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Allison Iraheta (born April 27, 1992) is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who came in fourth place on the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Iraheta won the Telemundo competition Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista. Iraheta has been frequently praised for her powerful vocals and her distinctive "rock star" image. Following the conclusion of Idol, Iraheta was signed to a record deal with 19 Entertainment and Jive Records.
It was announced on October 19, 2009 that Iraheta's debut album would be titled Just Like You. Her album will be released on December 1, 2009.
BiographyEarly lifeIraheta was born in Glendale, California, to Salvadoran immigrants who moved to the United States before she was born.[www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE51R03O20090228] She is the youngest in the family, with two older siblings. According to her parents, she has been singing since she was a toddler. In 2001, she began taking voice lessons with Raphael Enriquez at the Los Angeles Music and Art School, a non-profit community school of the arts in East Los Angeles. Before rising to prominence, she was a frequent performer at the local Latin supermarket La Curaçao and the Los Angeles Music and Art School's annual benefit concert, Stars for the Arts.
EducationIraheta attends Los Angeles' Animo Ralph Bunche Charter High School.
Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser ArtistaIn 2006, Iraheta won the Telemundo reality show, Quinceañera, where she sang in both English and Spanish.
Performances/Results
American IdolIraheta auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco, California, in 2008
. She sang "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin and made it to the Hollywood audition rounds. The judges unanimously agreed to put her through to the semifinals, with Simon Cowell saying "keep your eye on that one" and Paula Abdul predicting that Iraheta would be a "dark horse" in the competition.
Judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson declared Iraheta to be "one to watch in this competition" after her rendition of Heart's "Alone" during the semifinals. For her performance, Iraheta earned unanimous praise from the judges, with Abdul praising her for being able to "sing the telephone book". Iraheta was the top vote-getting female of Group 2 and, along with winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert, advanced directly from the semifinals.
Iraheta kicked off her run in the finals with a well-received performance of Michael Jackson's "Give In to Me". Once again, Abdul praised Iraheta for being a "rock star," with the rest of the panel in agreement. The following week, Iraheta performed "Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless. Iraheta received rave reviews from the judges, but landed in the Bottom 3 for the first time. On Motown Night, Iraheta performed a cover of the Temptations' "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". The performance earned a standing ovation from mentor Smokey Robinson, as well as further praise from the judges. DioGuardi enthusiastically lauded Iraheta for having a voice that "comes from God...you can't teach that! You sing like you've been singing for 400 years!"
On Top Downloads night, Iraheta performed No Doubt's "Don't Speak" while accompanying herself on the guitar and ended up in the Bottom 3 again. For her performance during Top 8 week, Iraheta sang Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me", for which she received much acclaim. Jackson compared her to first season winner Kelly Clarkson, and DioGuardi commented, "You know what? Let's go make a record!" After covering "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" during Movie Night, Cowell boldly stated "We can see you all the way through the end now. You are the girls' only hope winning this competition." Abdul compared her to fellow contestant Adam Lambert, saying that the two possessed the same "special sauce."
During the second Top 7 Night (due to the judges' save of Matt Giraud), Iraheta performed a rock-infused version of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". Emerging on a glowing, red staircase, Iraheta was praised by Cowell for delivering "a brilliant performance". DioGuardi also praised Iraheta by saying, "That was like a 9-10 for me!" The following night, Lil Rounds was eliminated from the competition, leaving Iraheta as the last remaining female contestant. The next week, Iraheta performed a widely-acclaimed cover of "Someone to Watch Over Me" as part of the Rat Pack theme. Jackson compared her vocal ability to Pink, "but with 9,000 more octaves", while DioGuardi remarked, "you converted some fans tonight... If that doesn't land you in the finals, I don't know what will!"
During the subsequent results show, it was revealed that Iraheta was among the Top 2 vote-getters (along with Danny Gokey) for the night. The following week, Iraheta performed a solo version of "Cry Baby" and closed the show with "Slow Ride", a duet with Adam Lambert. Regarding her performance of "Cry Baby", Cowell remarked that her growth throughout the competition was "staggering", and praised her for her "complete confidence and terrific vocals". Her duet of "Slow Ride" with Lambert received further praise from the judges, with DioGuardi describing her as a "rock goddess". Mentor Slash commented that Iraheta possessed a better voice than most women "twice her age".
On May 6, 2009, Iraheta was eliminated from the competition in 4th place.[title=Call it 'American Scandal'? Fans say Allison Iraheta robbed, and Danny Gokey still getting pity vote][title='American Idol': On the scene for the Top 4 results night TRAVESTY] Slash declared that "Allison didn't deserve to be voted off so soon. She has amazing potential."[title=Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen Talk about their Hometown Visits] Similarly, American Idol music director Rickey Minor was "absolutely shocked" at her departure.[title=Rickey Minor 'absolutely' surprised at Allison Iraheta's American Idol exit]
Iraheta is Kelly Clarkson, Melinda Doolittle, Jennifer Lopez and Michael Johns's favorite contestant of Season 8.[title=Jennifer Lopez - Interview - Regis and Kelly (New York, 22.04.2009)][title=Kelly Clarkson - Interview - Chum FM (Barbados, 22.04.2009) PART 2][title=Miley Cyrus on Ryan Seacrest's radio show][title=Miley Cyrus Twitpic Allison Iraheta (April 10, 2009][title=Rocket Idol Chatter with former AI contestant, Michael Johns] Iraheta has also been a favorite of bloggers and entertainment journalists throughout the season, with Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak being a particularly vocal supporter. Country singer and actress Reba McEntire mentioned Iraheta as being one of her favorites, in addition to Allen and Lambert. Iraheta is the "absolute favorite" contestant of Melinda Doolittle, who has been "voting and pulling for her since day one".[title=Idol Interview: Allison Iraheta] Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson has stated that he "would love to work with [1]. I think I could make a huge record with that girl." Rock Star: Supernova runner-up Dilana, who is the original co-writer and performer of Holiday, a song Allison covers on Just Like You, said that Allison is "the only chic I would ever want to cover my song," calling her "so smart ... so talented" and saying that she had a "beautiful future ahead."
Performances/Results
- fnb 1 Due to the judges using their one save to save Matt Giraud, the Top 7 remained intact for another week.
Post-IdolAfter her elimination, Iraheta made guest appearances on Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Larry King Live, as well as local FOX television affiliates and numerous radio stations across the country. She performed on the Grand Finale of American Idol season 8, including a group medley of "So What" and a duet of "Time After Time" with original artist Cyndi Lauper.
On June 9, 2009, following weeks of speculation, it was officially confirmed that Iraheta had signed a record deal with Jive Records and 19 Entertainment.
Since Iraheta finished 4th place in American Idol season 8, she participated in American Idols LIVE! Tour 2009, performing "So What" by Pink, "Cry Baby" by Janis Joplin, "Barracuda" by Heart, and "Slow Ride" (with Adam Lambert) by Foghat. Iraheta also performed "Barracuda" by Heart on ''The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien on July 15, 2009 to promote the tour.
In September 2009, Allison concluded the 50 city tour with her fellow Idol contestants, during which she began recording her debut album, Just Like You, under Jive Records, working with Kevin Rudolf, David Hodges and Max Martin.
CareerJust Like You (2009-present)Just Like You will be Iraheta's debut album and It is scheduled for release December 1, 2009 . The lead single "Friday I'll Be Over U", produced by Max Martin, debuted on October 5, 2009 and was made available through digital distribution on November 3, 2009. According to Rolling Stone, Jive expects Allison to sell 75,000 copies of her album in the first week.
Backing bandDavid Immerman – lead guitar, backing vocals (2009-present)
Priscilla Fire – bass, backing vocals (2009-present)
Troy Laureta – keyboards, backing vocals (2009-present)
Valerie Franco – drums, backing vocals (2009-present)
DiscographyStudio albums
- To be released: December 1, 2009
- Label: Jive Records/19 Recordings
SinglesDigital singlesAwards and nominations
Copyright Citations
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