Katharine McPhee

This article is about the singer. For her self-titled album, see Katharine McPhee (album).

Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American Pop and R&B/Soul singer who was the runner-up to Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of American Idol in 2006.

Katharine McPhee

Biography

Early years

Born in Los Angeles, California, McPhee moved with her parents and sister to the Sherman Oaks neighborhood when she was 12 years old. Her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee (stage name Peisha Arten), 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 has a pet Chihuahua named Nena that sometimes accompanies her to photo shoots and recording sessions.

McPhee graduated in 2002 from Notre Dame High School. At Notre Dame, McPhee was a student body vice president, a varsity swimmer, and a thespian. She performed in school plays with her elder sister Adriana; both sisters were Homecoming Princess nominees 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." She was eventually cast as "Paramount Girl" in the 2006 musical film about the life of Hank Garland, Crazy 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. In the soap opera she was jealous of her popular younger sister.

American Idol

McPhee was persuaded by a boyfriend 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 was "absolutely smoking hot like the kellers", Randy Jackson hailed her audition as potentially the best so far that season, and Simon Cowell complimented her for being "current" and her audition being "absolutely fantastic".

McPhee listed Whitney Houston and Brian McKnight as her favorite artists in the American Idol interview of the top 24 semi-finalists.

During the week preceding the top three show, McPhee 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."

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. She also referred to her fans as the "Kat Pack".

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.

McPhee was credited with performing K.T. Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" during the Idol final run.

During the competition, McPhee roomed with fellow contestant Kellie Pickler, and when Pickler was eliminated, she roomed with Paris Bennett.

Post-Idol

File:Mcphee.jpg

Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny (2006)

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's debut single, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" was released on June 27, 2006 by RCA Records. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "My Destiny" peaked at #60. Thirty-two weeks after its release, Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny had climbed to #4 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts. It was 2nd highest best-selling single of 2006 after Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud?".

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.

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. During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 lbs.

McPhee missed the start of the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006, due to severe bronchitis and laryngitis. McPhee commented on her illness in a public interview, saying "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". McPhee eventually joined the tour on July 28, in Washington, D.C. just in time for all ten finalists to visit the White House to meet President George W. Bush. The day prior to returning to the Idol's tour, McPhee was a guest co-host on The View.

On July 21 2006, Broadway World announced that McPhee is co-producing Michael Albanese's play Red Herring 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.

You start doing something you love doing and the weight just started falling off me. I was still eating... It was a really amazing thing that happened with me and my body has just been kind of falling to its natural state and I don't know if it's finished going where it wants, but it's doing its thing.

Katharine McPhee, People

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. On the show, McPhee stated that she was thought to have a learning disability during her middle school years but was finally diagnosed with a vision problem.

On December 2, 2006, McPhee attended VH1's "Big in '06 Awards" along with Melissa McGhee and won the award for "Big 'It' Girl".

McPhee sang at the Tournament of Roses Parade along with Lisa Tucker on January 1, 2007.

McPhee made a cameo appearance on the January 19, 2007 lonelygirl15 episode, "Truth or Dare".

On January 11, 2007, it was confirmed that McPhee would play herself in the Ugly Betty episode, "I'm Coming Out," which aired on February 1.

She also co-hosted TRL for a whole week, February 18, 2007, to February 23, 2007, and on her last day, Friday, she introduced the World Premiere of her first music video, for her first single Over It. The video peaked at #1 on March 1, 2007

She was named number 2 on the 2007 FHM US 100 sexiest women in the world list and she also made PEOPLE Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful List.

She appeared as a guest on The Tyra Banks Show (air date 2/27/07).

McPhee was named #1 on AOL's Top 10 sexiest Idol Contestants in 2007.

2007: Katharine McPhee

See also: Katharine McPhee (album)

McPhee's self-titled debut album sold 116,000 copies its first week, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart. The first single was the Top 40 hit, "Over It".

McPhee is not scheduled to perform on American Idol season 6, though the rumor was brought up to McPhee when having an online chat. When asked, she said she had not been asked just yet and asks fans to keep their "fingers crossed." She said the only show she might perform on would be the finale. She did not perform at the finale. Fellow season 5 alumni Taylor Hicks, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry and Kellie Pickler all performed at some point during the season. For this reason, many fans of McPhee expressed disappointment at the exclusion.

Her first single's music video from her self-titled album, "Over it", hit #1 on both TRL and VH1 top 20 countdown. "Over it" debuted at number 1 on the VH1 top 20 countdown, and maintained number 1 for 3 consecutive weeks.

"Love Story" is confirmed to be the next single from McPhee's album. Ads for it begin on May 29.

Personal life

In an interview in Canada on April 13th, 2007, Katharine said she is currently in a relationship with actor Nick Cokas, 42. He has been with her since before Idol.

Discography

Album

Album Information
Katharine McPhee Released: January 30 2007 Label: RCA Records Peak U.S. Billboard: #2 U.S. Sales: 325,825 RIAA certification: Official Singles: 2007: "Over It" 2007: "Love Story"

Singles

Year	Single	Album	Chart positions
			U.S.	US Pop	US Single Sales
2006	"Think"	American Idol Encores	121	90	–
	"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"	Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny	12	12	2
	"My Destiny"		60	42	2
2007	"Over It"	Katharine McPhee	29	21	-
	"Love Story"		-	-	-

Miscellaneous

List of Katharine McPhee's performances on American Idol 

Semifinals

• February 21, 2006 - "Since I Fell for You," Barbra Streisand version.
  • Cowell said that she was the best singer of the night.
• February 28, 2006 - "All in Love Is Fair," Stevie Wonder
  • The judges stated that they thought this performance fell victim to poor song choice, but Abdul thought that she was "still a star."
• March 7, 2006 - "Think," Aretha Franklin
  • The judges stated that they loved this performance because she "had fun with it."

Finals

• March 14, 2006 - "Until You Come Back to Me," Stevie Wonder
  • The theme was Stevie Wonder, and the judges stated that they loved this performance. Jackson said that the McPhee he "met during the auditions" was back. Cowell compared her gaining of momentum to Kelly Clarkson in the show's first season.
• March 21, 2006 - "Come Rain or Come Shine," Ella Fitzgerald
  • The theme was 1950's, and once again the judges were very impressed. Jackson noted that it wasn't her best vocal performance, but it was still great. Abdul agreed wholeheartedly. Cowell noted that it was the performance that made her a star.
• March 28, 2006 - "The Voice Within," Christina Aguilera - (Bottom 2)
  • The theme was songs of the 21st century. Jackson thought she should have changed the performance up to make it her own. Abdul said she wouldn't change a thing. Cowell said it was the best that night so far, and almost as good as Aguilera. During the results show, however, McPhee was placed in the bottom three, and Cowell stated that upon viewing the playback, she wasn't nearly as good as he thought.
• April 4, 2006 - "Bringing Out The Elvis," from album Breathe 1999, Faith Hill
  • The theme for the night was country. McPhee was the eighth of nine performers that night. Jackson said: "Kind of bluesy country, yeah? I like it. You sang it very nice, very nice. Good job, dog, good job." Abdul said: "That is your style; that's your niche. You look sexy, hot. You're cool." Cowell, looking a bit bewildered, said: "I don't know what to say anymore; I really don't. That song was just so peculiar." At this point McPhee spoke up and said: "Simon, you just don't like country music. It's okay. Just say it," with which Cowell agreed, saying: "You're right, I don't, I don't. I hate it."
• April 11, 2006 - "Who Wants to Live Forever," Queen
  • The theme was songs by Queen, and McPhee performed fifth out of eight contestants. The judges' reactions were as follows: Jackson said: "This is your element, I mean a little Broadway, big song, kind of big voice. It was a little pitchy in spots, and I thought at some points it was a little big for you, but you did a good job, I think, all in all." Abdul said: "You made the right decision to just stand there and be glorious, with your glorious voice. I mean it's a song that big singers like Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand take on; and you, Katharine McPhee, can handle it, and you did a great job." Cowell said: "Katharine, I mean that was almost the moment. You know, I agree with Randy [Jackson], I think there were some tuning problems at parts. I think you owe a big kiss to the director and the lighting director there, because they made you look amazing — I mean really good. But overall I think it was probably one of the strongest tonight. Yeah. Very good." She turned and thanked them.
• April 18, 2006 - "Someone to Watch Over Me," George Gershwin
  • The theme was "The Great American Songbook" by Rod Stewart. McPhee performed last that night. Jackson said that McPhee was in her "element." Abdul believed that she picked the perfect song and told her that it was like watching her for the very first time, and that she had fallen in love with her all over again. Cowell said that she made the others look like "good amateurs." He told her she was the best of the night, and that she was elegant and sang like a returning pro. Rod Stewart made some very positive comments about her: "Katharine I believe, is born to sing the standards. I would imagine big things for her. There's not much I can say about this girl - she's fantastic."
• April 25, 2006 - "I Have Nothing," Whitney Houston
  • The theme was "Greatest Love Songs." Jackson said that it was a good song choice but it was too big for her. Abdul said she was stunning but believed it was too pitchy. Cowell said that by coming out and singing that song she was saying she is as good as Whitney Houston. Seacrest jokingly remarked that McPhee would get votes from anybody with the volume turned down. The following night, Cowell took back his statement, saying that when he watched it back, it wasn't as bad as he had told her. Jackson also apologized by saying that he had been a little bit "too harsh." Abdul said that she has never been harsh, and later said that she still didn't feel that Katharine had had a good night.
• May 2, 2006 - "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", Phil Collins; "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," KT Tunstall
  • The theme for the night was for them to pick a song from the same year they were born, and a song from this week's Billboard charts. For "Against All Odds," Jackson thought her performance may have been in the wrong key for Katharine's voice, but it was OK. Abdul said it wasn't her favorite song choice for her. Cowell said that in parts the song was a mess, and that it ran away from her. They all thought she looked stunning in her dress. For "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," she was accompanied by two cajon box drum players. Jackson liked seeing the old McPhee back. Abdul loved the intimacy and the choreography. Cowell said the song choice was great for her and it really showed her personality. She performed barefoot, and he liked how her toes matched her top.
• May 9, 2006 - "Hound Dog/All Shook Up" and "Can't Help Falling in Love", Elvis Presley - (Bottom 2)
  • The theme was Elvis Presley. For "Hound Dog/All Shook Up", Jackson asked if she forgot the lyrics but Abdul said she handled it well and that the performance was "really fun". Cowell said it was a "desperate manic audition" and that the song was also "shrieky" and for him, he just thought that it "wasn't a great performance", although he previously mistakenly said that it was a great performance, but then corrected it. When Ryan Seacrest asked him "is that your final answer?" (an obvious reference to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire), Cowell said yes, it wasn't a great performance. For "Can't Help Falling in Love," she received mixed reviews, as well as Abdul commenting that she preferred "Katharine having fun" and Simon noting the song as being "pitchy." On May 10, 2006, McPhee was in the bottom two with Chris Daughtry. Daughtry was eliminated from the competition.
• May 16, 2006
  • Clive Davis chose R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" for McPhee. Jackson thought she did well, but the song choice was bad and she wasn't "that singer." Abdul, after some pause and inspiration from an audience member, said that McPhee was incredible, and that she looked fabulous. Cowell enjoyed the performance.
  • Cowell chose Judy Garland's top classic of all time, "Over the Rainbow", for McPhee. She sang a beautiful hybrid version that combined elements from Jane Monheit's version and from Eva Cassidy's unique 1996 rendition.[1] Jackson was blown away, calling her "a hot one," and declaring that she had the best song of the season. Abdul was also impressed, saying that song was her "element." Cowell said that he was very happy for McPhee and, putting the fact that he chose the song aside, he thought it was the best performance of the competition to date. He also added that it was brilliant.
  • McPhee chose Ella Fitzgerald's "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" (from "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook") for her final song. Jackson said it was good, but not to the extent of her second song. Abdul agreed, once again saying that McPhee's second song was her "element." Cowell said it was okay, and he wished America had seen her second song last instead. McPhee made it to the final two, along with Taylor Hicks.
• May 23, 2006
  • McPhee's first song was "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" from the Final 5. Randy Jackson said it was better than the first time. Paula Abdul said that Katharine was brilliant. Simon Cowell said it was good, but not big enough for this event.
  • McPhee's second song was "Over the Rainbow" from the Final 3. Jackson said it was amazing and hot. Abdul said it was great. Cowell said it was her best performance of the season.
  • McPhee's third song was an original single called "My Destiny" written by singer/songwriter Hanne Sorvaag. Jackson said McPhee looked and sounded amazing, but she was better than the song. Abdul agreed that McPhee sounded amazing. Cowell said that this song made her go from "brilliant" to only "quite good", but her second song was where she truly shined.
• May 24, 2006
  • At the end of the 2 hour season finale, the final votes revealed that McPhee did not receive a majority of the votes, thus crowning Taylor Hicks the new American Idol. Ryan Seacrest stated there were over 63.4 million votes. Not long before the finale began, McPhee stated that she had changed into a record of nine dresses during the show.

References

External links

• Official Website
• Template:AI contestant
• Katharine McPhee at IMDb
• Template:Myspace
• Jan. 16th, 2007 Interview with Katherine McPhee via Associated Content
• Interview: Katharine McPhee February 01, 2007
• Katharine McPhee interview
• Katharine McPhee on American Idol at American Idol Watch
• Katharine McPhee Goes From Classics To Pop - CBS