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Bianca Taylor Ryan[1] (born September 1, 1994) is
an American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who won the début season of
NBC's America's Got Talent. At age 11, the child prodigy repeatedly performed to
standing ovations from the audience, and her finals appearance—singing "I Am
Changing" from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls—prompted show judge (and onetime
child prodigy) Brandy to shake her head and proclaim, "this girl makes me want
to go practice."[2]
****
Birth name Bianca Taylor Ryan
Born September 1, 1994
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Genre(s) R&B, Gospel, Pop
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 2003–present
Label(s) SYCOmusic
(Columbia Records)
Website www.biancaryan.com
****
Biography
Background
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 and
part Japanese from her mother's side.[1] Ryan has an older brother (Shawn), a
younger sister (Isabella) and a younger brother (Jagger).[3]
As of fall 2006, she was set to attend School Lane
Charter School[4] in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania; instead, while recording
and promoting her debut CD, she was working with a tutor.[5]
At age eight, Bianca Ryan developed a preference in
the rhythm and blues and gospel music genres, and recalls practicing in her
family's basement only to hear her father ask, "who is that black woman who just
got into my daughter's body?"[1] When young Tiffany Evans won Star Search,
Ryan's father decided to send her to the same coach, Sal Dupree, for vocal
lessons.[6] Neighbor Denise Bauchens told the News Gleaner that she was sweeping
her patio one day in 2004, heard Ryan's voice, and "just dropped everything and
started to listen."[7]
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.
Early
performances
In 2003, Ryan (then nine years old) persuaded her
father to allow her to compete on Star Search, earning 12 stars from the judges
to 13 stars for Spensha Baker.[8] Ryan also has appeared on Showtime at the
Apollo and The Tom Joyner Show.[9]
Ryan has performed at several notable venues,
including Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Financial Field. Since age eight,
Ryan has been the regular anthemist for the semi-professional Philadelphia Growl
inline hockey team.[10] She also has sung the national anthem for the New Jersey
Nets, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia
Eagles professional sports teams.[9]
Ryan's television work includes commercials for the
Chuck E. Cheese restaurant chain and the Philadelphia Zoo.[3] She also played
"Singing Girl" in the Michael Cuesta-directed feature film 12 and Holding.[11]
America's Got Talent
When Ryan auditioned for America's Got Talent, she
chose the Dreamgirls showtune "And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going)" (originally
performed by Jennifer Holliday), surprising the audience and the judges with her
powerful voice. Brandy gave Ryan a standing ovation and called her "my favorite
contestant in this competition." Piers Morgan, critical of Ryan's appearance,
told her to change her hair, dress and shoes, "and you will win this tournament.
… You came on this stage, and you blew us away!" David Hasselhoff called Ryan "a
star" and called for the audience to "get on your feet for this girl!"[12]
Ryan's first appearance on Talent became one of the
most popular videos on YouTube, an online video archive that was, at the time,
partly owned by NBC.[1]
Ryan sang "Piece of My Heart", barefoot, a la Janis
Joplin, at the semifinals, but none of the judges was impressed with Ryan's
musical choice; Brandy said, "You were born to do this, (but) I liked the song
selection better the first time," while Hasselhoff felt that style was "not
going to get you through (the competition)." Still, she was announced as the
viewers' choice that week and moved on into the finale round and a chance at the
US$1 million prize.
For her finals song—coached by gospel singer
Yolanda Adams, who said there was little she could teach Ryan that she did not
already possess—Ryan returned to Dreamgirls and the Holliday number "I Am
Changing". Following the performance, Morgan praised Ryan for her appearance and
song choice, saying "I think you're going to win the competition." Hasselhoff
said she reminded him of Liza Minnelli and how she "affects people, and makes
them get up and makes them feel things," and told Ryan, "you truly are the best
in this competition."
The show's finale results aired on August 17, 2006,
during which Ryan was announced as the winner of the first season of the show.
The announcement left her in shock (when asked by host Regis Philbin how she
felt, Ryan said, "I don't even know!"), brought Hasselhoff to his feet and moved
Brandy to tears; Morgan later told WCAU (NBC10, Philadelphia) that "the most
talented person won."[13]
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.[9] The Northeast
Times reported that same day that Ryan met with Grammy Award-winning producer
David Foster and was being managed by Peter Rudge.[14]
In her official journal[15] posted September 13,
2006, Ryan wrote that she was in Los Angeles, California, recording her first
CD, set for release on November 14. The album is part of a five-record deal
signed on September 18[9] with SYCOmusic, run by Talent Executive Producer Simon
Cowell as part of Columbia Records (SONY BMG). Ryan is the first U. S. artist to
sign with SYCOmusic.[16]
Filmography
Year Film Role Other notes
2006 12 and Holding Singing Girl Released May 19,
2006
References
Footnotes
-
a b c d 11-year-old singing
sensation Bianca Ryan shows us why she's got talent. bobrivers.com.
Retrieved on 21 August 2006.
-
Colin Mahan. Talent shines in
finale. tv.com. Retrieved on 20 August 2006.
-
a b Jeannie O'Sullivan. Bianca
hits the high notes for the Eagles. northeasttimes.com. Retrieved on 21
August 2006.
-
Michael Klein. Mayfair girl, 11,
takes America's Got Talent prize. philly.com. Retrieved on 23 August 2006.
-
Michael Klein. Inqlings | Musical
notes. philly.com. Retrieved on 17 October 2006.
-
Editorial | A Star Is Trained.
philly.com. Retrieved on 12 September 2006.
-
William Rice. She's a star.
newsgleaner.com. Retrieved on 24 August 2006.
-
Star Search Junior Singer -
Spensha Baker & Bianca Ryan. cbs.com. Retrieved on 21 August 2006.
-
a b c d Bianca Ryan The Official
Site (Bio). biancaryan.com. Retrieved on 21 August 2006.
-
Bianca Ryan - The Beautiful Voice
of the Philadelphia Growl. growlhockey.com. Retrieved on 21 August 2006.
-
Frank Lovece. Television -
Reality Check. newsday.com. Retrieved on 22 August 2006.
-
Philly 11-Year-Old Wows Judges.
nbc10.com. Retrieved on 21 August 2006.
-
Bianca and Piers Morgan React to
Win. nbc10.com. Retrieved on 22 August 2006.
-
Lauren Fritsky. Million-Dollar
Baby!. northeasttimes.com. Retrieved on 2 September 2006.
-
BIANCA RYAN :: JOURNAL.
biancaryan.com. Retrieved on 13 September 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.
****
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