The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006, and concluded on May 24, 2006. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned as judges, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host. Taylor Hicks was named the winner, while Katharine McPhee was the runner-up. 18 contestants got record deals – nine of them with major labels.
Efraym Elliott Yamin is an American singer known for his hit single "Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of American Idol.
"So Sick" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, written alongside Norwegian production duo Stargate for Ne-Yo's debut studio album, In My Own Words (2006). Produced by Stargate, the song was released as the second single from the album on November 21, 2005, and received favorable reviews from music critics. "So Sick" peaked at number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. In Europe, the single topped the Eurochart Hot 100 and entered the top 20 in 10 countries, including Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland. In Australasia, the single reached number two in New Zealand and number four in Australia.
"Irreplaceable" is a song by American singer Beyoncé for her second studio album, B'Day (2006). The song was written by Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, Beyoncé and produced by Stargate and Beyoncé. "Irreplaceable" was originally a country record; it was re-arranged as a mid-tempo ballad with pop and R&B influences by modifying the vocal arrangements and instrumentation. During the production and recording sessions, Beyoncé and Ne-Yo wanted to create a record which people of either gender could relate to. The song's lyrics are about the breakdown of a relationship with an unfaithful man and the song contains a message about female empowerment.
Elliott Yamin is the debut album by American pop singer Elliott Yamin, released on March 20, 2007, by the independent label Hickory Records and distributed through Sony BMG–owned RED Distribution. Yamin, an American Idol finalist, collaborated with Sony/ATV Music Publishing to write, produce, and market the record. The album includes 11 tracks, although several bonus tracks are offered at different retailers.
"Movin' On" is a song by American singer Elliott Yamin from his self-titled debut album. It was released to U.S. online music retailers on February 27, 2007. A preview of the song was released to AOL on February 9.
Princess P is the debut album by American Idol contestant, Paris Bennett. It was released on May 8, 2007 through 306 Entertainment, owned by Paul Jones, her uncle, and TVT Records. Bennett worked with Jon Jon Traxx, Darren Lighty, and Rodney Jerkins on Princess P. The album name comes from the nickname used affectionately for her by Ryan Seacrest on American Idol. Bennett co-wrote the album with J. Isaac Moore.
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.
"Wait for You" is a song by former American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin. It is the first official single from his self-titled album Elliott Yamin.
"How Do I Breathe" is a song recorded by American singer Mario. It is the first single from his third studio album Go. The single was released on May 15, 2007. It was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate. On the issue date of July 7, 2007, the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 91. "How Do I Breathe" also debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 30 on download sales alone, the day before the physical release of the song. It also became Mario's last charting single in the UK. The song also peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The official remix of the song features Fabolous and the second official remix features Cassidy. A rare third one features both artists and switches between beats. The song was co-written by Mario.
Espionage is a New York-based Norwegian songwriting and music production team consisting of Espen Lind and Amund Bjørklund. It is signed to Stellar Songs and EMI Music Publishing. Their breakthrough came in 2006 as co-writers of Beyoncé's worldwide smash "Irreplaceable", which was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks and the best selling single in the US in 2007. They are probably best known as the producers and cowriters behind several of Train's major hits after 2009, including "Drive By" and their comeback single "Hey, Soul Sister", which is among the 20 highest selling singles of all time in the US. Espionage has received numerous BMI Awards.
Year of the Gentleman is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo. It was released by Compound Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings on September 16, 2008 in the United States. As with his previous albums In My Own Words (2006) and Because of You (2007), Ne-Yo worked with Stargate, Reggie "Syience" Perry, and Shea Taylor on much of the album, but also consulted new collaborators, including Chuck Harmony, Polow da Don, The Stereotypes, Butter Beats, and Shomari "Sho" Wilson.
Jennifer Hudson is the debut studio album by American singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. It was first released in Australia, and it physically released in North America on September 30, 2008, by Arista and J Records. Hudson worked with several producers and songwriters on the album, including Rock City, Missy Elliott, Brian Kennedy, Ne-Yo, Salaam Remi, T-Pain, Tank, Timbaland and The Underdogs, among others.
"Miss Independent" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It is the second single from his album. Year of the Gentleman (2008), and was produced by Stargate. It samples the song "Forget About Me" by Keesha. The song was written by Ne-Yo and co-written by Stargate. It was released as a music download on August 26, 2008, and physical release on September 2, 2008.
Stargate is a record producing and songwriting team composed of Tor E. Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen, based in Los Angeles. The team's genres include R&B, pop and hip hop. Stargate was established in Trondheim, Norway.
"Come Back to Me" is the second official single released from American Idol season 7 winner David Cook's major label debut studio album, David Cook (2008). It was released as a joint double-A single with "Bar-ba-sol".
"Fight for Love" is a song by American pop singer Elliott Yamin. It is the title track and first single from his second album, Fight for Love. The song was released for streaming to AOL Music on February 13, 2009 and for adds at Top 40 (CHR) and Rhythmic radio on March 10, 2009. It also became available for download at digital music outlets on March 10 in two versions - with or without piano introduction.
"Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)" is a song performed by American singer and songwriter Ne-Yo, taken from his fifth studio album, R.E.D. (2012). Released on July 10, 2012, by Motown Records, the song serves as the mainstream lead single from the album following the release of an R&B-tinged lead single, "Lazy Love".
Sanjoy Deb, known primarily by his stage name Sanjoy, is an American musician, electronic music producer and DJ. He primarily produces in the EDM genre and is influenced by Bollywood.
Non-Fiction is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Ne-Yo. The album was released on January 27, 2015, by Motown Records, serving as the follow-up to his fifth album R.E.D. (2012). The album was preceded by two singles: "Money Can't Buy" featuring Jeezy and "She Knows" featuring Juicy J.
