Katharine McPhee

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Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee's 2007 album cover
Katharine McPhee's 2007 album cover
Background information
Birth name Katharine Hope McPhee
Born March 25, 1984 (age 22)
Origin United States Los Angeles, California
Years active 2006—present
Label(s) RCA/19 (2006-present)

Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer who was the runner-up to Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of American Idol.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years

Born in Sherman Oaks (a Los Angeles neighborhood), McPhee has been singing since the age of two. Her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee[1] (stage name Peisha Arten[2]), a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer, recognized a talent for music in her daughter and decided to train her. Her father, Daniel McPhee, is a television producer and her older sister, Adriana Burch McPhee (born June 30, 1982) is an aspiring producer as well. McPhee also has two dogs named Lilly and Nena. She carries them along when McPhee is on shoots or during recordings

McPhee graduated in 2002 from Notre Dame High School. At Notre Dame, McPhee was a student body vice president, a varsity swimmer, a dancer, and a thespian. She performed in school plays with her elder sister Adriana; both sisters were voted homecoming prom queen in their senior year.

Afterward, McPhee attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. McPhee left the college due to her manager's suggestion that she try out for television pilots in Los Angeles. In a People news article it was reported that she was rejected in "only 195 out of 200 auditions."[3] She was eventually casted as "Paramount Girl" in the 2006 musical film about the life of Hank Garland, Crazy[4] Other early acting endeavors included lead actress in local professional productions of Annie Get Your Gun and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. She was nominated in 2005 for the Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for her lead role in Annie Get Your Gun. McPhee was also part of a failed mall-based MTV soap opera entitled You Are Here, playing the older sister of a more popular younger sister.[5]

[edit] American Idol

McPhee was persuaded by a significant other to try out for American Idol. She auditioned in San Francisco, and sang "God Bless the Child," originally performed by Billie Holiday. Paula Abdul said that McPhee looked beautiful, Randy Jackson hailed her audition as potentially the best so far that season, and Simon Cowell complimented her for being "current" in terms of her appearance. Cowell also noted that McPhee was not the wannabe that he'd presumed she was after learning that her mother was a singer.

In the final cut-down show for the Top 24, McPhee was one of the first to be put through and, in excitement, kissed all three judges on the lips.

McPhee listed Whitney Houston and Brian McKnight as her favorite artists[6] in the American Idol interview of the top 24 semi-finalists.

During the week leading to the third round of the semi-finals, she was rumored to be quitting due to pregnancy. However, during the performance show on March 7, 2006, she denied this accusation, attributing it to a poor choice of clothing. Host Ryan Seacrest, with tongue-in-cheek, later asked about her and fellow Idol contestant Kevin Covais; McPhee playfully denied any relationship.

During the week preceding the top three show, McPhee visited her former high school for her hometown celebration.[7]

McPhee's run on American Idol led to the popular use of the term "McPheever", coined by Ralph Garman of Los Angeles radio station KROQ's morning show Kevin and Bean.

McPhee was congratulated by Congressman Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks, the 27th district of California, who raised a flag in her honor at the United States Capitol on the day of the finale show.[8]

During the competition, McPhee roomed with fellow contestant Kellie Pickler, and when Pickler was eliminated, she roomed with Paris Bennett.[9]

List of Katharine McPhee's performances on American Idol 
Semifinals
Finals
  • March 14, 2006 - "Until You Come Back to Me," Stevie Wonder
    • The theme was Stevie Wonder, and the judges stated that they loved this performance. Jackson said that the McPhee he "met during the auditions" was back. Cowell compared her gaining of momentum to Kelly Clarkson in the show's first season.
  • March 21, 2006 - "Come Rain or Come Shine," Ella Fitzgerald
    • The theme was 1950's, and once again the judges were very impressed. Jackson noted that it wasn't her best vocal performance, but it was still great. Abdul agreed wholeheartedly. Cowell noted that it was the performance that made her a star.
  • March 28, 2006 - "The Voice Within," Christina Aguilera - (Bottom 2)
    • The theme was songs of the 21st century. Jackson thought she should have changed the performance up to make it her own. Abdul said she wouldn't change a thing. Cowell said it was the best that night so far, and almost as good as Aguilera. During the results show, however, McPhee was placed in the bottom three, and Cowell stated that upon viewing the playback, she wasn't nearly as good as he thought.
  • April 4, 2006 - "Bringing Out The Elvis," from album Breathe 1999, Faith Hill
    • The theme for the night was country. McPhee was the eighth of nine performers that night. Jackson said: "Kind of bluesy country, yeah? I like it. You sang it very nice, very nice. Good job, dog, good job." Abdul said: "That is your style; that's your niche. You look sexy, hot. You're cool." Cowell, looking a bit bewildered, said: "I don't know what to say anymore; I really don't. That song was just so peculiar." At this point McPhee spoke up and said: "Simon, you just don't like country music. It's okay. Just say it," with which Cowell agreed, saying: "You're right, I don't, I don't. I hate it."
  • April 11, 2006 - "Who Wants to Live Forever," Queen
    • The theme was songs by Queen, and McPhee performed fifth out of eight contestants. The judges' reactions were as follows: Jackson said: "This is your element, I mean a little Broadway, big song, kind of big voice. It was a little pitchy in spots, and I thought at some points it was a little big for you, but you did a good job, I think, all in all." Abdul said: "You made the right decision to just stand there and be glorious, with your glorious voice. I mean it's a song that big singers like Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand take on; and you, Katharine McPhee, can handle it, and you did a great job." Cowell said: "Katharine, I mean that was almost the moment. You know, I agree with Randy [Jackson], I think there were some tuning problems at parts. I think you owe a big kiss to the director and the lighting director there, because they made you look amazing — I mean really good. But overall I think it was probably one of the strongest tonight. Yeah. Very good." She turned and thanked them.
  • April 18, 2006 - "Someone to Watch Over Me," George Gershwin
    • The theme was "The Great American Songbook" by Rod Stewart. McPhee performed last that night. Jackson said that McPhee was in her "element." Abdul believed that she picked the perfect song and told her that it was like watching her for the very first time, and that she had fallen in love with her all over again. Cowell said that she made the others look like "good amateurs." He told her she was the best of the night, and that she was elegant and sang like a returning pro. Rod Stewart made some very positive comments about her: "Katharine I believe, is born to sing the standards. I would imagine big things for her. There's not much I can say about this girl - she's fantastic."
  • April 25, 2006 - "I Have Nothing," Whitney Houston - (Top 2)
    • The theme was "Greatest Love Songs." Jackson said that it was a good song choice but it was too big for her. Abdul said she was stunning but believed it was too pitchy. Cowell said that by coming out and singing that song she was saying she is as good as Whitney Houston. Seacrest jokingly remarked that McPhee would get votes from anybody with the volume turned down. The following night, Cowell took back his statement, saying that when he watched it back, it wasn't as bad as he had told her. Jackson also apologized by saying that he had been a little bit "too harsh." Abdul said that she has never been harsh, and later said that she still didn't feel that Katharine had had a good night. McPhee was among the top two vote getters on elimination night along with fellow contestant Chris Daughtry.
  • May 2, 2006 - "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", Phil Collins; "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," KT Tunstall
    • The theme for the night was for them to pick a song from the same year they were born, and a song from this week's Billboard charts. For "Against All Odds," Jackson thought her performance may have been in the wrong key for Katharine's voice, but it was OK. Abdul said it wasn't her favorite song choice for her. Cowell said that in parts the song was a mess, and that it ran away from her. They all thought she looked stunning in her dress. For "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," she was accompanied by two cajon box drum players. Jackson liked seeing the old McPhee back. Abdul loved the intimacy and the choreography. Cowell said the song choice was great for her and it really showed her personality. She performed barefoot, and he liked how her toes matched her top.
  • May 9, 2006 - "Hound Dog/All Shook Up" and "Can't Help Falling in Love", Elvis Presley - (Bottom 2)
    • The theme was Elvis Presley. For "Hound Dog/All Shook Up", Jackson asked if she forgot the lyrics but Abdul said she handled it well and that the performance was "really fun". Cowell said it was a "desperate manic audition" and that the song was also "shrieky" and for him, he just thought that it "wasn't a great performance", although he previously mistakenly said that it was a great performance, but then corrected it. When Ryan Seacrest asked him "is that your final answer?" (an obvious reference to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire), Cowell said yes, it wasn't a great performance. For "Can't Help Falling in Love," she received mixed reviews, as well as Abdul commenting that she preferred "Katharine having fun" and Simon noting the song as being "pitchy." On May 10, 2006, McPhee was in the bottom two with Chris Daughtry. Daughtry was eliminated from the competition.
  • May 16, 2006
    • Clive Davis chose R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" for McPhee. Jackson thought she did well, but the song choice was bad and she wasn't "that singer." Abdul, after some pause and inspiration from an audience member, said that McPhee was incredible, and that she looked fabulous. Cowell enjoyed the performance.
    • Cowell chose "Over the Rainbow," (Eva Cassidy's 1996 rendition, and originally made famous by Judy Garland) for McPhee. Jackson was blown away, calling her "a hot one," and declaring that she had the best song of the season. Abdul was also impressed, saying that song was her "element." Cowell said that he was very happy for McPhee and, putting the fact that he chose the song aside, he thought it was the best performance of the competition to date. He also added that it was brilliant.
    • McPhee chose Ella Fitzgerald's "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" (from "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook") for her final song. Jackson said it was good, but not to the extent of her second song. Abdul agreed, once again saying that McPhee's second song was her "element." Cowell said it was okay, and he wished America had seen her second song last instead. McPhee made it to the final two, along with Taylor Hicks.
  • May 23, 2006
    • McPhee's first song was "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" from the Final 5. Randy Jackson said it was better than the first time. Paula Abdul said that Katharine was brilliant. Simon Cowell said it was good, but not big enough for this event.
    • McPhee's second song was "Over the Rainbow" from the Final 3. Jackson said it was amazing and hot. Abdul said it was great. Cowell said it was her best performance of the season.
    • McPhee's third song was an original single called "My Destiny" written by singer/songwriter Hanne Sorvaag. Jackson said McPhee looked and sounded amazing, but she was better than the song. Abdul agreed that McPhee sounded amazing. Cowell said that this song made her go from "brilliant" to only "quite good", but her second song was where she truly shined.
  • May 24, 2006
    • At the end of the 2 hour season finale, the final votes revealed that McPhee did not receive a majority of the votes, thus crowning Taylor Hicks the new American Idol. Ryan Seacrest stated there were over 63.4 million votes. Not long before the finale began, McPhee stated that she had changed into a record of nine dresses during the show.

[edit] Post-Idol

After coming second to Taylor Hicks, McPhee was quoted in news publications as having said, "I don't need sad faces or anyone to feel bad for me. I have got a record deal, pretty much. It wasn't about winning the title, I just wanted to give the best performance I could," regarding her runner-up status[10].

Changing the original title of "Over the Rainbow," McPhee's debut single, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" was released on June 27, 2006 by RCA Records. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100[11].

On June 6, 2006, Sony BMG and 19 Entertainment announced that McPhee had signed to American Idol series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and Sony BMG's RCA Records.

McPhee toured with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and performed in three of his concerts during his tour in the United States from June 9 through June 11, 2006[12]. The duo performed "The Prayer" (in which they also sang during Idol's Classic Love Songs theme week) and "Somos Novios"/"It's Impossible".

In June 2006, McPhee revealed to "People" magazine that she previously suffered from bulimia. After a period of about five years, she began treatment after qualifying for American Idol[13]. During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 lbs.

You start doing something you love doing and the weight just started falling off me. I was still eating... It was a really amazing thing that happened with me and my body has just been kind of falling to its natural state and I don't know if it's finished going where it wants, but it's doing its thing.
-- Katharine McPhee, People

In July 2006, McPhee sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the debut of the cruise ship, Crown Princess, in New York.

McPhee missed the start of the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006, due to severe bronchitis and laryngitis[14]. She was due to return on July 27, 2006 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ending her three-week hiatus[15]. McPhee commented on her illness in a public interview, and was quoted as, "I just have to sing easily so I can get through the tour... I bruised [my vocal cords] because I was doing so much coughing"[16]. McPhee was scheduled to join the tour on July 27 in Pittsburgh, but her flight from New York City was delayed and then canceled due to inclement weather, so she ended up joining the tour the following day, July 28, in Washington, D.C. just in time for all ten finalists to visit the White House to meet President George W. Bush.

On July 21, 2006, Broadway World announced that McPhee is co-producing Michael Albanese's play Red Herring with her significant other; along with Robert Hawk, Angelina Bruno, and Jeff Kasal. McPhee was quoted in the promo as describing a desire to become involved in theatre, stating that although "audiences know me best from American Idol... my passion has always been theatre." The play will be a part of the 10th Annual New York International Fringe Festival[17].

On August 1, 2006, McPhee suffered a hair-line fracture in her left foot after tripping backstage at an American Idol tour stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. McPhee will continue to perform on the Idol tour, despite the injury[18].

McPhee performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and then a song with Andrea Bocelli, before a live audience for the JAM JCPenney "The Concert for America's Kids", which was hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw and was presented on CBS on August 23, 2006.

McPhee and her sister appeared on debut of The Dr. Keith Ablow Show on September 18, 2006 to discuss her struggles with a reading problem, bulimia, and her childhood fear of her father.[19] On the show, McPhee stated that she was constantly in vision therapy during her middle school years before being diagnosed with a learning disability. She also said that because of her reading disorder, she believed that it led to her eventual bulimic habits. She now uses reading glasses for reading and writing, and her eating habits are under control.

On December 2, 2006, McPhee attended VH1's "Big in '06 Awards" along with Melissa McGhee. She was nominated and won the award for "Big 'It' Girl".

[edit] Debut CD

Main article: Katharine McPhee 2007 album

McPhee is currently working on her debut album "Never Saw It Comin`", to be released January 30, 2007.

In mid-November, McPhee's management enlisted the music promotion website Promosquad.com to test some of her debut album's potential singles. Three songs resembling the rhythm and blues and pop music genres with the titles "Open Toes," "Each Other," and "Over It" appeared on the site for music fans to review.

On November 29, 2006, MTV announced that McPhee has worked with the likes of Babyface, songwriter Kara DioGuardi, Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, and Timbaland's production partner, Nate Hills. Mentioned in the article was five potential tracks included on the album - "Somehow" (produced by Ryan Leslie), "Home" (a power ballad written by DioGuardi), "Each Other", "Neglected" (which McPhee co-wrote), and "Open Toes," and does not include "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."[20]

On December 11, 2006, Walmart released an exclusive CD single for the tracks "I Lost You" and "Dangerous." The single was officially to be released on December 19th, 2006 but appeared at a number of Walmart stores, and the songs soon were leaked onto the Internet. There has been no official confirmation as to whether these tracks will be part of the debut album.

[edit] Religious views

McPhee looked into Scientology[21], and no longer wishes to associate with it due to a widespread negative social stigma that surrounds the controversial subject, and only looked into it for a former love interest. In the past, McPhee had attended and completed two individual courses in Scientology, and had completed the purification.[22] Nevertheless, according to an May 12, 2006 interview on Los Angeles radio station KROQ 106.7 (Kevin and Bean), McPhee stated she "dabbled in Scientology" because of a former love interest but is not a Scientologist; according to her, she was "quickly out the door."[23] During a May 26, 2006 interview with Ryan Seacrest on Larry King Live, she once again explained that she is not a Scientologist, and only looked into it because of a former love interest[24]. Although she attended a Roman Catholic high school, she was raised White Anglo-Saxon Protestant but was not too religious. McPhee has neither publicly stated an opinion on her current philosophical or religious views nor has identified with any religious movement.

[edit] Trivia

  • McPhee is left-handed[25].
  • McPhee's height is 5'8" (173 cm).[26]
  • The year that McPhee started attending Boston Conservatory was the year that Constantine Maroulis graduated, and McPhee mentioned this on American Idol.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Album

[edit] Singles

Year Song Album US US Pop US Sales
2006 "Think" American Idol Season 5: Encores 121 90 -
2006 "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" TBR 12 12 2
2006 "My Destiny" TBR 60 42 2
2006 "I Lost You" TBR TBR TBR TBR
2006 "Dangerous" TBR TBR TBR TBR

Think was not released as a standard single in the United States; no songs from the American Idols Encore CD were made available as singles for radio airplay. The chart position was attained strictly from sales of the individual track from various Internet music download sites.

[edit] Reference

  1. ^ Peisha McPhee's website
  2. ^ Peisha Arten at the Internet Movie Database (Accessed on October 23rd 2006)
  3. ^ http://www.teenpeople.com/teenpeople/article/0,22196,1200960_1205692,00.shtml
  4. ^ Crazy at the Internet Movie Database
  5. ^ "Ask Ausiello" column TVGuide.com, May 31, 2006, accessed July 26, 2006
  6. ^ SouthCoast split on which 'Idol' left standing, SouthCoastToday.com, website for the New Bedford, MA Standard-Times, May 24, 2006, accessed May 27, 2006
  7. ^ High school fever for 'American Idol' finalist Katharine McPhee
  8. ^ There is Glee for McPhee in Sherman Oaks, press release from Congressman Brad Sherman's office, 24 May 2006, accessed 27 July 2006
  9. ^ Interview: Paris Bennett, Entertainment Weekly, May 4, 2006, accessed June 1, 2006
  10. ^ Soul singer Taylor Hicks wins "American Idol", Yahoo! News Canada via Reuters, May 25, 2006, accessed May 27, 2006
  11. ^ Chart Beat, Billboard.com, July 6, 2006, accessed July 26, 2006
  12. ^ 'Idol' runner-up Katharine McPhee to perform with Andrea Bocelli in San Jose, San Jose Mercury News, June 1, 2006, accessed June 29, 2006
  13. ^ Netscape Celebrity News — Katharine McPhee's Bulimia Battle
  14. ^ Update From Kat: July 11, 2006 July 11, 2006. Accessed on July 21, 2006.
  15. ^ Update From Peisha McPhee: July 25, 2006July 25, 2006. Accessed on July 26, 2006.
  16. ^ 'Crazy Schedule' For Kat McPheeJuly 26, 2006. Accessed on July 28, 2006.
  17. ^ Katherine McPhee Co-Produces Red Herring for FringeNYC July 21 2006. Accessed on July 23 2006.
  18. ^ Katharine McPhee Breaks Her FootAugust 3, 2006. Accessed August 3, 2006.
  19. ^ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee reveals reading disorder and struggles with father to talk show host Dr. Keith Ablow.. Retrieved on September 15, 2006.
  20. ^ http://www.mtv.com/#/news/articles/1546687/20061128/mcphee__katharine.jhtml
  21. ^ http://home.snafu.de/tilman/faq-you/celeb.txt
  22. ^ Scientology publication, excerpted by Truthaboutscientology.com
  23. ^ She also stated, "I'm a spiritual person, love God, thank you Jesus." Interview with Katharine McPhee, The quote is found in the second part of the interview, at an elapsed time of 6:18. (As of October 23, 2006, the link is inactive.)
  24. ^ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0605/26/lkl.01.html
  25. ^ Image of McPhee signing a poster for a fan with her left hand from Photobucket
  26. ^ IMDB biography

[edit] External links

American Idol Season 5
Taylor Hicks | Katharine McPhee | Elliott Yamin | Chris Daughtry | Paris Bennett | Kellie Pickler
Ace Young | Bucky Covington | Mandisa | Lisa Tucker | Kevin Covais | Melissa McGhee
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../k/a/t/Katharine_McPhee_acac.html"
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