Syesha Mercado

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Syesha Mercado
Syesha Mercado at the American Idol, Season 7, Top 12, after party on March 6, 2008.
Syesha Mercado at the American Idol, Season 7, Top 12, after party on March 6, 2008.
Background information
Birth name Syesha Raquel Mercado
Born January 2, 1987 (1987-01-02) (age 21)
Origin Sarasota, Florida, United States
Genre(s) R&B, Soul, Adult Contemporary, Pop, Gospel
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, actress
Years active 2004 - present

Syesha Raquel Mercado (born January 2, 1987) is an American singer, model, and actress. She described herself in an interview as "a black Christina Aguilera or Alicia Keys."[1] Mercado was the third-place finalist on the seventh season of the television series American Idol.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Mercado was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on January 2, 1987.[2] Her mother Zelda, a former Motown backup singer, is African-American and her father, José, is of Afro-Cuban descent.[3] She grew up in Sarasota, Florida, attending Daughtrey Elementary School in Manatee County.[4] Dreaming to become a gospel singer one day, she signed a contract at age nine with the Take Stock in Children initiative, a scholarship program for "low-income families who show potential for college but are unlikely to be able to afford a higher education."[4]

She graduated from Booker High School in 2005, where she was in the Theater VPA (Visual and Performing Arts) department.[5]

At the 2005 Florida Theatre Conference and the 2005 South Eastern Theater Conference Syesha won "Best Supporting Actress" for her role as the Sour Kangaroo in Seussical the Musical.[6] Mercado also appeared as a contestant on the failed ABC talent show, The One: Making a Music Star in summer 2006.[7] She currently attends Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

[edit] American Idol

[edit] Overview

She auditioned for American Idol Season 7 in Miami, Florida singing "Think" by Aretha Franklin where she made it to Hollywood with all three judges saying 'yes'.[8] When she arrived in Hollywood she had lost her voice and insisted on going on vocal rest. She was seen communicating through pen and paper throughout the week.[9] She sang "Chain of Fools" and was accepted into the top 24.[10] She was the only female in the top 3 and was voted off on May 14th allowing fellow contestants David Archuleta and David Cook a chance to compete in the finale.

Despite fairly good reviews from the judges, Mercado had been in the bottom two or three five times without being voted off. Some commentators, including American Idol judge Simon Cowell, believed her style was more suited for Broadway than pop music.[11]

According to her AmericanIdol.com profile, Mercado's musical influences are Whitney Houston, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Zap Mama, Lauryn Hill, and Aretha Franklin.[12]

[edit] Performances and results (during voting weeks)

Week # Theme Song choice Original artist Order # Result
Top 24 (12 Women) 1960s "Tobacco Road" The Nashville Teens 11 Safe
Top 20 (10 Women) 1970s "Me and Mr. Jones" Billy Paul 2 Safe
Top 16 (8 Women) 1980s "Saving All My Love for You" Whitney Houston 8 Safe
Top 12 Lennon/McCartney "Got to Get You into My Life" The Beatles 1 Bottom 31
Top 11 The Beatles "Yesterday" The Beatles 9 Safe
Top 10 Year They Were Born "If I Were Your Woman" Stephanie Mills 3 Bottom 22
Top 9 Dolly Parton "I Will Always Love You" Dolly Parton 8 Safe
Top 8 Inspirational Music "I Believe" Fantasia 2 Bottom 33
Top 7 Mariah Carey "Vanishing" Mariah Carey 3 Bottom 31
Top 6 Andrew Lloyd Webber "One Rock & Roll Too Many" Starlight Express 1 Bottom 2
Top 5 Neil Diamond "Hello Again"
"Thank the Lord for the Night Time"		 Neil Diamond 5
10		 Safe4
Top 4 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "Proud Mary"
"A Change Is Gonna Come"		 Ike & Tina Turner
Sam Cooke		 2
6		 Safe4
Top 3 Judge's Choice (Randy Jackson)
Contestant's Choice
Producer's Choice		 "If I Ain't Got You"
"Fever"
"Hit Me Up"		 Alicia Keys
Peggy Lee
Gia Farrell		 2
5
8		 Eliminated


  • Note 1: Mercado was saved first from elimination.
  • Note 2: When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Mercado was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, as the remaining contestant was eliminated.
  • Note 3: When revealing the results, Seacrest simultaneously declared Mercado and Carly Smithson safe.
  • Note 4: There was no mention of a Bottom 2 this week.

[edit] Post-Idol

After her elimination Mercado appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet and WSVN's Deco Drive. She will join the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008 from July 1, 2008 to September 13, 2008.

She is rumoured to have signed a record deal with Universal Records.

[edit] Personal life

Mercado is engaged to actor-producer and Florida International University classmate Hess Wesley.[13][14]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Tan, Rebecca Lynne. "Swan song for Syesha; It's curtains for the last woman standing in American Idol, setting the stage for an all-David finale", The Straits Times (Singapore), May 17 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-19. (English) 
  2. ^ Catlin, Roger. "Blacks on the Brink Eye on Idol", Hartford Courant (Connecticut), April 1, 2008, pp. D1. (English) 
  3. ^ Syesha Mercado Personal MySpace
  4. ^ a b White, Dale. "Fourth-Grader First to Accept New 'Contract'", Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida), October 2, 1996, pp. 1B. Retrieved on 2008-05-14. (English) 
  5. ^ Stacy, Mitch. "'Idol' finalist Mercado always seemed destined for big things", The Associated Press, March 14, 2008, pp. Entertainment News. (English) 
  6. ^ Handleman, Jay; Christine Hawes. "Her song continues on 'Idol'; Booker High alumna makes show's top 24", Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida), February 14, 2008, pp. BS1. (English) 
  7. ^ Handelman, Jay. "Sarasota singer sees key to stardom in TV series", Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida), July 18, 2006, pp. BS3. Retrieved on 2008-05-14. (English) 
  8. ^ Holmes, January. "Local girl makes 'Idol' run", The Bradenton Herald (Florida), February 2, 2008, pp. 1. (English) 
  9. ^ Berman, Craig. "Flu takes its toll on 'American Idol' women", MSNBC.com, February 21, 2008. (English) 
  10. ^ Thomas, Becnel. "Sing from the soul, hope for the best; Inside the whirlwind of 'Idol,' one contestant strives for focus", Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida), February 20, 2008, pp. A1. (English) 
  11. ^ Kaplan, Don. "Bulletproof - How Could 'Idols' Syesha Survive Five Weeks in a Row in Bottom Two?", The New York Post, May 5, 2008, pp. 83. Retrieved on 2008-05-16. (English) 
  12. ^ Syesha Mercado (English). Fox.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  13. ^ Davis, Brenda. "American Idol: Syesha Mercado Leans on Her Fiancé for Support", The National Ledger, April 25, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-17. (English) 
  14. ^ Becnel, Thomas. "'Idol' moments? Sure. Idle time? Yeah, right.", Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida), May 16, 2008, pp. A1. Retrieved on 2008-05-18. (English) 

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