Katharine McPhee
Photo: thecinemasource.com
Katharine McPhee was born on March 25, 1984. She is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol, eventually finishing as the runner-up. Katharine Hope McPhee was persuaded by Nick Cokas and her parents to try out for American Idol.
She auditioned in San Francisco, and sang "God Bless the Child", originally performed by Billie Holiday.
After the first round of Hollywood week, she sang "I’ll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick which earned favorable comments from the judges. During the second round, she performed in a group, singing "I Can’t Help Myself" by The Four Tops, forgetting the words, but the judges decided to advance the entire group. During the third round, she sang a Capella of "My Funny Valentine" and advanced to the top 40. She was mad when fellow group member Crystal Stark didn’t make the top 24.
When she was told that she would be advancing, she kissed all three judges on the lips. McPhee’s run on American Idol led to the popular use of the term "McPheever", coined by Ralph Garman of Los Angeles radio station KROQ’s morning show Kevin and Bean. The inclusion of producer David Foster and singer Andrea Bocelli as guest mentors for Top 6 Week turned out to be a fortuitous introduction for McPhee, as she has worked on various music projects with both men post-Idol. She visited her former high school for her hometown celebration. Antonio Villaraigosa visited Notre Dame High School and proclaimed McPhee’s visit as "Katharine McPhee Day."
Photo: buddytv.com
McPhee recorded a cover of the song "Connected" for the Mattel movie Barbie and the Diamond Castle. McPhee’s version of the song was produced by Room For Two and a music video was also recorded to be featured on the movie’s DVD. The video and song are available on the movie’s website. The soundtrack CD and movie DVD and Blu-ray were released for sale in September 2008.
McPhee took part in the concert Chris Botti: Live In Boston, which was filmed by PBS, in September 2008. She sang "I’ve Got You Under My Skin" accompanied by Chris Botti on trumpet. The show was shown several times on PBS starting in January 2009. The CD/DVD and Blu-ray were released March 31, 2009. McPhee recorded the song "Let Your Heart Sing" for the Disney movie Tinker Bell. The movie DVD and the soundtrack CD were released in October 2008.
It was announced on January 27, 2009 that McPhee signed a new record deal with Verve Records (a label group under Universal Music Group) and that her album would be out by the end of the year. "The album she is working on will show many new sides to her talents as an interpreter and a songwriter, and show everyone just how special she is," Verve Music Group president/CEO Bruce Resnikoff says. According to the official Verve Music Group website, the album will be released in fall 2009. Katharine is working with producer John Alagia on the album.
