Pia Toscano
Pia Toscano | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 14, 1988 |
Pia Ann Rose Toscano (born October 14, 1988) is an American singer from Howard Beach, New York. Toscano placed ninth on the tenth season of American Idol. Considered by some to be a frontrunner in the competition, her elimination came as a shock to judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler, all of whom were visibly upset and vocal.[2][3] Many viewers and media outlets described Toscano's departure as one of the most shocking eliminations in American Idol history.[4][5]
Early life
Toscano was born in 1988 to Jane and Pat Toscano and grew up in Howard Beach, New York.[6][7] Her father worked as a corporate executive.[8] She is of Italian descent.[9] She began performing in talent shows when she was four, and by the time she was nine, had performed in a local church production of Jesus Christ Superstar.[10] Toscano was the official National Anthem singer at her middle school, P.S./M.S. 207, and performed at every event including graduation. She attended LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in New York City and graduated in 2006. Fellow Idol contestant Karen Rodriguez also attended this school.
She performed the National Anthem and "God Bless America" for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets’ minor league team, several times a year for three years.[10] In addition, Toscano was the winner of the New York Mets annual "Anthem Search" competition in 2008 and was selected to sing the National Anthem at a July 2008 game.[11][12] Toscano has also opened for the Barenaked Ladies and performed with Josh Groban at Madison Square Garden.[13]
Prior to Idol, Toscano worked as a make-up artist[14] and as a wedding singer in a band called "Current Affair".[9] She cites her musical influences as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Etta James, and Luther Vandross.[14]
American Idol
Toscano auditioned for American Idol four times before. She made it through to Hollywood in Season 6, but her journey ended there. In 2010, she auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and was put through to Hollywood, this time making it through to the Top 24. Toscano was eliminated from the competition on April 7, 2011, finishing in ninth place.
Performances/results
| Week # | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | Not aired | N/A | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | First Solo | Not aired | N/A | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Group Performance | "Grenade" | Bruno Mars | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Second Solo | Not aired | N/A | N/A | Advanced |
| Las Vegas Round | Songs of The Beatles Group Performance | "Can't Buy Me Love" | The Beatles | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round Final | Final Solo | "Doesn't Mean Anything" | Alicia Keys | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 (12 Females) | Personal Choice | "I'll Stand by You" | The Pretenders | 12 | Advanced |
| Top 13 | Your Personal Idol | "All by Myself" | Eric Carmen | 5 | Safe |
| Top 12 | Year You Were Born | "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" | Whitney Houston | 7 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Motown | "All in Love Is Fair" | Stevie Wonder | 8 | Safe |
| Top 111 | Elton John | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Elton John | 4 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame | "River Deep – Mountain High" | Ike & Tina Turner | 7 | Eliminated |
- ^Note 1 Due to the judges using their save to save Casey Abrams, the Top 11 remained intact for another week.
2011–present: Post-Idol
Following her elimination from the show, Toscano appeared on several talk shows. Toscano performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 8, 2011; the day after her elimination. She continued her media run with Live with Regis and Kelly on April 11, 2011, followed by Today on April 12, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 14, 2011. She performed "I'll Stand by You" on the April 26, 2011 episode of Dancing with the Stars.
Less than 24 hours after being eliminated from American Idol, Toscano was reported to have signed a recording contract with Interscope Records. However, her rep said that chatter about a done deal is "all rumor", but confirmed that Interscope wants to produce a single with Toscano and release it while the current season of Idol is still on. [15]
Toscano will take part in the 2011 American Idols Live Tour, which will begin summer 2011.[16]
References
- ^ http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2011/04/an-american-idol-shocker/1
- ^ Mansfield, Brian (April 7, 2011). "Nobody saw this coming: An 'American Idol' shocker". USA Today. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ Melisurgo, Len (April 7, 2011). "'American Idol' shocker: Favorite Pia Toscano eliminated from show". The Star Ledger. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661617/pia-toscano-american-idol.jhtml
- ^ http://www.people.com/people/news/category/0,,personsTax:PiaToscano,00.html
- ^ "From Howard Beach to Hollywood: Chasing the Dreamd". The Forum South and West. February 24, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ "Howard Beach's Pia Toscano cracks American Idol's top 13". The Queens Courier. March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
- ^ "Pia Toscano may have lost on 'American Idol,' but she won new respect for Queens neighborhood". NY Daily News. April 10, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ a b "Queens-bred 'Idol' fave makes NY proud". New York Post. March 14, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
- ^ a b Landor, Lee (July 30, 2008). "Singer Plans To Go From Shea Stadium To Stardom". The Queens Chronicle. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
- ^ "Mets look for another anthem 'Idol'". Newsday.com. March 8, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
- ^ "Pia Toscano - New York Mets National Anthem". United States. July 8, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
- ^ Gustafson, Anna (March 10, 2011). "Howard Beach goes ga-ga for Pia". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Pia Toscano, American Idol's New York Spark". MyFox New York. March 7, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
- ^ Does Idol's Pia Toscano Already Have a Record Deal?
- ^ "American Idol" Judges Save Contestant; Fantasia to Perform on Next Results Show