| Bianca Ryan | |
|---|---|
Bianca Ryan at Live Nation's Nextfest concert in Irvine, California, July 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bianca Taylor Ryan |
| Born | September 1, 1994 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel, pop, R&B, Christmas music |
| Occupations | Singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | SYCO Music/Columbia Records (2006-2008) Music Forever (2008-2009) Tuned In Music (2009-present) Contact: Shawn Ryan email: info@biancaryan.com |
| Website | biancaryan.com |
Bianca Taylor Ryan (born September 1, 1994) is an American singer and guitarist, who won the debut season of NBC's America's Got Talent at age 11.[1]
Ryan's self-titled first CD was recorded just after her 12th birthday and released on November 14, 2006; Bianca Ryan broke into the Billboard 200 at #57.[2] One month later, the EP Christmas Everyday! was released as a promotional giveaway.
She has since performed in such countries as Australia and Switzerland.[3] Her first concert tour took her across the United States as the "special guest" artist for Live Nation's Nextfest.[4]
Contents |
Bianca is the second of four children of Shawn and Janette Ryan. Her father, a fan of the Rolling Stones, named her after Mick Jagger's ex-wife. Bianca has an older brother, Shawn, and two younger siblings, Isabella and Jagger.[5] Bianca comes from a diverse ethnic family: Irish, German, and Italian ancestry from her father's side and her maternal grandmother is Japanese.[6][7]
For the 2006–2007 academic year, Ryan was a sixth-grader. "I'm in school most of the time," she said, "and keep up on my work when I have to go on the road."
Just before the release of her CD, Ryan's grandmother, Marie Ryan, who had struggled with Alzheimer's disease for five years, died.[8] The following week, Mayor John F. Street proclaimed November 13 "Bianca Ryan Day" in Philadelphia and presented Ryan with a key to the city.[9]
While searching the Internet for auditions early in 2006, Ryan discovered that Idol judge Simon Cowell was serving as executive producer for an upcoming competition titled America's Got Talent. For her audition appearance, she chose the Dreamgirls showtune "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (originally performed by Jennifer Holliday), surprising the audience and the judges with her powerful voice. Simon Cowell was so moved after seeing her performance that he announced during a press conference that, "Bianca Ryan is potentially one of the best singers I have ever heard in my life."[10]
By March 2006, a copy of Ryan's audition had climbed into the 100 "Top Rated (All Time) in Music" videos at YouTube.[11]
For the semi-finals of the show Bianca performed "Piece of My Heart" made famous by Janis Joplin. Although the judges loved the performance they didn't think the song was right for her. America's Got Talent's finale results aired on August 17, 2006, during which Bianca was announced as the winner of the first season of the show.
Ryan made a brief appearance during the show's second season finale. In a video recorded during the Nextfest tour, she wished "the best of luck" to the top two finalists.[12]
On August 24, 2006, Ryan announced on her website that she had flown to New York to meet with representatives from a "major record label" and some of the recording industry's top songwriters.[13] The Northeast Times reported that same day that Ryan met with Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster and was being managed by Peter Rudge.[14]
On September 18, 2006, Ryan signed a five-album record deal with SYCOmusic as part of Columbia Records.[13] Ryan is the first U.S. artist to sign with SYCOmusic.[15]
The following month, Ryan was in Los Angeles to record her first CD, featuring cover versions of "The Rose" and "I Believe I Can Fly" and original songs like "I Wish That" and "Pray for a Better Day".
Bianca Ryan was released on November 14, 2006; eight days later, the album broke in at #57 on the Billboard album charts, showcasing "her gargantuan chops and sweet charm," wrote Matt Collar of Allmusic. Though he called the arrangements "somewhat over-the-top pop creations" and "grandiose given Ryan's age, her musical aspirations are more than matched by her truly impressive vocal talent".[16] Los Angeles Daily News reviewer Sandra Barrera said that Bianca handled the songs "like the old pro that her big, powerful voice makes you think she is".[17]
The following year, she released the single "That's Not Me" on August 7, 2007.[18] In 2008, she left SYCO/Columbia Records and released her second holiday EP, True Meaning of Christmas on November 3rd, 2009 on the indie Music Forever label.[19]
In 2010, Ryan recorded a song inspired by Twilight: New Moon called "In My Head."[20] The single was released digitally on August 21, 2010 through the indie label, Tuned In Music and Media.[21]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Holiday |
AU | DU | IR | SW | GE | |||
| 2006 | Bianca Ryan | 57 | — | 46 | 52 | 1 | 28 | 45 |
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| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Holiday |
AU | DU | IR | SW | GE | |||
| 2007 | Christmas Everyday!
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— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| 2009 | The True Meaning of Christmas
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— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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| "—" denotes the album didn't chart. | |||||||||
| Year | Single | Chart Positions[22] | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch Radio + Records Chart | Dutch Mega Top 50 Chart | Dutch Top 40 Chart | |||
| 2006 | "You Light Up My Life" | — | — | — | Bianca Ryan |
| "Why Couldn't It Be Christmas Every Day?" | 1 | 52 | 15 | Christmas Everyday! | |
| 2007 | "That's Not Me" | - | - | - | That's Not Me (Single) |
| 2010 | "In My Head" | - | - | - | In My Head (Single) |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 12 and Holding | Singing Girl | Released May 19, 2006 |
| Year | Type | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Music Video | You Light Up My Life | Released: 2006 |
| 2009 | Music Video | About to Fall - The Wrecking | Released: September 8, 2010 |
| Preceded by None |
America's Got Talent winner Season 1 (Summer 2006) |
Succeeded by Terry Fator |
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