Katharine McPhee's Kevo

Bio

Early career
Born in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles, McPhee has been singing since the age of two. Her mother, Peisha Burch McPhee, a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer, recognized a talent for music in her daughter and started training her. McPhee graduated in the class of 2002 from Notre Dame High School after which she attended The Boston Conservatory for three semesters with a concentration in musical theater. She left because she met a manager who wanted her to try out for parts during the television pilot season in Los Angeles. She did a pilot and an independent film. At the Cabrillo Music Theater in Thousand Oaks, California, she performed the title role in a musical theatre production of Annie Get Your Gun. In June 2005 she played Anna Muir in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, a musical by Scott DeTurk and Bill Francoeur, at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood.

'American Idol'
During her initial audition for American Idol in San Francisco, she sang "God Bless the Child." Judge Randy Jackson said she was the best voice he had heard so far that season, judge Paula Abdul praised her looks, and judge Simon Cowell said she was amazing and "current." McPhee's mother had gone with her to the audition, and Cowell made a comment about the possibility that the elder McPhee was a stage mother.

In the final cut-down show for the Top 24, McPhee was the first to be put through and, in excitement, kissed all three judges on the lips. She cried both when she passed her initial audition and when she made it into the Top 24.

In the first round of the semi-finals, she sang Barbra Streisand's version of Buddy Johnson's "Since I Fell for You," again earning high praises as Cowell said that out of the four "very, very good vocalists" of the night, she was the best.

During the week leading to the third round of the semi-finals, where McPhee sang Aretha Franklin's "Think," she was rumored to be quitting due to pregnancy. However, during the performance show on March 7, 2006, she denied this accusation, later attributing it to a poor choice of clothing. Host Ryan Seacrest, with tongue-in-cheek, asked about her and fellow Idol contestant Kevin Covais.

During the week preceding the top 3 show, McPhee visited her former high school for her hometown celebration.

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, and also "McPhan," "McPhaith" and "Kat Pack."

On the May 23, 2006, edition of NBC's Today Show, Katie Couric mentioned news reports saying that Katharine's greatest assets are her looks and strong fan base, while her greatest liability is the fact that her performances suffer when she is under pressure. These opinions were echoed by MSNBC's music writers.

She was congratulated by Congressman Brad Sherman of Sherman Oaks, the 27th district of California by raising a flag in her honor at the United States Capitol on the day of the finale show.

On 24 May 2006, Katharine finished second to Taylor Hicks, the winner of American Idol.

Post-Idol
After coming second to Taylor Hicks she said, "I don't need sad faces or anyone to feel bad for me. I have got a record deal, pretty much. It wasn't about winning the title, I just wanted to give the best performance I could." Her first single, "Somewhere over the Rainbow/My Destiny" is to be released on June 27th by RCA Records. Influential film personae such as Steven Spielberg and Joss Whedon are courting McPhee for her acting talents. On June 6, 2006, it was announced that McPhee had signed to series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and RCA. It was also announced at that time that her first single would be a double A-side, reflecting the fact that "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" has become her signature song. Release is scheduled for June 27, 2006. McPhee sang with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at three of his concerts during his tour in the United States, starting on June 9, 2006, less than a month after the finale. Together they performed "Somos Novios" and "The Prayer."
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. According to an interview with "Teen People", she is 5 feet 8 inches and currently 135 pounds, weighing 165 at her heaviest before "actually addressing the issue, not trying to lose weight." During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 pounds, attributing it to the fact that "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."

The "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" debuted and peaked at #12 on the Billboard Charts. The single "Rainbow/ My Destiny" peaked at #2 on the singles chart.

Katharine is now the face of SexyHair and is going to be in their promo adds throughout 2007.

Kat's debut album (title TBA) is set to be released on November 28, 2006 under RCA Records.

Links & Fansites
| Katharine McPhee.com- Katharine's official website.

| Kat on MySpace- Katharine's official MySpace.

| KatharineMcPheever.org - A fansites and community for fans who have caught the McPheever! The site contains all the latest news, media, pictures, and much more.

| Katharine-McPhee.net- An interactive Katharine fansite with an extensive picture gallery and forum.