delilah.” Haven’t seen the album, but he has songs posted on MySpace.
8. Kai Kalama
Kai, 26, of San Clemente, Calif., is the singer profiled at the end of the San Francisco audition show, the one who put his music career on hold for a year to care for his sick mother.
The Orange County Register profiled Kai in a Jan. 21 story. Apparently he and his brother, Ryan, formed a band while they were in middle school and have been performing in Southern California ever since.
The band, Off White, has a Web site that says it specializes in “soul rock straight from the broken heart of Southern California.” Register on the Web site and you’ll be able to download three of the band’s songs as MP3s for free. “Couldn’t Do It Til Now” is particularly impressive.
The Web site also credits their mom for teaching them to sing via the church choir. In his Idol video, Kai confirms his favorite type of music is “soul rock, you can get a little rough and a little soft at the same time.”
On Idol: I expected to see a lot of Kai. We never did after the audition shows. Sang “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” in week two of the semis, but didn’t advance.
Update: Kai marched in the Global Earth Hour parade in San Clemente back in April. Musically, he’s another guy I’ve lost track of. Is he back performing with Off White? Anyone know? I did come across three tweets in the last two days from fans who wished he were eligible for Idol season nine.
9. Kris Allen
Chalk up Kris as another contestant who has already released an independent CD, in his case “Brand New Shoes,” which came out in September 2007.
Kris’ MySpace page identifies him as a singer-songwriter out of Little Rock, Ark., who taught himself to play guitar at age 13. Among other instruments he plays: the viola and ukulele.
The FOX affiliate in Little Rock, KLRT 16, identifies Kris as a business major at the University of Central Arkansas. And KARK Channel 4 reports that he performed with the worship team at New Life Church in Little Rock for years.
He auditioned with his brother in San Francisco, but only Kris got a golden ticket. In his Idol video interview, the 23-year-old says he prefers singing soul music.
On Idol: Sang “Man in the Mirror” in week two of the semifinals and advanced. Somehow overcame a lack of early airtime to become an audience favorite. Then pulled the biggest upset in Idol history.
Update: Idol’s champ for season eight. Released a self-titled album which debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 — the lowest of any post-show debut album from an Idol winner. But his first single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” has been the most successful from season eight contestants so far and currently stands at number 30 on the Hot 100. Spent New Year’s Eve in Vegas, headlining Billboard’s televised bash.
10. Matt Breitzke
Matt, 28, is the welder who had to square off against Michael Sarver, the oil rig worker, in a sing-off at the end of Wednesday’s show. Of course, as we all know by now, both made the semifinals.
Matt lives in Bixby, Okla., and, according to the Bixby Bulletin newspaper, he has been singing and playing the guitar since fifth grade.
His wife, Shelly, is a third-grade teacher at Peters Elementary in Broken Arrow, Okla., and the Union Public Schools Web site has a page applauding Matt’s efforts on Idol. The page also features a photo of Matt with their son, Travis, that Shelly sent around the school via email because so many teachers wanted to see what her husband looks like. “Ironically,” she writes, “he is wearing the same shirt that he wears in his audition. (He really needs to go shopping)!”
Cute. But, hey, if you’ve heard him, this guy can really sing. In his Idol interview, he says his wife and co-workers coerced him into auditioning. “Sheer numbers said I wasn’t going to make it, but I did,” he says, adding that he really doesn’t have a favorite kind of music. “I like to think I’m pretty well rounded.”
On Idol: Sang “If You Could Only See” in week two of the semifinals. Failed to advance.
Update: Apparently, Matt is now lead vocalist for a five-member country group named Dixie Train, based in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area. The band’s MySpace profile says Matt “is one of the most talented vocalists we have had the pleasure of playing behind, and he’s a pretty good guitar picker too.”
11. Matt Giraud
Matt, 23, is the dueling piano player we met during the Louisville auditions. This lad from Kalamazoo, Mich., has also apparently released two CDs worth of material as an independent artist, one in 2003 (“Perspective”) and one in 2006 (“Mind, Body and Soul”). You can listen to 30-second clips of the songs at payplay.fm and several other sites.
On his MySpace page, Matt says he played drums for his local church, eventually became more serious about playing music and taught himself how to play the piano. He attended Western Michigan University, which issued a press release in June 2007 congratulating Matt and four other jazz students for winning awards from DownBeat Magazine. The release says he and Gerald Mattei won for Blues/Pop/Rock/ Outstanding
Performance for the Giraud/Mattei Project, which include a song called “First Impression.”
As for his dueling piano gig, he’s a featured performer at Monaco Bay in downtown Kalamazoo.
On Idol: Failed to advance from round two of the semis after a lackluster version of “Viva la Vida.” But he was a judge favorite, so he got invited back to the wild card round, got picked for the finals, then was the beneficiary of the judges’ save later on. Finished fifth.
Update: Matt recently alerted fans via Twitter that he plans to release a single on iTunes in February and just started rehearsing with his new band. And, in a recent interview, he told American Idol he’s hoping to put together an EP of four or five of his best originals to shop around in hopes of landing a record deal.
12. Michael Sarver
Michael, 27, of Jasper, Texas, is the oil rig worker we met during the Phoenix auditions. You know, the guy who’s singing has been knock-your-socks-off good every time he’s appeared on the program.
As a bit of a tip-off that he made the final 36, FOX crews showed up at Harvest Church in Jasper on Sunday to film a segment, according to the Beaumont Enterprise. The newspaper reports that Michael leads a worship and praise team at the church and was once a lead singer at Victory Christian Center in Houston.
And, of course, we learned about his family and his oft dangerous job during the audition show. He’s married with two young children and says during his Idol video interview that his first thought after getting his golden ticket was “what this could mean for my family.”
He says he’s been singing seriously since age 11 and prefers singing pop and R&B.
On Idol: Sang “I Don’t Want To Be” in week one of the semifinals and advanced. Finished 10th, just good enough to qualify for the summer tour.
Update: Michael has a record deal, with Dream Records, which plans to release his debut country album sometime this spring. Two songs, “You Are” and “Cinderella Girl” are already available on iTunes, and you can also hear them on Michael’s MySpace.
13. Nathaniel Marshall
Nathaniel sure had his share of drama during Hollywood Week.
First, he shed a couple of tears when forced to defend his song choice on day one, explaining that: “I want this more than anything. It’s on my skin. It bursts out of me every time I’m on stage.” The tears were back prior to the group performance, when his cohorts on Team Compromise, Kristen McNamara and Nancy Wilson, weren’t exactly getting along.
But the 19-year-old New Yorker survived and explains why the competition means so much to him in his Idol video interview. “I auditioned three times before. I busted my butt … Instead of going out and getting a real job, I just kept at it, trying to get into the music business, so I just started crying.”
Ah, yeah, there were tears after he got the golden ticket, too. If this guy hangs around long, we’re going to have to call on season seven contestant Ramiele Malubay and her box of tissues. But the guy has a voice, as evidenced by the video below.
On Idol: Sang “I’d Do Anything for Love” in round three of the semifinals. Did not advance.
Update: Not sure what Nathaniel’s doing musically now, but if you head to YouTube you can see several videos of him performing at something called the Franklin Academy’s Spring Fling post-Idol. And in this one, he talks about his Idol experience and performs an original song, “Here We Go,” for the first time.
14. Nick Mitchell
Say it ain’t so. This guy made it to Hollywood acting like a clown. What’s he going to do when the voting rounds begin?
Everyone remembers Nick, aka Normund Gentle. If you think he has displayed a split personality on Idol, get this: He had two MySpace pages, one for himself, one for this Normund character. On his own MySpace page, he identified himself as a “comic-actor slash singer” who performs improv shows in New York and Connecticut. On Normund’s MySpace page, he bemoans the fact that “it has been very hard to find someone who recognizes this talent I have.” Hmm.
Meanwhile, the News-Times of Danbury, Conn., has been following Nick’s progress on the show. They profiled him on Feb. 6. They even tracked down his date for the senior prom, who described him “as alive and vibrant, always singing and always making people laugh. He’s just that guy.” The story also says Nick landed the lead role in the Brookfield High School musical each of his four years at the school.
As for Idol viewers, perhaps we can consider ourselves fortunate. According to his MySpace page, Nick has another character, Carmine DiNapoli, who we haven’t yet had an opportunity to meet.
On Idol: I forget what he sang during the semifinals. It was another comedy routine, meaning a performance not to be taken seriously.
Update: Including him on an audition show was one thing. Giving him a golden ticket, then a spot in the semifinals was a waste of an opportunity someone else should have had. I don’t blame Nick. Heck, what great publicity. But he never sang a serious note on the show, so I don’t care what he’s doing now.
15. Ricky Braddy Jr.
Ricky, 25, has been through this before, albeit on a smaller scale with less at stake. Back in 2006, he auditioned with 55 other students for a spot in the annual Commercial Music Showcase at the Belmont University School of Music.
A junior at the time, he earned one of the five spots and sang “Dying to Live” and the Ray Charles’ classic “Song for You.” A campus press release for the event said “Though Ricky’s influences are Christian, Southern Gospel and Broadway Showtunes, he will perform R&B … because he loves singing that style of music.”
The Daily Advance of Elizabeth City, N.C., has been tracking Ricky’s Idol run. Though he now lives in Nashville, Ricky’s a native of Elizabeth City. The newspaper quoted drummer Martin Parker of a local band Out ‘n the Cold as saying Ricky’s music talent is “world-class good.” “He’s smooth — he’s the whole package,” according to Parker, who also said Ricky sang with a gospel group known as Step of Faith as a teenager.
As for why Ricky tried out for Nashville … well, he answers that question in his Idol video interview. “I was running a restaurant in Nashville, Tenn., and I just woke up after school and thought, ‘This is just not it at all.'”
On Idol: Turned in a great version of “A Song for You” in week one of the semis. Failed to advance. Turned in a great version of “Superstition” in the wild card round. Failed to advance. Exhibit A in defense of what Ju’Not said above.
Update: In a post-Idol interview, Ricky said he was concentrating on songwriting, something he’s been doing in Nashville for a couple of years. And just last week, he was working with Anoop on material for his upcoming album. Still think this guy deserved a shot at the finals based on his two semifinal performances. No idea what the judges were listening to.
16. Scott MacIntyre
Wow, you think those Idol gals we talked about yesterday had a good deal of studio experience for amateurs. This guy’s got them beat.
You remember Scott. Idol introduced him to us as the visually impaired piano player in the first audition episode from Phoenix. What they didn’t tell us is that he’s been performing for years, both as part of a family quartet known as the MacIntyre Family Singers and as a solo artist.
According to his Web site, he has independently produced six full-length CDs — some of which were at one point available on iTunes — in genres spanning pop, rock, punk, jazz and classical. He performed on the “Hour of Power” and at the Kennedy Center and has been profiled on CNN and in USA Today.
Some amateur, huh?
You’ll also recall this is the guy who graduated from Arizona State University at age 19. Videos of Scott performing as a soloist have been removed from YouTube, but performances of the MacIntrye Family Singers — also including Todd, Katelyn and Carole — remain and are quite good. Several songs by the group can also be heard on their MySpace page.
On Idol: Sang “Mandolin Rain” during week three of the semis and advanced. Never lived up to expectations in the finals. Finished eighth.
Update: Scott has released two EPs since Idol — the five-track “View from Above” and the three-track “Christmas Angel.” The former reflects on his experiences after undergoing a kidney transplant in 2007, according to his MySpace blog. You can hear the excellent “I’ll Take Tom” and snippets of two of the other songs on that site.
17. Stephen Fowler
In his Idol video, Stephen says he was thinking about auditioning for American Idol for years, but kept putting if off. “Finally, my wife was like, ‘I’ll divorce you if you don’t try out this year.’ No, I’m joking.”
On his MySpace page, this 26-year-old from Cleveland says he’s been playing piano for 15 years, bass for two and singing “all my life.” He describes music “as the cheapest, most effective form of therapy I know.”
He told Idol he prefers singing gospel and soul music.
Meanwhile, there’s a reality TV personality in Cleveland named Isaac Stout. His MySpace page talks about a band he formed, including a gospel musician named Stephen Fowler, who plays keyboards, provides background vocals and helps with arrangements and production. Anyone know if that’s the Idol contestant?
On Idol: Sang “Rock With You” in a week one semifinal performance the judges didn’t like. Failed to advance.
Update: Stephen’s another contestant I’ve lost track of. Anyone know what Mr. Fowler is up to?
18. Von Smith
Von’s claim to fame is a YouTube video of himself singing “And I am Telling You” that Rosie O’Donnell saw, prompting her to invite him to sing it on The View in February 2007.
Von, 22, of Kansas City, Mo., told the story about how his video became a YouTube hit on the show. He sang the song at the groundbreaking for a performing arts center and downloaded it onto the site. Then “Dreamgirls” came out. “Everyone starting searching for music from the movie,” he told Rosie. “They found me, a skinny white kid, singing the song.”
Apparently, they liked it. In an interview you can find on YouTube, he says the video got 400,000 hits. He also talks about traveling to New York and Los Angeles trying to make inroads in the music business and recording about an album’s worth of as-of-yet unreleased material at a recording studio in Atlanta.
Of course, who sang “And I am Telling You” in “Dreamgirls?” Former Idol contestant and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson, of course. And what did Rosie tell Von when he finished singing on the View? “You are better than anyone on American Idol. I gotta tell you that right now, kid.”
On Idol: Sang “You’re All I Need to Get By” in week one of the semis and “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” in the wild card round. Didn’t advance.
Update: In a blog posted after his return from Idol, he admitted the pressure “was a little heavier than I anticipated to fit a certain mold,” but vowed to be himself from that point on. He’s dyed his hair blond and has continued performing. In fact, he posted three new videos on MySpace last month.
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