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Biography |
Early years Born in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sherman Oaks, McPhee has been singing since the age of two. Her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee[1] (stage name Peisha Arten[2]), a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer, recognized a talent for music in her daughter and decided to train her. Her father, Daniel McPhee, is a television producer and her older sister, Adriana Burch McPhee (born June 30, 1982) is an aspiring producer as well. McPhee also has two dogs named Lilly and Nena. She carries them along when McPhee is on shoots or during recordings McPhee graduated in 2002 from Notre Dame High School. At Notre Dame, McPhee was a student body vice president, a varsity swimmer, a dancer, and a thespian. She performed in school plays with her elder sister Adriana; both sisters were Homecoming Princesses in their senior year. Afterward, McPhee attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. McPhee left the college due to her manager's suggestion that she try out for television pilots in Los Angeles. In a People news article it was reported that she was rejected in "only 195 out of 200 auditions."[3] She was eventually casted as "Paramount Girl" in the 2006 musical film about the life of Hank Garland, Crazy[4] Other early acting endeavors included lead actress in local professional productions of Annie Get Your Gun and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. She was nominated in 2005 for the Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for her lead role in Annie Get Your Gun. McPhee was also part of a failed mall-based MTV soap opera entitled You Are Here, playing the older sister of a more popular younger sister.[5] American Idol McPhee's American Idol photograph.McPhee was persuaded by a significant other to try out for American Idol. She auditioned in San Francisco, and sang "God Bless the Child," originally performed by Billie Holiday. Paula Abdul said that McPhee looked beautiful, Randy Jackson hailed her audition as potentially the best so far that season, and Simon Cowell complimented her for being "current" in terms of her appearance. Cowell also noted that McPhee was not the wannabe that he'd presumed she was after learning that her mother was a singer. In the final cut-down show for the Top 24, McPhee was one of the first to be put through and, in excitement, kissed all three judges on the lips. McPhee listed Whitney Houston and Brian McKnight as her favorite artists[6] in the American Idol interview of the top 24 semi-finalists. During the week leading to the third round of the semi-finals, she was rumored to be quitting due to pregnancy. However, during the performance show on March 7, 2006, she denied this accusation, attributing it to a poor choice of clothing. Host Ryan Seacrest, with tongue-in-cheek, later asked about her and fellow Idol contestant Kevin Covais; McPhee playfully denied any relationship. During the week preceding the top three show, McPhee visited her former high school for her hometown celebration.[7] 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. McPhee was congratulated by Congressman Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks, the 27th district of California, who raised a flag in her honor at the United States Capitol on the day of the finale show.[8] During the competition, McPhee roomed with fellow contestant Kellie Pickler, and when Pickler was eliminated, she roomed with Paris Bennett.[9] Post-Idol After coming second to Taylor Hicks, McPhee was quoted in news publications as having said, "I don't need sad faces or anyone to feel bad for me. I have got a record deal, pretty much. It wasn't about winning the title, I just wanted to give the best performance I could," regarding her runner-up status[10]. Changing the original title of "Over the Rainbow," McPhee's debut single, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" was released on June 27, 2006 by RCA Records. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100[11]. On June 6, 2006, Sony BMG and 19 Entertainment announced that McPhee had signed to American Idol series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and Sony BMG's RCA Records. McPhee toured with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and performed in three of his concerts during his tour in the United States from June 9 through June 11, 2006[12]. The duo performed "The Prayer" (in which they also sang during Idol's Classic Love Songs theme week) and "Somos Novios"/"It's Impossible". In June 2006, McPhee revealed to "People" magazine that she previously suffered from bulimia. After a period of about five years, she began treatment after qualifying for American Idol[13]. During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 lbs. In July 2006, McPhee sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the debut of the cruise ship, Crown Princess, in New York. McPhee missed the start of the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006, due to severe bronchitis and laryngitis[14]. She was due to return on July 27, 2006 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ending her three-week hiatus[15]. McPhee commented on her illness in a public interview, and was quoted as, "I just have to sing easily so I can get through the tour... I bruised [my vocal cords] because I was doing so much coughing"[16]. McPhee was scheduled to join the tour on July 27 in Pittsburgh, but her flight from New York City was delayed and then canceled due to inclement weather, so she ended up joining the tour the following day, July 28, in Washington, D.C. just in time for all ten finalists to visit the White House to meet President George W. Bush. On July 21, 2006, Broadway World announced that McPhee is co-producing Michael Albanese's play Red Herring with her significant other; along with Robert Hawk, Angelina Bruno, and Jeff Kasal. McPhee was quoted in the promo as describing a desire to become involved in theatre, stating that although "audiences know me best from American Idol... my passion has always been theatre." The play will be a part of the 10th Annual New York International Fringe Festival[17]. On August 1, 2006, McPhee suffered a hair-line fracture in her left foot after tripping backstage at an American Idol tour stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. McPhee will continue to perform on the Idol tour, despite the injury[18]. McPhee performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and then a song with Andrea Bocelli, before a live audience for the JAM JCPenney "The Concert for America's Kids", which was hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw and was presented on CBS on August 23, 2006. McPhee and her sister appeared on debut of The Dr. Keith Ablow Show on September 18, 2006 to discuss her struggles with a reading problem, bulimia, and her childhood fear of her father.[19] On the show, McPhee stated that she was constantly in vision therapy during her middle school years before being diagnosed with a learning disability. She also said that because of her reading disorder, she believed that it led to her eventual bulimic habits. She now uses reading glasses for reading and writing, and has controlled eating habits. On December 2, 2006, McPhee attended VH1's "Big in '06 Awards" along with Melissa McGhee. She was nominated and won the award for "Big 'It' Girl". On January 1, 2007, McPhee attended The Rose Parade in Pasadena, California aboard the Lifesource float and performed "Better Off Alone," a ballad off of the debut album.
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