Jena Irene

Jena Irene Asciutto
Irene performing in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Jena Irene Asciutto
Born	(1996-07-13) July 13, 1996 Farmington Hills, Michigan, United States
Genres	Alternative rock, pop rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2014-present
Website	www.jenairene.com

Jena Irene Asciutto, known professionally as Jena Irene (born July 13, 1996) is an American singer from Farmington Hills, Michigan. She was the runner-up of the thirteenth season of American Idol. Irene became the first female Wild Card contestant of the series to qualify into the finale, and became the second Wild Card contestant, after Clay Aiken in the second season, to make it into the finale. In April 2015 she signed a long-term recording deal with the independent Detroit label Original 1265 Recordings.^[1]

Early life

Jena Irene Asciutto in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on July 13, 1996 to George Asciutto and Julie (née Loiselle.)^[2] She graduated from North Farmington High School on June 8, 2014.^[3] She participated in North Farmington's annual "Coffee House" talent show, and from ages 12–16 was a member of a band called Infinity Hour, before they disbanded in February 2013, prior to her American Idol audition.^[4]

Career

2014: American Idol

For her American Idol audition, Irene sang "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele. During the audition process, production continually called her "Jena Irene," possibly due to a mistake she made when writing down her name, as "Irene" is not her surname, but rather her middle name. Although she initially made attempts to correct her name, she eventually decided to keep the name professionally.^[5]

During the group round, she sang "Too Close" by Alex Clare, alongside Sikenya Thomson, Allie Odom, and Mufarid Zaidi. She made it into the third part of Hollywood week by singing an original song called "Unbreakable Me," which has since been released on iTunes. Irene performed the song again during her hometown visit after making it to the top 3. She was announced as the runner-up on May 21, 2014.

Performances on American Idol

Post-Idol

Irene took part in the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2014 from June 24 through August 24, 2014. She began work on her debut album immediately after the show as well.^[6]

On April 19, 2015 it was announced Irene had signed a record deal with Detroit-based label Original 1265 Records.^[7]

Discography

Singles

Releases from "American Idol"

• "Clarity"
• "Bring Me to Life"
• "Rolling in the Deep"
• "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"
• "Creep"
• "Barracuda"
• "My Body"
• "Heartbreaker"

References