Jessica Robinson (CoverGürl)

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For the country singer named Jessica Robinson, see Jessica Robinson (country singer).

Jessica Robinson is an American singer & frontwoman of the Chicago-based rock band CoverGürl. Outside the Chicago area, she is best known for her appearance as a contestant on the television series Rock Star: INXS.

[edit] Rock Star: INXS

Jessica was a contestant on Rock Star: INXS. There she sang pop and rock classics like "Blister In The Sun," "Torn," and "I Want You To Want Me." She was also given credit for singing Inxs' Songs really well. She tackled such hits as Elegantly Wasted and Disappear.However, Jessica's relatively poor fan response and a relative lack of songwriting experience made her an underdog on the show. Next to 22-year-old Jordis Unga, she was the youngest contestant on the show at 25, as well as an American woman trying out for a previously all-male Australian band. Tim Farriss of INXS told her, "You sound good singing our songs," but eliminated her after fan voting had put her in the "bottom three" four times in the first six weeks.

Week One In the series premiere, the 15 rockers were put on the spot soon after flying into Los Angeles, being told they were to perform their "best song" by show host Brooke Burke. Jessica Robinson was one of the first to win the crowd over with her rendition of Hole's Celebrity Skin. INXS agreed, as they put her through to the next round without risk of elimination. During the first performance show, Robinson delivered an ingratiating performance of I Want You To Want Me by Cheap Trick. INXS commended her for taking command of the stage, and mentor Dave Navarro praised her for being the first to fully interact with the house band. She was safe from elimination the following night after fan votes were tabulated.

Week Two The following week, Robinson took on Jimi Hendrix's psychedelic anthem "Purple Haze." INXS commented that it was not her best performance, and that to date, all of her performances were too similar. Fans seem to have agreed by putting her in the bottom three. On elimination night, INXS advised her, "We know you believe in yourself. Make us believe in you." She was assigned Don't Change, and although she seemed to have trouble with the song's melody at first, by the end of the song she had managed to take control of the stage once again. As a result, she and Tara Slone narrowly escaped being cut, with INXS citing her better vocals than the eliminated Neal Carlson.

Week Three Robinson seemed to have taken the last comment to heart in her selection of "Because the Night" by Patti Smith Group, claiming "It's my time to shine vocally." She delivered a much more grounded and intimate performance than her high-energy, crowd-moving deliveries from the past two weeks. However, INXS complained that her vocals were pitchy in certain parts, while Navarro said he "took [her] more seriously" when she wasn't frantically moving about the stage. The following night, Robinson was placed in the bottom three for the second week in a row. This time around, she seemed a lot more confident and focus as she delivered a power-house version of Elegantly Wasted. In fact, she was the only one to remain safe, as both Daphna Dove and Heather Luttrell were cut in the series's first double elimination.

Week Four Robinson chose the Violent Femmes's "Blister in the Sun" in the fourth week's song selection. For the first time in weeks, fans saw her perform with the confidence and energy of her first performance. She gained universal praise from fans, the band, and Navarro for her ability to "work the audience." The next night, she was visibly seen on camera sighing in relief when her name was not called for the elimination round. Tara Slone was sent home.

Week Five After arguing with fellow contestant and eventual contest winner JD Fortune, Robinson emerged from song selection with Nirvana's "Come As You Are." However, her rendition on performance night garnered harsh criticisms from Navarro and INXS, citing a certain lack of passion from her on-stage presence. Without surprise, Robinson was put in the bottom three with Suzie McNeil and Brandon Calhoon, where she sang "Disappear." When the band made its decision, it commended Jessica for being "a very resilient performer" and told her she delivered the passion they were hoping she had given them the night before. In the end, Calhoon was eliminated for forgetting the lyrics to his song.

Week Six Robinson's final week on the show was when the show went acoustic. INXS handed her "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia, which they claimed was "simply her best performance yet." Despite positive feedback, Jessica landed in the bottom three for the fourth time, along with Deanna Johnston and Suzie McNeil. After a powerful performance of "Mystify," she was eliminated, but not without being commended by the band for her "night and day" progress throughout the show.