Felicia Barton

Last updated

Felicia Barton
Birth nameFelicia Diana Hocker
Born (1982-03-06) March 6, 1982 (age 43)
Xenia, Ohio, U.S.
Genres Pop, R&B, soul, rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2008–present
Spouse
Loren Barton
(m. 2001)
Children Malachi Barton

Felicia Diana Barton (born March 6, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her appearance on the eighth season of American Idol in 2009. Since 2013, she has joined Warner-Chappell Music and Pulse Recording as a songwriter, and has co-written songs for Demi Lovato, Seohyun, Jena Irene Asciutto, and Lea Michele.

Contents

Since its 2018 revival on ABC, Barton has been employed as one of the background vocalists on American Idol. [1] She has been singing with the band for the past seven seasons, including 2020's virtual season throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early life

Barton was born Felicia Diana Hocker on March 6, 1982, in Xenia, Ohio, [2] to Rick and Diana (née Davis) Hocker. [3] She has a brother named Preston. [4] She was raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia after the family relocated there in 1986, attending Alanton Elementary School and Cox High School. [2] In 2000, Barton won the pageant title of Miss Virginia Beach. [2]

Her parents are in church leadership at Virginia Beach's Freedom Fellowship Church. [5] [6]

Career

American Idol

Barton auditioned for the eighth season of American Idol in Louisville, Kentucky. In the final round of Hollywood, Barton was eliminated by the judges. However, the day after the episode containing her elimination, it was announced that semi-finalist Joanna Pacitti had been disqualified, and that Barton would be reprieved, replacing her in the Top 36. Barton performed in the third semi-finalist group, and received positive response for her performance from both the judges and commentators on the Internet. The next night, it was announced that she did not advance to the finals.

Performances/Results

WeekThemeSong choiceOriginal artistOrder #Result
AuditionAuditioner's Choice"Put Your Records On" Corinne Bailey Rae N/AAdvanced
Hollywood Rounds, Part 1First SoloNot airedNot airedN/AAdvanced
Hollywood Rounds, Part 2Group PerformanceNot airedNot airedN/AAdvanced
Hollywood Rounds, Part 3Second SoloNot airedNot airedN/AEliminated; later reprieved
Top 36/Semi-final 3 Billboard Hot 100 Hits to Date"No One" Alicia Keys 8Eliminated

Post-Idol Career

Lost Words (2011)

Barton released her debut EP, Lost Words, on September 1, 2011. It features seven pop, rock, and soul based songs.

Other ventures

In early 2013, Barton signed a "joint-venture publishing deal with Warner-Chappell & Pulse". [7] She has co-written songs for Demi Lovato, Lea Michele, and American Idol finalist Jena Irene. Barton has worked as a background singer on Dancing with the Stars. In July 2015, it was announced that she would perform at the Miss USA 2015 pageant. [8]

Barton became one of the background vocalists on ABC's revival of American Idol. [9] Since the sixteenth season began airing in 2018, she has joined music director Kris Pooley and the band on stage to support the contestants during performances. She is also the lead singer for the theme song of the 2017 reboot of the Disney animated series DuckTales . [10]

Personal life

Barton married her husband Loren Barton in May 2001. [11] Together, they have one son actor Malachi Barton (b. 2007) who portrayed "Beast Diaz" on Disney Channel's Stuck in the Middle and Colby on The Villains of Valley View . [12]

Select songwriting discography

YearArtistAlbumSongCo-written with
2017 Kim Tae-yeon (SNSD) My Voice "Eraser"Dillon Pace, Sean Douglas
Seohyun Don't Say No "Don't Say No" Kenzie, Matthew Tishler
"Hello" (ft. Eric Nam)Andrew Underberg, Andrew Choi
2014 Jena Irene N/A"We Are One" Anne Preven, Mitch Allan
Lea Michele Louder "Cue The Rain" Lea Michele, Matt Rad, Preven
"Don't Let Go"Rad, Preven
"Gone Tonight"Michele, Preven, CJ Baran, Drew Lawrence
2013 Demi Lovato Demi "Nightingale" Demi Lovato, Rad, Preven

Discography

Albums

Track Listing
No.TitleLength
1."I Need Sky"3:07
2."Lost Words"4:07
3."Catching Shadows"3:55
4."Emergency"3:27
5."Get Out"3:43
6."You Know"3:06
7."Love Has A Name"4:06

Other songs

References

  1. "Meet Felicia Barton". November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Venable, Malcolm; Vincent, Mal (March 2, 2009). "Is Felicia Barton our next 'American Idol'?". The Virginian-Pilot . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  3. "Rick and Diana Hocker: 25 Year Celebration". devonshanorphotography.com.
  4. "Happy Birthday Preston!!! We are so blessed to call you son. Have a great day!". facebook.com.
  5. "In Jesus' Name, Throw Punches: 'Fight Church' Christian Ministries Believe in Fight Clubs". abcnews.go.com.
  6. "Freedom Fellowship Leadership Freedom Fellowship is blessed to have a leadership team who are truly dedicated to Christ and accomplishing His will. Following are brief introductions from our leadership team". comegetfree.org.
  7. "It's OFFICIAL… | Felicia Barton". Archived from the original on January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  8. "Miss USA announces new entertainment, judges for pageant to replace drop-outs". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  9. "Artist Feature: Peter Dyer & Greg Suran @ American Idol". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  10. Nordyke, Kimberly (June 14, 2017). "'DuckTales' Theme Song Gets an Update for Disney XD Reboot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  11. "I've officially spent half of my life married to this man....we travel together, we parent together, we work together, we quarantine together, we play together, we cry together, we win together, we lose together, we laugh together, we argue together, we learn together, we dream together, we LOVE together ♥️ Happy Anniversary to my partner in this life @lorenbartonofficial I Love you ♥️". instagram.com.
  12. "'Zombies 4' Star Malachi Barton and His Parents Talk Life on Set and Being a Child Actor". Yahoo Entertainment. July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025.