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Bianca Ryan
Bianca RyanBianca Ryan (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
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 11, the prodigy repeatedly performed to standing ovations from the studio audiences, and her finale appearance—singing "I Am Changing" from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls—moved show judge (and onetime prodigy) Brandy to shake her head and tell Ryan that she "makes me want to go practice " that's how good you are." 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. One month later, the EP Christmas Everyday! was released as a promotional giveaway. She has since performed in such countries as Austria and Switzerland; her first concert tour took her across the United States as the "special guest" artist for Live Nation's Nextfest. BiographyPersonalBianca 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. Ryan has an older brother, Shawn, and two younger siblings, Isabella and Jagger.At age eight, 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?" Neighbor Denise Bauchens told the Northeast News Gleaner that she was sweeping her patio one day in 2004, heard Ryan's voice, and "just dropped everything and started to listen." 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 sixth-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. The following week, Mayor John F. Street proclaimed November 13 "Bianca Ryan Day" in Philadelphia and presented Ryan with a key to the city. PerformancesRyan began performing as a tap-dancer; it was a surprise to her parents when the eight-year-old told them she wanted to audition for Star Search in 2003. Her participation ended when she earned 12 stars from the judges to 13 stars for Spensha Baker (after young Tiffany Evans was crowned Ultimate Junior Singer, Shawn Ryan decided to send his daughter to Evans' coach, Sal Dupree, for vocal lessons). Ryan also has appeared on Showtime at the Apollo and The Tom Joyner Show. Her television work includes commercials for Chuck E. Cheese's and the Philadelphia Zoo. She also played "Singing Girl" in the Michael Cuesta-directed feature film 12 and Holding.She has sung at Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Financial Field; since age eight, she has been the regular anthemist for the semi-professional Philadelphia Growl inline hockey team. Ryan also has sung the national anthem for major-league sports teams, including her hometown Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Eagles, and the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and New York Rangers. Ryan briefly visited Europe in December 2006 to promote her album; she then joined several artists, including Taylor Hicks, in a Christmas performance for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the National Building Museum to benefit the Children's National Medical Center. Ryan performed "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", then sang "O Come All Ye Faithful" as part of a medley. In January 2007, she joined Jon Bon Jovi, Frankie Avalon, Mickey Rooney and other performers with Philadelphia ties at the Inaugural Ball for Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Starting in July, Ryan joined Nextfest, the "teen tour of the summer" featuring Aly & AJ, Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell; her performances included a new single, "That's Not Me". Concert reviews were positive, if reserved—for El Paso Times, Paula Monarez Diaz noted Ryan's "powerful voice and spunk, and, if she continues, she should become a star", while Ed Masley with The Arizona Republic wrote, "[y]es, the girl can sing. And yes, she sounds much older than her years. But she's 12. And it showed." America's Got Talent, 2006While 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. 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!"By April 2007, a copy of Ryan's audition had climbed into the 100 "Top Rated (All Time) in Music" videos at YouTube. Ryan sang "Piece of My Heart" (barefoot, à la Janis Joplin) at the semifinals, but the judges were not pleased 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]." Morgan was tougher still, telling Ryan that she "nearly blew it tonight " play to your limit, don't try too hard, or it will show." Though another act was picked by the judges to move on to the finale round and a chance at the US$1 million prize, Ryan was announced as that week's viewers' choice. For her finale song—coached by 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 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." Talent'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." Shawn Ryan later told TBN that his daughter was not expecting the result. "There was another little boy who played the harmonica, and she said, 'I can't wait to see his face when he wins!'" Bianca Ryan made a brief appearance during the show's second season finale. In a video recorded during the Nextfest tour, she wished "good luck" to the top two finalists. Debut CDOn 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. The Northeast Times reported that same day that Ryan met with Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster and was being managed by Peter Rudge.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." 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." Bianca Ryan is the first of a five-record deal signed on September 18 with SYCOmusic, run by Simon Cowell as part of Columbia Records (SONY BMG). Ryan is the first U. S. artist to sign with SYCOmusic. "I want to put out CDs and have people really enjoy my music," Ryan told The Record in July 2007. "I want to vary my styles. I want to try everything: country, soul, gospel, R&B, pop, rock. I want to have a whole bunch of fans, and I just want to have a lot of fun." DiscographyAlbums
Singles
FilmographyFeature films
Television
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