Bianca Ryan
Bianca Taylor Ryan (born September 1 1994) is an American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who won the debut season of NBC's America's Got Talent at age eleven.[1]
Ryan's eponymous first CD was recorded just after her 12th birthday and released on November 14 2006; Bianca Ryan broke into the Billboard 200 at #57.[2] One month later, the EP Christmas Everyday! was released as a promotional giveaway. She has since performed in such countries as Austria and Switzerland;[3] her first concert tour took her across the United States as the "special guest" artist for Live Nation's Nextfest.[4]
[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal
Bianca Ryan is the second of four children of Shawn and Janette Ryan, and is part Irish from her father's side of the family[citation needed]. Bianca has an older brother, Shawn, and two younger siblings, Isabella and Jagger.[5]
At age twelve, Ryan developed a preference in the R&B and gospel music genres, and recalls practicing in her family's basement only to hear her father ask, "How did you learn to sing like that?" Neighbor Denise Bauchens told the Northeast News Gleaner that she was sweeping her patio one day in 2004, heard Ryan's voice.[6]
Ryan counts Yolanda Adams, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Holliday and Patti LaBelle among her favorite singers. Adams was her voice coach for the America's Got Talent finals.
For the 2006-2007 academic year, Ryan was a tenth-grader at School Lane Charter School in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania. "I'm in school most of the time," she said, "and keep up on my work when I have to go on the road."
Just before the release of her CD, Ryan lost her grandmother, Marie Ryan, who had struggled with Alzheimer's disease for five years.[7] The following week, Mayor John F. Street proclaimed November 13 "Bianca Ryan Day" in Philadelphia and presented Ryan with a key to the city.[8]
[edit] America's Got Talent, 2006
While searching the Internet for auditions early in 2006, Ryan discovered that Idol judge Simon Cowell was serving as executive producer for an upcoming competition titled America's Got Talent. For her audition appearance, she chose the Dreamgirls showtune "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (originally performed by Jennifer Holliday), surprising the audience and the judges with her powerful voice.[9]
By April 2007, a copy of Ryan's audition had climbed into the 100 "Top Rated (All Time) in Music" videos at YouTube.[10]
At the semi-finals of the show, the judges loved the performance but said that the song wasn't right for her.
America's Got Talent's finale results aired on August 17, 2006, during which Ryan was announced as the winner of the first season of the show.
Ryan made a brief appearance during the show's second season finale. In a video recorded during the Nextfest tour, she wished "the best of luck" to the top two finalists.[11]
[edit] Debut CD
On August 24 2006, Ryan announced on her website that she had flown to New York to meet with representatives from a "major record label" and some of the recording industry's top songwriters.[12] The Northeast Times reported that same day that Ryan met with Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster and was being managed by Peter Rudge.[13]
The following month, Ryan was in Los Angeles, California, to record her first CD, featuring cover versions of "The Rose" and "I Believe I Can Fly" and original songs like "I Wish That" and "Pray for a Better Day". Bianca Ryan was released on November 14 2006; eight days later, the album broke in at #57 on the Billboard album charts, showcasing "her gargantuan chops and sweet charm," wrote Matt Collar of All Music Guide. Though he called the arrangements "somewhat over-the-top pop creations" and "grandiose given Ryan's age, her musical aspirations are more than matched by her truly impressive vocal talent."[14] Los Angeles Daily News reviewer Sandra Barrera went a step further, calling Bianca Ryan "an album filled mostly with really bad covers." Still, she wrote, "Ryan tackles these kinds of has-beens like the old pro that her big, powerful voice makes you think she is."[15]
Bianca Ryan is the first of a five-album record deal signed on September 18 with SYCOmusic, run by Simon Cowell as part of Columbia Records (SONY BMG).[12] Ryan is the first U. S. artist to sign with SYCOmusic.[16]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album information
|
Bianca Ryan
- Released: November 14 2006
- Chart positions: #57 US
- U.S. Sales: 91,000
- Sales Worldwide: 130,000+
|
| Why Couldn't It Be Christmas Everyday?
|
[edit] Singles
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Feature films
[edit] Television
- Star Search
- Showtime at the Apollo
- The Tom Joyner Show
- America's Got Talent – six appearances (June 28, July 26, July 27, August 16, August 17 2006, and August 21, 2007)
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show – two appearances (September 13 and November 16 2006)
- The CW Morning Show – November 16, 2006
- Today – November 16, 2006
- The Oprah Winfrey Show – November 16, 2006
- Martha – November 20 2006
- Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade – December 25 2006
- 49th Pepsi 400 (from Daytona International Speedway), July 7 2007
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Mahan, Colin. Talent shines in finale. tv.com. Retrieved on 20 August, 2006.
- ^ VH1.com : News : Game Clobbers Akon, Takes Albums Chart. vh1.com. Retrieved on 22 November, 2006.
- ^ Bianca Ryan Message Board (official Web site). biancaryan.com. Retrieved on 7 August, 2007.
- ^ Bianca Ryan Sings "That's Not Me". youtube.com. Retrieved on 14 July, 2007.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Jeannie. Bianca hits the high notes for the Eagles. Northeast Times. Retrieved on 21 August, 2006.
- ^ Rice, William. She's a star. Northeast News Gleaner. Retrieved on 24 August, 2006.
- ^ Bianca Ryan Message Board (official Web site). biancaryan.com. Retrieved on 5 April, 2007.
- ^ Rice, William. Bianca Ryan is honored by the city. newsgleaner.com. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.
- ^ Philly 11-Year-Old Wows Judges. nbc10.com. Retrieved on 21 August, 2006.
- ^ Top Rated (All Time) in Music. youtube.com. Retrieved on 20 April, 2007.
- ^ Bianca Ryan Message Board (official Web site). biancaryan.com. Retrieved on 21 August, 2007.
- ^ a b Bianca Ryan The Official Site (News). biancaryan.com. Retrieved on 21 August, 2006.
- ^ Fritsky, Lauren. Million-Dollar Baby!. northeasttimes.com. Retrieved on 2 September, 2006.
- ^ Collar, Matt. Billboard.com – Discography – Bianca Ryan – Bianca Ryan. billboard.com. Retrieved on 16 November, 2006.
- ^ Barrera, Sandra. BIANCA RYAN: "Bianca Ryan". dailynews.com. Retrieved on 17 November, 2006.
- ^ Bianca Ryan, 12-Year-Old Winner of America's Got Talent, First U. S. Signing to Columbia Records/SYCO. biz.yahoo.com. Retrieved on 25 September, 2006.
- ^ Not released as a commercial "single"; however, several radio stations worldwide — most notably KOST in Los Angeles, where it topped the request list more than once — played this song as part of their seasonal programming (see Ryan's official forum).
- ^ Bianca Ryan Message Board (official Web site). biancaryan.com. Retrieved on 30 July, 2007.
[edit] External links
| America's Got Talent |
|---|
| | Seasons | | | | Hosts | | | | Judges | | | | Winners | | | | Runners-up | | | | Other alumni | | | | Other | | | | Host and judges names shown in italics are no longer a part of the show. |
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| Persondata
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| NAME
| Ryan, Bianca Taylor
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION
| American singer, America's Got Talent winner
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| DATE OF BIRTH
| 1994-09-1
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| PLACE OF BIRTH
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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| DATE OF DEATH
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| PLACE OF DEATH
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