Welcome
to the talent zone for the United States, where we profile the very
best talents discovered on American television talent shows
this
century.
There
has been a number of talent shows in the USA over the years but none
has dominated the TV landscape like American Idol. American Idol was
introduced to the USA by Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell, following the
success of Pop Idol in the United Kingdom. In 2002 Starsearch, a
popular US talent show in the eighties and nineties was revived as some
would see it, to challenge the dominance of American Idol. But even
this show that produced a worthy winner in Tiffany Evans could not
withstand the force that is American Idol. However, there are shows in
other music genres enjoying a degree of success inspired by the
American Idol phenomenon such as American Juniors, and Nashville
Star.
America’s Got Talent is another popular show. It was created by Simon
Cowell and introduced to the USA in 2006. The format of this show is
different to that of the other popular talent shows because it features
not only singers but dancers, magicians, comedians and other performers
of all ages competing for the top prize of 1 million dollars.
Click
here to view performances from Amercia’s Got Talent.
The
format of American Idol is similar to that of the British Pop Idol show
where viewers vote each week to save their favourite contestant from
being ejected from the competition. After each performance, the
contestants are critiqued by the judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and
Randy Jackson. It has to be said that the appeal of the show is not
only the performance of the contestants good or bad, but also the
comments from the judges, in particular Simon Cowell who is well known
for his plain speaking. Let’s also not forget the very charismatic and
fun loving host, Ryan Seacrest. His banter with the contestants and
judging panel is also in our view a key ingredient in the show’s appeal.
The
success of American Idol has transcended American; It is also popular
in many other countries around the world.
Kelly was born in Forth Worth Texas but
grew up
in a small Texan town called Burleson. She once had ambitions to become
a Marine Biologist, but one day a teacher in her high school heard her
singing and invited her to join the school choir. Kelly went on to
performed in a number of school musicals and as a result developed an
appetite for singing. She then decided to pursue singing as a career.
Before American Idol, Kelly went to Hollywood to try to get her big
break. She managed to get a minor role in a popular US sitcom, but
nothing much happened after that. In 2002, persuaded by a few friends,
she entered the American Idol competition and became the competition’s
first ever winner.
Since leaving Idol, Kelly has gone on to release three top 10 selling
albums all of which has gone platinum. She has now become an
international music superstar.
Before Your Love (Live)
Before Your Love
was released as a double A-side with the song A Moment Like
This. This was kelly's debut single. Other sinlge releases include:
Carrie, a country girl from Checotah
Oklahoma,
won American Idol in 2005. She delivered a number of brilliant
performances which made Simon Cowell predict that she would not only
win the competition, but would outsell all other previous Idol winners.
Carrie started singing at a very young age. At the age of three she
sang with her local church choir. This love for singing stayed with her
through high school and university. It was while she was completing her
studies in Mass Communication at Northeastern State University that she
travelled to St. Louis, Missouri to audition for American Idol.
Carrie’s post Idol career has so far seen her albums sales go
multi-platinum around the world. It seems Simon Cowell may be able to
predict the future after all.
Jesus Take The Wheel
Jesus Take The Wheel was
the second single
taken from Carrie's debut platinum selling
album titled Some Hearts. Other singles released by Carrie include:
Bo
was the runner-up in the 2005 season of American Idol, loosing out to
Carrie Underwood. Bo was born in Nutsville, Alabama but move to London
England at the age of 15 as a result of his father’s work assignment to
the UK. Bo attended London Central High School but just before turning
18, he dropped out of school to return to Alabama to complete his
studies at Calhoun Community College.
Bo is a professional musician who is able play a number of musical
instruments including the Saxophone and Mandolin. Before entering
American Idol, he already had a lot of experience playing in shows
across America, England and Ireland. He was also one of the oldest
constant ever to appear on American Idol, thanks to the change of the
age limit in 2005 from 26 to 28 years old.
Since leaving Idol, Bo has gone on to release successful singles and
albums. He also continue to give live performances including
performing for American troops stationed in Kuwait and Afghanistan.
Witness
Witness is the first
single taken from Bo's second album See The Light. Other
singles released by Bo include:
Ruben is the winner
of the
second season of American Idol. He was brought up in Birmingham
Alabama, but was born in Frankfurt Germany due to his farther
being posted there with the US Army in 1978.
Ruben started singing at a very young age in his local Baptist Church.
In later years he began to think seriously about having a career in
music. He graduated in Voice Studies in 2000 and then joined a popular
Jazz and R&B band in Birmingham Alabama. In 2003 he decided to
audition for American Idol in Nashville Tennessee. During the show he
wore shirts printed with the number 205, the area code of his hometown
of Birmingham. He was also given the nickname "Velvet Teddy Bear" by
the legendary Gladys Knight.
Since leaving
American Idol, Ruben has released three successful albums in the US,
with his debut album going platinum.
I Need An Angel
I Need An Angel is a
single taken from the Album with the same name. Other singles released
by Ruben include:
Fantasia Barrino from High Point, North Carolina, won American Idol in
2004. She delivered a series of outstanding performances that led the
judges to conclude that she was the best contestant ever to compete in
the American Idol competitions.
Her musical style is influence by gospel music and Rhythm and Blues.
Growing up, Fantasia was influence by artists such as Shirley Caesar,
Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin. There is no doubt that Fantasia
herself will go on to influence a whole generation
of young singers.
Post Idol, Fantasia has gone on to have continued chart success with
Platinum selling albums, and stared in a television film based on her
autobiography Life Is Not A Fairy Tale. The film was directed by Debbie
Alan.
Baby Mama (Live)
Baby Mama was the
third
track taken from Fantasia's debut album Free Yourself.
Other songs from the album include:
Clay was the runner-up in the 2003
season of
American Idol. He narrowly lost out to Rubin Studdard, but has gone on
to enjoy a very successful music career. He has become the most
successful male and the most successful runner-up in American Idol
history.
Born and raised in Raleigh, North Caroline, Clay’s singing talents were
evident from a young age. He sang in his school and church choirs and
also showcased his talent in musicals and theatre productions. After
high school he sang with a local band. Before entering American Idol,
he already recorded three demo albums.
Clay has had a long standing interest in special education needs of
children. At the age of nineteen he worked as a substitute teacher in a
class room of students with autism. While at University, he took a
part-time job to assist a boy with autism. It was the mother of the boy
who persuaded him to audition for American Idol. In 2004 Clay was
appointed a UNICEF National Ambassador.
Since leaving Idol,
Clay has had a number of successful albums with some going platinum. He
also co wrote a best selling book and performed in a number of Broadway
roles.
This Is The Night (Live)
This Is The Night was the first
single from Clay's debut platinum selling album titled The Measure Of A
Man. Other singles released by Clay include:
