Bianca Ryan
| Bianca Ryan | |
|---|---|
 Press release of Ryan in 2007 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bianca Taylor Ryan |
| Born | September 1, 1994 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Pop, gospel, soul, Christmas |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Syco/Columbia (2006–08), Music Forever (2008–09), Tuned In Music (2009–present) |
| Website | biancaryan.com |
Bianca Taylor Ryan (born September 1, 1994) is an American singer and guitarist from Philadelphia. She is known for being the first winner of NBC's America's Got Talent (2006) at the age of eleven.[1]
Contents |
Early life [edit]
Bianca is the second of five children of Shawn and Janette Ryan. Her father, a fan of the Rolling Stones, named her after Mick Jagger's ex-wife. Bianca has an older brother, Shawn, and three younger siblings, Isabella, Jagger & Evangelinga.[2] Bianca comes from a diverse ethnic family: Irish, German, and Italian ancestry from her father's side and her maternal grandmother is Japanese.[3][4]
America's Got Talent [edit]
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[[File:BR AGT audition.ogg|"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"]]
11-year-old Bianca Ryan auditions for America's Got Talent (Season 1), belting out a soulful Broadway show tune to a rousing ovation.
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While 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. Simon Cowell was so moved after seeing her performance that he announced during a press conference that, "Bianca Ryan is potentially one of the best singers I have ever heard in my life."[5]
By March 2006, a copy of Ryan's audition had climbed into the 100 "Top Rated (All Time) in Music" videos at YouTube.[6]
For the semi-finals of the show Bianca performed "Piece of My Heart", made famous by Janis Joplin. Although the judges loved the performance they did not think the song was right for Ryan. America's Got Talent's finale results aired on August 17, 2006, during which Ryan was announced as the winner of the first season of the show.
Ryan made a brief appearance during the show's season two finale. In a video recorded during the Nextfest tour, she wished "the best of luck" to the top two finalists.[7]
Career [edit]
Commercial success and visibility [edit]
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.[8] The Northeast Times reported that same day that Ryan met with Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster and was being managed by Peter Rudge.[9]
On September 18, 2006, Ryan signed a five-album record deal with SYCOmusic as part of Columbia Records.[8] Ryan is the first U.S. artist to sign with SYCOmusic.[10]
The following month, Ryan was in Los Angeles 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".
Solo album [edit]
Ryan's eponymous first album was recorded just after her 12th birthday and released on November 14, 2006; Bianca Ryan broke into the Billboard 200 at No. 57.[11] One month later, the EP Christmas Everyday! was released as a promotional giveaway.
She has since performed in such countries as Australia and Switzerland.[12] Her first concert tour took her across the United States as the "special guest" artist for Live Nation's Nextfest.[13] Bianca Ryan was released on November 14, 2006; eight days later, the album broke in at No. 57 on the Billboard album charts, showcasing "her gargantuan chops and sweet charm," wrote Matt Collar of Allmusic. 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".[14] Los Angeles Daily News reviewer Sandra Barrera said that Bianca handled the songs "like the old pro that her big, powerful voice makes you think she is".[15]
The following year, she released the single "That's Not Me" on August 7, 2007.[16] In 2008, she left SYCO/Columbia Records and released her second holiday EP, True Meaning of Christmas on November 3, 2009 on the indie Music Forever label.[17] Ryan, 15 at the time, whose voice has been hailed as "extraordinary and mature" by Grammy-winning record producer David Foster, chose a mix of classics and original songs for this holiday collection. Selections include a pop version of "The Christmas Song", a soulful arrangement of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and an intimate version of "When Christmas Comes to Town" (Polar Express). The EP also features two original songs written with album producer Anthony Marinelli; the first song, True Meaning of Christmas, also co-written with Siedah Garrett (Man in the Mirror) is a stirring duet with pop gospel sensation Brent Jones. The second song, If You Believe, will surely become a holiday classic. To complement the release of her holiday EP, Ryan hosted her second Christmas special, airing on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) from Thanksgiving through the New Year.
2010–present [edit]
In 2010, Ryan recorded a song inspired by Twilight: New Moon called "In My Head."[18] The single was released digitally on August 21, 2010 through the indie label, Tuned In Music and Media.[19] Followed by a Summer Long Tour at the Atlantic City Trump Plaza.
Bianca Ryan is currently in the studio recording original music.
Discography [edit]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Holiday |
AU | DU | IR | SW | GE | |||
| 2006 | Bianca Ryan | 57 | — | 46 | 52 | 1 | 28 | 45 |
|
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Holiday |
AU | DU | IR | SW | GE | |||
| 2007 | Christmas Everyday!
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| 2009 | The True Meaning of Christmas
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| "—" denotes the album did not chart. | |||||||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions[20] | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40 Chart | Dutch Radio + Records | |||
| 2006 | "You Light Up My Life" | — | — | Bianca Ryan |
| "Why Couldn't It Be Christmas Every Day?" | 15 | 1 | Christmas Everyday! | |
| 2007 | "That's Not Me" | — | — | N/A |
| 2010 | "In My Head" | — | — | N/A |
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 12 and Holding | Singing Girl | Released May 19, 2005 |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | You Light Up My Life | Released: 2006 |
| 2009 | About to Fall – The Wrecking | Released: September 8, 2010 |
Television [edit]
- 2001: Showtime at the Apollo
- 2002: The Tom Joyner Show
- 2003: Star Search
- 2006: America's Got Talent (6 appearances)
- 2006: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2 appearances)
- 2006: The CW Morning Show
- 2006: Today
- 2006: The Oprah Winfrey Show
- 2006: Martha
- 2006: Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade
- 2007: 49th Pepsi 400 (from Daytona International Speedway)
References [edit]
- ^ Mahan, Colin. "Talent shines in finale". tv.com. Retrieved 20 August 2006.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Jeannie. "Bianca hits the high notes for the Eagles". Northeast Times. Retrieved 21 August 2006.
- ^ "Bianca Ryan biography". bianca-ryan.org. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
- ^ "Wow, I've been moved to tears by Bianca ryan - Winner of America's Got Talent". ourstory.com. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ "Philly 11-Year-Old Wows Judges". nbc10.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2006. Retrieved 21 August 2006.
- ^ "Top Rated (All Time) in Music". youtube.com. Retrieved 20 April 2007.
- ^ "Bianca Ryan Message Board (official Web site)". biancaryan.com. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
- ^ a b "Bianca Ryan The Official Site (News)". biancaryan.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2006.
- ^ Fritsky, Lauren. "Million-Dollar Baby!". northeasttimes.com. Retrieved September 2, 2006.
- ^ "Bianca Ryan, 12-Year-Old Winner of America's Got Talent, First U. S. Signing to Columbia Records/SYCO". biz.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 25, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ "VH1.com : News : Game Clobbers Akon, Takes Albums Chart". vh1.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2006. Retrieved November 22, 2006.
- ^ "Bianca Ryan Message Board (official Web site)". biancaryan.com. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
- ^ "Bianca Ryan Sings "That's Not Me"". youtube.com. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
- ^ Collar, Matt. "Billboard.com – Discography – Bianca Ryan – Bianca Ryan". billboard.com. Retrieved November 16, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ Barrera, Sandra. "BIANCA RYAN: "Bianca Ryan"". dailynews.com. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Thats-Not-Me/dp/B0013G63ZQ/ref=sr_shvl_album_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1323230015&sr=301-3
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SKWN4E/ref=sr_1_album_3_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B004SKWND0&qid=1323230015&sr=1-3
- ^ http://tunedinmusicandmedia.com/?p=573
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/In-My-Head/dp/B0045K0J4I/ref=sr_shvl_album_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323230015&sr=301-2
- ^ "Kelly Clarkson: Charts". acharts.us. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bianca Ryan |
| Preceded by None |
America's Got Talent winner Season 1 (Summer 2006) |
Succeeded by Terry Fator |
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- 1994 births
- America's Got Talent contestants
- American child singers
- American female guitarists
- American female singers
- American musicians of Japanese descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Italian descent
- Child pop musicians
- Columbia Records artists
- Got Talent winners
- Living people
- Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
