Blake Lewis
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| Blake Lewis | ||
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 Blake Lewis performing Lovesong during the top 10 week of American Idol Season 6.
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Blake Colin Lewis | |
| Born | July 21, 1981 (age 25) | |
| Origin |  Bothell, Washington |
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| Genre(s) | Electronic, Hip Hop, Reggae | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Drums | |
Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American singer who is currently a finalist on the sixth season of American Idol.
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[edit] Early Life
Lewis was born in Redmond, Washington to Dallas and Dinah Lewis[1] as the only child in the family of Welsh, German and Irish descent.[2] He attended Kenmore Junior High[3] and later Inglemoor High School.[4] He was a former member of the a cappella group KickShaw and has been beatboxing since seventeen.[5] In high school, Lewis participated in many high school state competitions. He also took part in numerous musicals and comedies. Aside from singing and beatboxing, Lewis plays the guitar, piano, drums and has written many songs.[citation needed] He auditioned for American Idol in Seattle.
[edit] American Idol Performances
Hollywood Week's Group Performance: How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees) (performed with Chris Sligh, Rudy Cárdenas and Tom Lowe)
| Week | Song Choice | Artist | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 24 | Somewhere Only We Know | Keane | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 20 | Virtual Insanity | Jamiroquai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 16 | All Mixed Up | 311 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 12 | You Keep Me Hangin' On | Diana Ross | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 11 | Time of the Season | The Zombies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 10 | Love Song | The Cure | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 9 | Mack the Knife | Bobby Darin |
[edit] Semi-Finals
- Week 1 - February 20, 2007, Blake started his idol journey by singing Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. Randy Jackson said that he was shocked at Blake's song choice, but he liked it despite some pitchy problems. Paula Abdul said she was also shocked at the song choice, but loved his falsetto and the contemporary vibe that he gave to it. Simon Cowell said it was the best performance of the night so far, because he was the only one to sound like "a singer from the year 2007". Blake survived the cut of four contestants and made the top 20.
- Week 2 - February 27, 2007, Blake dedicated his performance Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity to his parents because of their continuous support and inspiration. Randy said he loved that he brought back his beatboxing style and said "I love you, man!". Paula said that he is smart, unique and there is no one else like him in the competition. Simon said that the first part of the song was "copycat" of the music video, the second part was original, but then he lost his tuning in the third part. In all, Simon was very dissappointed. Despite Simon's bad review, Blake made the top 16.
- Week 3 - March 6, 2007, In this week's "tell all" episode of American Idol, Blake confessed his love for improv comedy, and that his favorite time of the year is Halloween. His performance of this week was All Mixed Up, by the band 311. Randy stated that he loved this season because of the contemporary singers in the competition, including Blake. Paula said how much she loved the performance, and how it impressed her that she enjoyed it even though she never heard the song before. Simon said hes an individual in the competition, he is making it contemporary, and that he 100% will be here next week. Simons words were true, and Blake made it to the top 12.
[edit] Finals
- Week 1 - March 13, 2007, Blake hit the new stage singing You Keep Me Hangin' On under the direction of the lovely Diana Ross. Blake took the song into his own hands, and spun it into a more contemporary beat, which didn't sit right with some of the judges. Randy said that it was a good performance that he didn't necessarily have to "blake-ize", and advised him to let his vocals work more, and let the classics be the classics. Paula agreed with Randy, and Simon said he didn't think the performance worked, and that his vocals weren't as good as they have seen. Blakes large fan following pulled in for him, and Blake made it to the top 11. Brandon Rodgers was eliminated
- Week 2 - March 20, 2007, Blake soared into the Top 11, this time under the direction of Peter Noone, singing Time of the Season by The Zombies. Randy loved his performance saying that unlike last week, Blake made an old classic contemporary in a suble, smooth way. Paula said that Blake has really raised the bar of the competition, and that his performance was good enough to be released on an album. Simon said it was a million times better then last week, and that he sound a good way of making a classic song contemporary. Blake's acclaimed performance earned him a spot in the top 10. Stephanie Edwards was eliminated.
- Week 3 - March 27, 2007, Blake hit the stage again singing The Cure's Lovesong, under the direction of the unique Gwen Stefani. Randy said he wasn't "jumping up and down" but he liked it, even though it wasn't the best song choice. Paula said she loved what he did with the song, and that she would love to see him in the finale. Simon said that he is definately the strongest male in the competition, but he has to be careful not to become to indulgent. Blake was safe yet again, this time making it into the top 9. Chris Sligh was eliminated.
- Week 4 - April 3, 2007, Blake made the top 9, this time singing the classic Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin. Blake was coached by the legendary Tony Bennett. Randy said he liked it despite some pitch problems, and that he always looks forward to what Blake will be doing next. Paula said that he "personified pizazz" and that he's "just cool". Simon said it was a good song choice, and that Blake was a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. Blake secured his position in the top 8, and Gina Glocksen was eliminated.
[edit] Trivia
- Lewis is 5'7".[citation needed]
- Lewis was inspired by Matthew Selby, a former member of the Los Angeles-based a cappella group M-Pact, to start beatboxing.[2] Coincidentally, Rudy Cárdenas, one of the finalists of American Idol Season 6, is a member of the group. [6]
- Lewis was a full-time musician who went by the stage name "B-Shorty". [7]
- Lewis' favorite artists and bands are Michael Jackson, Björk, Fiona Apple, Robin Thicke, and 311.
[edit] External Links
- Blake Lewis on American Idol official website
- Blake Lewis at the Internet Movie Database
- Blake Lewis at All Music Guide
- Kickshaw on Singers.com
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Bothell: City Designates Day to Honor Its "Idol" (April 6, 2007). Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
- ^ a b Blake Lewis on American Idol. Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
- ^ Blake Lewis Fans Cheer on Their 'Idol' (April 3, 2007). Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
- ^ Blake Lewis Hits the Big Time on "American Idol" (March 21, 2007). Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
- ^ The Biography of Five Mouth Musicians. Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
- ^ Rudy Cardenas' biography on M-Pact official site. Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
- ^ Save Your Seattle Snark, Simon (February 17, 2007). Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
| American Idol Season 6 | |
| Melinda Doolittle | LaKisha Jones | Blake Lewis | Sanjaya Malakar | Chris Richardson | Haley Scarnato Jordin Sparks | Phil Stacey | Gina Glocksen | Chris Sligh | Stephanie Edwards | Brandon Rogers |
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