La'Porsha Renae

Emerging from McComb, Mississippi, La'Porsha Renae first gained wide notice as the second-place finisher on the fifteenth season of Fox’s American Idol. Born in 1993, she began performing around age six, entertaining relatives and patrons at her mother’s beauty salon. An initial tryout at sixteen proved unsuccessful. Following college she wed, welcomed a daughter, and worked intermittently as a substitute instructor. Later accounts disclosed that the union had been abusive, prompting her to leave for the sake of her child’s safety and her own stability. In 2015 she earned a second chance in Little Rock, Arkansas, delivering Radiohead’s “Creep” at the audition. Viewer support carried her through the competition to the finale, where she placed behind winner Trent Harmon.

After the series concluded, she joined 19 Recordings/Motown Records. Her Idol finale number, “Battles,” entered the Billboard R&B singles chart at number 22; a subsequent remix became the official anthem for the United States Women’s Gymnastic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics. That same year “Good Woman” appeared as the lead single from her debut album, climbing to number six on Billboard’s Adult R&B chart. Already All Ready arrived in April 2017, blending classic and modern R&B textures in a manner reminiscent of the early releases by fellow Idol alumnae Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia.