La'Porsha Renae
La'Porsha Renae Mays (born July 28, 1993), known professionally as La'Porsha Renae, is an American singer-songwriter from McComb, Mississippi. In 2015, she auditioned for the fifteenth season of American Idol, which at that time was the final season. On April 7, 2016, she finished as runner-up on the show, behind winner Trent Harmon.[1]
La'Porsha Renae | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | La'Porsha Renae Mays |
| Born | July 28, 1993 McComb, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
|
In March 2017, Renae released her debut album Already All Ready.
Biography
Early life
La' Porsha Renae Mays was born on July 28, 1993 in McComb, Mississippi. At age 16, Renae auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol. After graduating from college at age 22, Renae was a victim of domestic abuse. After a year, she separated from her husband and moved back 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 final 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
Career beginnings
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.Renae's first live performance post Idol was on Live with Kelly and Michael promoting "Battles" which reached its peak at #22 on US R&B Digital Charts.
In August 2016, a remix for "Battles" was released, called the Gold Medal Mix. It became the official song for the United States Women's Gymnastic Team for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[5] In November, Renae released the lead single to her upcoming debut album, entitled "Good Woman."
Career
2017: Already All Ready
Her debut studio album, Already All Ready was released on March 31, 2017.[6] "Good Woman" is the debut single from the album.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat | R&B | ||
| Already All Ready |
|
113 | 1 | 15 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B Digital[7] |
US Adult R&B | |||
| "Battles" | 2016 | 22 | — | Non-album single |
| "Battles (Gold Medal Mix)" | — | — | ||
| "Good Woman"[8] | — | 6 | Already All Ready | |
| "Already All Ready" | 2017 | — | — | |
| "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | 2018 | — | — | Non-album single |
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.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
- 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.
- "2016 Olympics: 'American Idol' La'Porsha Renae Releases 'Battles (Gold Medal Mix)'". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
- "'American Idol' La'Porsha Renae Unveils First Single 'Good Woman': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- Kevin Rutherford (April 13, 2016). "'American Idol' Finalists MacKenzie Bourg & Dalton Rapattoni Debut on Rock Charts". Billboard.
- https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-adult-r-and-b-airplay/2017-02-25
External links
| Preceded by Clark Beckham |
American Idol runner-up 2016 |
Succeeded by Caleb Lee Hutchinson |
Authority control  |
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