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All Music Guide:
Boasting mature, rock-influenced vocals that belied her young age, 17 year-old Allison Iraheta became the most popular female in American Idol's 2009 season. The daughter of Salvadorian parents, she logged numerous performances in the Latino community before her multi-month run on Idol, even winning a bilingual singing competition on the Telemundo network in 2006. American Idol proved to be her launching pad, however, as she finished in fourth place behind contenders Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen. During a summer tour with the entire cast, Iraheta became one of the season's first singers to land a record deal, securing representation with 19/Jive Records in early June. She then set to work on her debut album Just Like You, releasing her first single -- the Max Martin-penned "Friday I'll Be Over U" -- several months after the tour's conclusion.
Wikipedia:
Allison Iraheta (born April 27, 1992) is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Iraheta won the Telemundo competition Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista. Following the conclusion of Idol, Iraheta was signed to a record deal with 19 Entertainment and Jive Records. Her debut album Just Like You was released on December 1, 2009.
Biography
Iraheta was born in Glendale, California, to Salvadorian immigrants who moved to the United States before she was born. She is the youngest in the family, with two older siblings, Jacki and Carlos Iraheta. According to her family, she has been singing since she was a toddler. In 2001, she began taking voice lessons with Raphael Enriquez at the Los Angeles Music and Art School, a non-profit community school of the arts in East Los Angeles. Before rising to prominence, she was a frequent performer at the local Latin Electronics Store La Curaçao and the Los Angeles Music and Art School's annual benefit concert, Stars for the Arts. Iraheta attended Los Angeles' Animo Ralph Bunche Charter High School.
Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista (2006-09)
In 2007, Iraheta won the reality show, “Quinceañera: Mama Quiero Ser Artista” (Sweet Fifteen: Mom, I Want to be an Artist), a reality TV singing competition that was produced and broadcasted in 2006-2007 on Telemundo, where she sang in both English and Spanish.
On the show, a group of teenage girls such as Olivia Bonilla, Brissia Mayagoitia, and others of Hispanic and Latino American background competed in a singing competition for the main prize of $50,000 and a record deal. Iraheta was the first (and only) winner of the competition and received the grand prize, but due to legal problems of the show the recording contract was never finalized and the production of the show was closed.
American Idol (2009)
Iraheta auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in San Francisco in 2009. She sang "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin and made it to the Hollywood audition rounds. The judges unanimously agreed to put her through to the semifinals, with Simon Cowell saying "keep your eye on that one" and Paula Abdul predicting that Iraheta would be a "dark horse" in the competition.
Judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson declared Iraheta to be "one to watch in this competition" after her rendition of Heart's "Alone" during the semifinals. For her performance, Iraheta earned unanimous praise from the judges, with Abdul praising her for being able to "sing the telephone book". Iraheta was the top vote-getting female of Group 2 and, along with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, advanced directly from the semifinals.
Iraheta kicked off her run in the finals with a well-received performance of Michael Jackson's "Give In to Me". Once again, Abdul praised Iraheta for being a "rock star," with the rest of the panel in agreement. The following week, Iraheta performed "Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless. Iraheta received rave reviews from the judges, but landed in the Bottom 3 for the first time. On Motown Night, Iraheta performed a cover of the Temptations' "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone". The performance earned a standing ovation from mentor Smokey Robinson, as well as further praise from the judges. DioGuardi enthusiastically lauded Iraheta for having a voice that "comes from God...you can't teach that! You sing like you've been singing for 400 years!"
On Top Downloads night, Iraheta performed No Doubt's "Don't Speak" while accompanying herself on the guitar and ended up in the Bottom 3 again. For her performance during Top 8 week, Iraheta sang Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me", for which she received much acclaim. Jackson compared her to first season winner Kelly Clarkson, and DioGuardi commented, "You know what? Let's go make a record!" After covering "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" during Movie Night, Cowell boldly stated "We can see you all the way through the end now. You are the girls' only hope [of winning this competition.]" Abdul compared her to fellow contestant Adam Lambert, saying that the two possessed the same "special sauce."
During the second Top 7 Night (due to the judges' save of Matt Giraud), Iraheta performed a rock-infused version of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". Emerging on a glowing, red staircase, Iraheta was praised by Cowell for delivering "a brilliant performance". DioGuardi also praised Iraheta by saying, "That was like a 9–10 for me!" The following night, Iraheta again landed in the bottom 3 for the third time, and Lil Rounds was eliminated from the competition, leaving Iraheta as the last remaining female contestant. The next week, Iraheta performed a widely-acclaimed cover of "Someone to Watch Over Me" as part of the Rat Pack theme. Jackson compared her vocal ability to Pink, "but with 9,000 more octaves", while DioGuardi remarked, "you converted some fans tonight... If that doesn't land you in the finals, I don't know what will!". During the subsequent results show, it was revealed that Iraheta was among the Top 2 vote-getters (along with Danny Gokey) for the night.
The following week, Iraheta performed a solo version of "Cry Baby" and closed the show with "Slow Ride", a duet with Adam Lambert. Regarding her performance of "Cry Baby", Cowell remarked that her growth throughout the competition was "staggering", and praised her for her "complete confidence and terrific vocals". Her duet of "Slow Ride" with Lambert received further praise from the judges, with DioGuardi describing her as a "rock goddess". Mentor Slash commented that Iraheta possessed a better voice than most women "twice her age".
On May 6, 2009, Iraheta was eliminated from the competition in 4th place. Slash tweeted that "Alison [sic] didn't deserve to be voted off AI so soon, she has amazing potential." Similarly, American Idol music director Rickey Minor was "absolutely shocked" at her departure.
