La'Porsha Renae
| La'Porsha Renae | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | La'Porsha Renae Jennings |
| Born |
August 1, 1993 McComb, Mississippi, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2016–Present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Trent Harmon, Jordan Sasser, Kayce Haynes, Lindita |
La'Porsha Renae Jennings (born August 1, 1993) is an American singer from McComb, Mississippi. In 2015, she auditioned for the fifteenth and final season of American Idol. On April 7, 2016, she finished as runner-up on the show, behind winner Trent Harmon.[1]
Biography
At age 16, Renae tried out for the tenth season American Idol. After her college graduation at the age of 22, Renae was a victim of domestic abuse. After a year, she separated from her husband and moved to McComb with her one month old daughter Nayalee Keya.
American Idol
Accompanied by her daughter, she returned to audition for American Idol in Little Rock, Arkansas and earned her golden ticket by performing in front of the judges with Radiohead's "Creep". Renae was announced as the runner-up on April 7, 2016.
Performances
| Week | Theme | Song(s) | Original artist(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions | Contestant's choice | "Creep" | Radiohead | Advanced |
| Hollywood Week, Part 1 | First Solo | "Roar" | Katy Perry | Advanced |
| Hollywood Week, Part 2 | Group Round | "Stayin' Alive" | Bee Gees | |
| Hollywood Week, Part 3 | Second Solo | Not aired | ||
| Final Judgment | Final Solo | "The House of the Rising Sun" | The Animals | Advanced |
| Top 24 | Contestant's choice | "Proud Mary" | Tina Turner | Advanced |
| Top 10 | Contestant's choice | "Diamonds" | Rihanna | Safe |
| Top 8 | Idol Grammy Hits | "Halo" | Beyoncé | Safe |
| Top 6 | American Idol All Time Song Book | "See You Again" (duet with Trent Harmon) |
Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth | Safe |
| "Come Together" | The Beatles | |||
| Top 5 | America's Twitter Song Choice | "Ready for Love" | India.Arie | Safe |
| "No More Drama" | Mary J. Blige | |||
| Top 4 | Classic Rock | "Wanted Dead or Alive" | Bon Jovi | Bottom 2 |
| Sia | "Elastic Heart" | Sia | ||
| Top 3 | Hometown Dedication | "Glory" | Common and John Legend | Safe |
| Scott Borchetta's Choice | "Stay With Me" | Lorraine Ellison | ||
| Judges' Choice | "Hello" | Adele | ||
| Top 2 | Winner's single | "Battles" | La'Porsha Renae | Runner-Up |
| Simon Fuller's Choice | "A House Is Not a Home" | Dionne Warwick | ||
| Favorite Performance | "Diamonds" | Rihanna | ||
| Finale | Finale show | "It Takes Two" (duet with Trent Harmon) |
Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston | |
Post Idol
Hours after the end of the American Idol, Renae announced that she had been signed to Big Machine and Motown Records.[2] American Idol mentor and Big Machine Label Group CEO, Scott Borchetta told Billboard the reason for the signing is "Because of the overwhelming fan demand and success of the farewell season of American Idol,." Ethiopia Habtemariam, president of MoTown Records will oversee Renae's album. In a post-Idol interview about her plans Renae indicated she would be leaving Mississippi, and when asked about the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act, an anti-LGBT law in her home state she said "I am one of the people who don’t really agree with that lifestyle. I wasn’t brought up that way."[3][4] Renae's single "Battles" debuted at number 22 on the US R&B singles chart with a first week sales total of 7,000.
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B Digital[5] | |||
| "Battles" | 2016 | 22 | Non-album single |
Live Performances
La'Porsha Renae first performance live was on Kelly and Michael promoting her "winner single" on American Idol Season 15 "Battles" which reached its peak at #22 on US R&B Digital Charts.
References
- ↑ Slezak, Michael (April 7, 2016). "American Idol Series Finale Recap: Did the Right Contestant Win? Plus: TVLine's Series Finale Awards!". TV Line Media, LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ↑ Shirley Halperin, Fred Bronson (April 7, 2016). "'American Idol' Winner & Runner-Up Both Have Label Deals: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ↑ Avery, Dan. ""American Idol" Finalist La'Porsha Renae: "I Don't Really Agree With The LGBT Lifestyle"". NewNowNext. Logo. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ↑ Smith, Nigel M. "American Idol's La'Porsha Renae draws anger for anti-LGBT comments". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ Kevin Rutherford (April 13, 2016). "'American Idol' Finalists MacKenzie Bourg & Dalton Rapattoni Debut on Rock Charts". Billboard.