Samuel Joshua Watters is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. Watters was a member of the multi-platinum selling 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd and co-authored many of their hits including "I Adore Mi Amor", and "All 4 Love". Watters has also written and produced songs for Grammy-winning and nominated artists such as American Idol winners Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks, and other superstars such as Céline Dion, Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, and Anastacia. Watters is a member of the production/songwriting team The Runaways including fellow hitmakers Rico Love, Wayne Wilkins, Ryan Tedder, and Louis Biancaniello.
Jordin Sparks is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debut studio album (2007) was met with critical and commercial success; it peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200, received platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over two million copies worldwide. The album was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten singles "Tattoo" and "No Air" —the latter received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and remains the third highest-selling song by an American Idol contestant—with three million digital copies sold in the United States.
Taylor Reuben Hicks is an American singer who won the fifth season of American Idol in May 2006. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released two independent albums. Upon winning Idol, he was signed to Arista Records, under which his self-titled major label debut was released on December 12, 2006.
The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned as judges, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host. A new record of 74 million votes were cast in the finale round, and a new record of 609 million votes were cast in the entire season. Jordin Sparks won the competition, while Blake Lewis was the runner-up. This is the first season not to be syndicated under the Rewind package.
The studio albums in the American Idol compilation series are compilations of songs by American Idol contestants normally released every year towards the end of the season or after the season has ended. For the first five seasons, the albums consist of cover songs from all the finalists of the season, and is released as CDs before the last episode by RCA Records. After season 5, such compilations were released only sporadically. Compilations for individual contestants were released digitally starting season 6. No compilations were released in season 7.
Taylor Hicks is the eponymous major label debut album by the American Idol fifth-season winner of the same name. The album was released on December 12, 2006 in the United States by Arista Records in association with 19 Recordings Limited, nearly seven months after Hicks won the reality-talent competition in May. Hicks coined the phrase "modern whomp" to describe the album's sound—an amalgam of soul, blues, funk, and Cajun influences with a contemporary twist. The first single from the album was the ballad "Just to Feel That Way".
Blake Colin Lewis is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. His major label debut album A.D.D. was released on December 4, 2007, through 19 Recordings and Arista Records. On October 30, 2007, his first single "Break Anotha" was released. The album landed on number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 as its highest peak position with 97,500 copies sold in its debut, and has sold over 350,000 copies. After the release of his second single "How Many Words", which peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs, Lewis was dropped by Arista Records. Lewis eventually signed with Tommy Boy Records.
Christopher Michael Richardson is an American singer-songwriter who was the fifth-place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol.
"This Is My Now" is a song written by Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne. It is Jordin Sparks's first single. The top two finalists of the season 6 finale of American Idol,, sang it during the May 22 and May 23, 2007 finale shows. It was chosen over thousands of other entries in a songwriting contest for fan-written songs to be sung on the show. The song was later included as a bonus track on her debut album, Jordin Sparks (2007).
"Tattoo" is a song by American recording artist Jordin Sparks, taken from her self-titled debut album. Written by Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench and Stargate, with the latter also producing the song, "Tattoo" was released on August 27, 2007, as the lead single from the album.
Jordin Sparks is the debut album by the American pop and R&B singer Jordin Sparks, released on November 20, 2007, in the United States, and November 27, 2007, in Canada. In the United States, it debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 with sales of 119,000 copies in the first week. It contains four top twenty singles, with "Tattoo" reaching number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, and "No Air" reaching number three. The album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide and is her best-selling album. Sparks supported the album with the As I Am Tour and Jesse & Jordin LIVE Tour. The album was certified Platinum for sales in excess of 1,000,000 by the RIAA in the US on December 12, 2008.
"Break Anotha" is the official debut single of Blake Lewis, the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. Being the leadoff single from A.D.D. , it was first leaked on October 29, 2007 via phone to fans who had signed up at the artist's web site. The single began to impact the radio on October 30 and was premiered on 106.1 KISS FM in Seattle. It was released on iTunes Store on November 13 and officially went for adds on November 20.
"How Many Words" is the official second single by the singer-songwriter Blake Lewis, from his debut album A.D.D. . The song was expected to be followed by "Know My Name", and then "Without You". However, due to being dropped by Arista Records, "How Many Words" was the final single from his debut album. The single was released to mainstream radio format on March 10, 2008. Also, an EP featuring remixes of the song was released onto iTunes on May 13, 2008. Lewis performed the song live on the March 6, 2008, results show of the seventh season of American Idol.
American singer Jordin Sparks has released four studio albums, four extended plays, one mixtape, 25 singles, 14 soundtrack appearances and seventeen music videos. At the age of 17, Sparks won the sixth season of American Idol in 2007 and earned a record deal with Jive Records. She made her chart debut with the season's coronation song, "This Is My Now", which peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Battlefield" is a song by the American singer Jordin Sparks, taken from her sophomore studio album of the same name. It was written by Louis Biancaniello, Ryan Tedder, Sam Watters and Wayne Wilkins, while production of the song was helmed by Tedder and The Runaways. "Battlefield" was released digitally in the United States on May 8, 2009, as the album's lead single. "Battlefield" is a mid-tempo ballad which draws from the genres of pop, R&B, pop rock and soft rock. The song's lyrics revolve around "a tumultuous relationship where neither side wants to compromise." The song's lyrical theme received comparisons to Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield" (1983), and its production was compared to Benatar's "We Belong" (1984).
Battlefield is the second studio album by American singer Jordin Sparks, first released on July 17, 2009 through Jive Records and 19 Recordings. The album debuted at number 7 in the United States, number 11 in the UK, number 34 in Australia and top 20 in many territories.
Heartbreak on Vinyl is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Blake Lewis released on October 6, 2009 by Tommy Boy Records. A double LP pressed on red vinyl with only 500 copies was released on August 13, 2010. The vinyl contained instant access to the Heartbreak on Vinyl digital album, 13 remixes of the hit single "Heartbreak on Vinyl" and an unreleased remix of "'Till We See the Sun." Although "Heartbreak on Vinyl" became his most successful single, the album only sold 10,000 copies; less than 1/30 of the copies of his debut A.D.D. .
"Celebrate" is a duet by American singers Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks. It was written and produced by R. Kelly for the soundtrack album Sparkle to the 2012 musical drama film of the same name. The film starred Houston and Sparks. RCA Records released "Celebrate" as the first official single from the soundtrack. It is the last song recorded by Houston before she died on February 11, 2012. It was officially released on June 5, 2012 for digital download on iTunes and Amazon. The song made its US radio premiere on On Air with Ryan Seacrest on May 21, 2012. For the week June 16, 2012, "Celebrate" debuted at number 34 on the US Adult R&B Airplay. During that same week, "Celebrate" also debuted at number 84 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and has since peaked at number 62. The accompanying music video for the song was filmed on May 30, 2012. The video was shot over two days by director Marcus Raboy. The music video made its world premiere on BET's 106 & Park on June 27, 2012.
Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 2012 Sony/TriStar Pictures film Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 film of the same name. The album was released through Sony Music Entertainment's RCA Records on July 31, 2012. The film's soundtrack includes new recordings of four songs from the original film's soundtrack as well as new original music by Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston and Cee Lo Green. The soundtrack's first official lead single is the last song recorded by Whitney Houston before she died on February 11, 2012, a duet with R&B/pop singer and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks on a song called "Celebrate". The song premiered on On Air with Ryan Seacrest on May 21, 2012 and was made available for digital download on iTunes on June 5. Whitney Houston's other track, "His Eye is On the Sparrow", debuted only one day after the premiere of "Celebrate". The official music video for "Celebrate" was filmed on May 30, 2012. It made its world premiere on BET's 106 & Park on June 27, 2012.
Right Here Right Now is the third studio album by American singer Jordin Sparks. It was released on August 21, 2015, through Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels (RAL), an imprint of Sony Music Entertainment, and 19 Recordings. Following the dissolution of her original label Jive Records in 2011, Sparks was signed to RCA Records, but after years of failed negotiations to release new material under their label, she was released from her contract in 2014 and signed with Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels. Sparks first confirmed the announcement of the album's release in November 2014, following the release of her mixtape #ByeFelicia. Right Here Right Now marks her first studio album in over six years, since Battlefield (2009).
