Alexis Jordan (born April 7, 1992)[1] is an American former singer, actress and dancer from Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan rose to fame as a contestant on the first season of America's Got Talent in 2006 at the age of 14. After being eliminated from the show, she began to upload cover songs to YouTube, which received millions of views. The exposure led Jordan to the attention of Norwegian production team Stargate and American rapper Jay Z, who both went on to sign her to their joint label, StarRoc.[2]
Alexis Jordan | |
|---|---|
 Jordan at the ESKA Music Awards in May 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | April 7, 1992 |
| Origin | Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress, dancer |
| Years active | 2003–2014 |
| Labels | |
| Spouse |
Luke Broadlick (m. 2014) |
| Website | www |
Jordan's debut single, "Happiness", was released in September 2010, and reached number one in the Netherlands and Norway,[3] and also became a top-three hit in Australia and the United Kingdom. Jordan's debut self-titled album was released on February 25, 2011.[4] "Good Girl" was released as Jordan's second single in February 2011. It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at No. 9 and on the Australian Albums Chart at No. 11. Jordan also featured on Sean Paul's single "Got 2 Luv U", which reached number one in Switzerland and Bulgaria.
Life and career
edit1992–2008: Early life and career beginnings
edit
Jordan was born on April 7, 1992, in Columbia, South Carolina, to a mother of African American, Native American and European descent and a Puerto Rican father.[1] Jordan began writing songs while she was in third grade.[1] At the age of 11, she moved with her parents and three younger siblings Taylor, Malichai and Malcolm to Santa Clarita, California, to pursue a career in the arts.[1] At the age of 12, Jordan served as an opening act for Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert.[1]
In 2006, Jordan auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent. She sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" at her audition and made it through to the next round, only to be eliminated in the semifinals. Judge Brandy brought her back to compete in the semifinals, after the public didn't gather enough votes for Jordan. After being eliminated from the show, Jordan and her family moved to Atlanta to be closer to the music industry. While there, she began to upload cover songs on YouTube while submitting demos. By 2008, Jordan's YouTube page was racking up millions of views. The exposure led Jordan to the attention of production team Stargate who called her to fly to New York and record a few songs with them.[5] While in the studio, rapper Jay-Z walked in,[5] which ultimately resulted in Jordan becoming the first artist signed to the new, Sony Music-affiliated label, StarRoc/Roc Nation – a joint venture between Stargate and Jay-Z's Roc Nation label.[6]
2010–2012: Record deal and Alexis Jordan
editHer self-titled debut album was released on February 25, 2011.[4] The album was recorded from January 1, 2007, to October 15, 2010, in which Jordan worked with StarGate, Sandy Vee, Nightwatch and Espionage. The album debuted at number twenty-eight in Ireland on March 4, 2011. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number nine on March 6, 2011. The album also debuted at number eleven in Australia. On April 30, 2011, the album debuted at number 80 on the Dutch Album Chart. In its 13th week the album shot from 72 to 23, reaching its peak of 21 two weeks later.[7] Jordan's single "Happiness" (which samples the Deadmau5 track "Brazil (2nd Edit)") was released in September 2010. In the United States, the song reached No. 1 on the Hot Dance Club Songs, becoming Jordan's first No. 1 single on that chart. It also reached No. 1 in Norway[3] and the Netherlands (where it stayed for 10 weeks), and peaked at No. 3 in Australia and the United Kingdom.[8] In Australia, "Happiness" was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipments of 210,000 copies. "Good Girl" was released as Jordan's second single in February 2011. The song debuted at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart, giving Jordan her second top-10 hit in the United Kingdom. It also reached No. 15 in Ireland and became her second chart-topper on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in April.[9] "Hush Hush" was released as the album's third single on May 8, 2011.[10]
On April 12, 2012 Alexis embarked on her first headline tour in the United Kingdom. Jordan performed in three cities – London (Scala) on Thursday June 30, Birmingham HMV (Institute) on Saturday July 2 and Manchester (Club Academy) on Sunday July 3. Tickets went on sale on Friday April 15.[11] In June and July 2011 Jordan also supported British boy band JLS on their eight-day UK tour.[12] She also appeared at T4 on the Beach in the UK and performed "Hush Hush" and "Good Girl".[13] Jordan featured on Sean Paul's single "Got 2 Luv U", which reached number one in Switzerland, Netherlands, Norway, Bulgaria, Romania, France, United States Billboard (in the Latin Raps & Pop Songs) and Venezuela.[14] Jordan also made a cameo appearance in the film Honey 2. In June 2012, Jordan appeared at Birmingham Pride, performing "Good Girl", "Got 2 Luv U", "Shout Shout" and "Hush Hush"[15] On November 25, 2012, she appeared as musical guest on X Factor (Romania).[16]
2012–2014: Second studio album
editIn October 2011, she confirmed via Twitter that she was working on her second studio album.[17] In November 2011, Jordan went to a recording studio in New York where she recorded with Stargate, she stated that the album is nearly completed.[18] In the same YouTube video uploaded by Jordan, she was asked what she was doing and she replied "Writing about different things 'cause I'm like all messed up cause I'm talking about girl power, then I'm talking about myself and how people don't really know me that well so they gonna get to know me in this song."[19]
On January 15, 2013, a new song titled "Acid Rain" leaked online. It was intended to serve as the lead cut from her second album.[20] "Acid Rain" samples Bingo Players' song "Rattle," and is written by Sia and produced by Stargate.[21][22] The official video was shot in late 2013.[23] Its official music video was premiered on February 28, 2014.[24] Jordan was dropped by Jay-Z's Roc Nation label after the single failed to chart.[25]
Personal life
editIn 2014, Jordan married Luke Broadlick, an actor.[25] In 2016, she gave birth to their daughter, Anora. In 2017, she gave birth to their first son, Lincoln. In 2019, she gave birth to their second son, Abel.[25]
Artistry
editMusic and influences
editJordan's self-titled debut album contained dance-pop, pop and R&B music, in an interview Jordan described the album's musical style saying "I don't want to be kept in a box. I'm that pop artist, but I can switch it up and turn to R&B/soul and do lots of ballads and the hip-hop swag. It's very versatile".[26] Alexis described her album's genre as being "universal" saying in an interview "It's going to be very universal. It's not just a pop dance record. It has a little reggae, a little hip-hop swag, so it's going to be everything."[27]
Jordan cites singers Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé as influences.[28] Jordan also cites Michael Jackson as an influence, calling him "a big inspiration", and also is inspired by Billie Holiday, saying "I like Billie Holiday's sound".[26]
Discography
editStudio albums
- Alexis Jordan (2011)
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Film | Character | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Honey 2 | Herself | Cameo appearance |
Television
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | America's Got Talent | Herself – Contestant | Eliminated in the semi-finals |
| 2008 | Emily's Reasons Why Not | Sister | Episode: "Why Not to Date a Twin" |
| 2010 | The Xtra Factor | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight | Herself | |
| The Dome | Herself | Episode: "The Dome 57" | |
| T4 on the Beach | Herself – Performer |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Organisation | Award | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | ESKA Music Awards | International Hit of the Year ("Happiness") | Won | [29] |
| MOBO Awards | Best International Act | Nominated | [30] | |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Push Act | Nominated | [31] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Biography – The Official Alexis Jordan Site". Official Alexis Jordan Site. Archived from the original on February 15, 2011.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "Biography: Alexis Jordan". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ^ a b "Discography Alexis Jordan". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
- ^ a b "Alexis Jordan (Album) – Alexis Jordan". iTunes Store (Ireland). Apple Inc. February 25, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ a b Alexis, Nadeska (March 26, 2010). "Alexis Jordan Snags Deal With Roc Nation". The Boombox. AOL. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
- ^ "Alexis Jordan interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' May 2011". Bluesandsoul.com. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Alexis Jordan". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company – Alexis Jordan – Happiness". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
- ^ "Chart Highlights: Pop, Country Songs & More". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
- ^ "Music – Singles Release Diary". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Archived from the original on April 12, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ^ "Alexis announces first UK headline dates!". Columbia.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Alexis Jordan On Tour With JLS". Columbia.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Alexis Jordan's debut fragrance would "smell of soap"". pressparty.com. July 15, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ^ "Discography Alexis Jordan". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ "Alexis Jordan, The Nightingale Gay Pride 2012". YouTube. June 5, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "A intrat pe scena X Factor ca o regina: Alexis Jordan!" (in Romanian). Antena 1. November 25, 2012. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ Alexis Jordan [@AlexisJordan] (October 20, 2011). "Recording album #2 ... #beastmode ;)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Alexis Jordan´s Glimpse No. 1". YouTube. December 1, 2011. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "Alexis Jordan's Glimpse No. 2". YouTube. December 9, 2011. Archived from the original on December 11, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ Hung, Steffen (January 15, 2013). "Alexis Jordan debuts new single 'Acid Rain' – listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Acid Rain by AlexisJordan". Soundcloud.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ Lansky, Sam (January 15, 2013). "Alexis Jordan & J. Cole's "Acid Rain": Hear The Sia-Penned Dance Banger". Idolator.com. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "For your patience new music ..already on the way. Alexis Jordan-Gone". Twitter. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ a b c Corner, Lewis (August 5, 2016). "Whatever happened to Alexis Jordan?". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Alexis Jordan: The Interview!". Mtv.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Alexis Jordan records 'universal' album". Elle Canada. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Exclusive Q&A with Alexis Jordan". J-14.com. July 21, 2010. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "ESKA Music Awards 2011". Ema.eska.pl. Archived from the original on May 29, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
- ^ "MOBO Awards 2011 nominations". The Independent. August 31, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "MTV Europe Music Awards 2011: Nominations". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! Inc. September 19, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
External links
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