MK Nobilette

Last updated

MK Nobilette
MK Nobilette Wolf Trap.jpg
Background information
Birth nameMichaela Anne Nobilette [1]
Born (1993-08-20) August 20, 1993 (age 31)
San Francisco, California, United States
GenresPop
OccupationSinger
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2014–present
LabelsVelvet Rhythm Entertainment

Michaela Anne Nobilette (born August 20, 1993), also Emkay Brazil, most commonly known as MK Nobilette, is an American singer from San Francisco, California, who finished in tenth place on the thirteenth season of American Idol. [2]

Contents

While on American Idol, she became the first openly gay contestant in the history of the series to acknowledge her sexuality on air. She was also American Idol's first openly gay female finalist. [a] [17]

Nobilette released a single, "Make Believe", in 2015.

Musical influences

She cited her earliest musical influence as The Little Mermaid, and more recently soul singer and musician Allen Stone. [17]

Career

2014–present: American Idol

Nobilette was one of 75,000 contestants to audition for the thirteenth season of American Idol. [18] She sang for the initial cattle call judges at San Francisco's AT&T Park in July 2013 along with approximately 1,000 other hopefuls. [19] [20] She became one of the top 13 finalists in February 2014. [21] She has been praised for her "vocal ability and likable demeanor" as well as her "soulful rasp". [21]

When flown into Hollywood for the next rounds of the competition, Nobilette was one of many contestants who had to "sing for their lives" in a special "Hollywood or Home" round to see if they would go through right there, or be put back on the plane. [22] Contestants were eliminated soon after they landed at LAX airport before they would get to proceed to Hollywood. The celebrity judges, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban, were uncertain of 52 contestants, each was asked to perform solo in an airplane hangar, with 32 ultimately sent back to the airport. [23]

Although the judges showed support, and generally praised her, Nobilette was in the bottom rankings with the public votes in the first weeks of the combined men and women shows. In the Top 13 and Top 12 shows she was among the bottom three. For the Top 11-week, "Songs from the Cinema," the results of which would determine the top ten finalists, who would be included on the annual American Idols LIVE! Tour 2014, Nobilette performed "Make You Feel My Love." [24] [25] Two covers of the song, one each from Garth Brooks, and Trisha Yearwood, were featured on the soundtrack of the film Hope Floats (1998). The original was by Bob Dylan, and Nobilette stated she performed the song in a recital during her time in high school, and loved most of the covers of the song.

She did not appear in the American Idol 2014 Finale due to feeling ill at the time.

In the fall of 2014, it was reported that Nobilette signed a record deal with Velvet Rhythm Entertainment, a San Francisco-based label. [26] Her debut single "Make Believe" was released on May 12, 2015. [26]

Performances and results

Performances:
EpisodeThemeSong choiceOriginal artistOrderResult
AuditionAuditioner's Choice"If I Were Your Woman" Gladys Knight & the Pips N/AAdvanced
Hollywood Round, Part 1A CappellaNot aired Allen Stone N/AAdvanced
Hollywood Round, Part 2Group Performance"Royals"
with Briana Oakley		 Lorde N/AAdvanced
Hollywood Round, Part 3Solo"The A Team" Ed Sheeran N/AAdvanced
Top 31 (10 Women)Personal Choice"All of Me" John Legend 9Advanced
Top 13This Is Me"Satisfaction"Allen Stone6Bottom 3 [b]
Top 12Home"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" Train 7Bottom 3 [c]
Top 11Songs From The Cinema"To Make You Feel My Love" Bob Dylan 8Safe
Top 10Billboard Top 10"Perfect" Pink 1Eliminated

Personal life

Nobilette was adopted and raised by two lesbian women and is publicly out as lesbian, which she talked about during her initial audition for the American Idol celebrity judges, which was aired. [27] She stated to the judges, "I'm very obviously gay, and there are always going to be people in America and everywhere else who are definitely going to hate me. But I think in the last two years there have been a lot of things that have really changed that, and have made it a positive thing." [28] She is the first finalist to be openly gay going into the top contestants round; other contestants were not public with their information, and came out publicly after their finals. [17] Her moms separated when she was four, and both now have girlfriends, resulting in a large extended family, which Nobilette characterized as "very San Francisco." [29]

She lives in San Francisco, previously with her girlfriend Casey Ellis, who is also her vocal coach, and accompanist. [17] [30] The couple regularly serenaded one another. [31] In a "5 Things" segment she noted that she has played soccer all her life and also enjoys snowboarding. [32] Nobilette is currently[ when? ] a student. [17] Nobilette and Ellis have split since Nobilette's Idol appearances.[ citation needed ]

Nobilette was raised Jewish. She graduated high school in 2012 from Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (Vocal department). [33]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑
    • Will Young, the 2002 winner of Pop Idol , the contest on which all the other Idol series are based, never hid being gay, but did come out publicly after he won, preempting a tabloid newspaper outing him. [3]
    • Jim Verraros, American Idol (season 1) (2002) had discussed being gay in online journals which the show forced him to take down, not due his sexuality, but because they felt he might be trying to get extra votes. [4] He came out after he finished the show and tour. [4]
    • Vanessa Olivarez, American Idol (season 2) (2003) came out to other contestants, behind the scenes, but not on the show. [5]
    • Clay Aiken, American Idol (season 2) (2003) runner-up came out as gay in 2008, after many years of speculation, and denying he was gay. [6] [7]
    • David Hernandez, American Idol (season 7) (2008), was assumed to be gay because he was revealed to have worked as a nude male stripper at a gay strip club. [8] [9] He has since come out as gay. [10] FOX made no disclosure of his dancing prior to his elimination, and AI has also had female strippers, not holding the work against them. [11]
    • Adam Lambert, American Idol (season 8) (2009) runner-up, was outed during the final week of the competition – "he was the favourite to win until some pictures of him with another bloke mysteriously made their way into the public domain the week of the final" – although he had come out of the closet when he was 18, in 2000. [12] [13] [14] Mainstream media speculated on the readiness of American Idol voters for an openly gay winner. [15] He confirmed that he was gay in a Rolling Stone cover interview shortly after he was named runner-up. [16] Nobilette is the only out woman to compete in the finals.
  2. ↑ When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Nobilette was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe first, as Kristen O'Connor was eliminated.
  3. ↑ When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in this particular night, Nobilette was among the bottom 3, but was declared safe second, as Emily Piriz was eliminated.

Related Research Articles

<i>American Idol</i> American singing competition

American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to April 7, 2016, for 15 seasons. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when a revival of the series began airing on ABC.

James Conrad Verraros is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, who placed ninth on the first season of American Idol. Raised by deaf parents, he is fluent in American Sign Language and gained notoriety on American Idol for signing the lyrics to his audition song. After competing on the series, he released three pop rock, dance albums with music producer and songwriter Gabe Lopez. Verraros was also featured on the 2002 compilation album American Idol: Greatest Moments, covering "Easy" by the Commodores – this album reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Act</span> Australian drag performer and recording artist (born 1982)

Shane Gilberto Jenek, better known under the stage name Courtney Act, is an Australian drag queen, singer and television personality. Courtney first came to prominence competing on the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. After the show, she signed to BMG Australia, and she released her debut single, "Rub Me Wrong", which peaked at No. 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Gold. While auditioning for Australian Idol, she became the first LGBTQ contestant to openly appear on a reality TV talent show. In 2014, Courtney was one of the runners-up in season six of RuPaul's Drag Race. Courtney is a member of the drag girl-group, The AAA Girls.

<i>American Idol</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of American Idol premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004, and continued until May 26, 2004. The third season was won by Fantasia Barrino, who defeated Diana DeGarmo by an approximate margin of 2% ; the vote total was then the highest recorded vote total in the show's history. This season also featured future EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, who finished seventh in the competition.

The American singing competition show American Idol has generated controversy over the years in numerous areas.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carly Smithson</span> Irish singer

Carly Sarah Smithson is an Irish soul and pop rock singer who was the sixth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol in 2008. In 2001, Smithson had released her first studio album for MCA Records called Ultimate High. Smithson was dropped from the record label in 2002. After being introduced to former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody in early 2009, plans for Smithson's post-Idol solo album were scrapped and instead she became the lead singer of the rock band We Are the Fallen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramiele Malubay</span> Filipino-American Singer

Ramiele Macrohon Malubay, also known as Ramiele, is a Filipino-American singer and the ninth place finalist on the seventh season of the television series American Idol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hernandez (singer)</span> American singer

David Anthony Hernandez is an American singer and the twelfth place finalist of FOX's seventh season of the television series American Idol. He moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue his music career after his time on American Idol.

<i>American Idol</i> season 10 Season of television series

The tenth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox television network on January 19, 2011, and concluded on May 25, 2011. The show underwent a number of changes from the ninth season, including the return of Nigel Lythgoe as executive producer. Randy Jackson returned as judge for his tenth season, while Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined the judges' panel following the departures of Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres, and Kara DioGuardi.

This page lists only acting roles and other projects undertaken in film, television and theater in the post-Idol career of American Idol contestants. It does not include guest musical performances or interviews on TV shows, or any pre-Idol work. It is also not intended to be a comprehensive list of all acting roles, appearances, awards nominated or won by any particular alum. Where there are multiple entries, only the more significant may be listed. Please see the appropriate links and references for individual alum for such more complete lists.

<i>American Idol</i> season 13 Season of television series

The thirteenth season of American Idol, styled as American Idol XIII, premiered on the Fox television network on January 15, 2014. Ryan Seacrest returned as host for his thirteenth season. Keith Urban was the only judge from the twelfth season to return. Former judge Jennifer Lopez, who returned after a one-season absence, and Harry Connick Jr. both joined the judging panel following the departures of Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, and Nicki Minaj, although Jackson remained as a mentor, replacing Jimmy Iovine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majesty Rose</span> American singer

Majesty Rochelle York, better known as Majesty Rose, is an American singer and songwriter. After placing ninth place on the thirteenth season of American Idol, she released the EP, Bloom, in 2016, and the standalone single, "Plunge", in 2017. She then joined with Maverick City Music for the 2019 EP Maverick City Vol. 2, which peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. Rose rejoined with Maverick City Music for the 2020 albums Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1 and Maverick City Christmas, which each peaked in the top five on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jena Irene Asciutto</span> American singer

Jena Irene Asciutto, also known mononymously as Jena Irene, is an American singer-songwriter who first came to prominence in 2014 as the runner-up on the thirteenth season of American Idol. Asciutto became the first female Wild Card contestant of the series to qualify into the finale and became the second Wild Card contestant, after Clay Aiken in the second season, to make it into the finale. In April 2015, she signed a long-term recording deal with the independent Detroit label Original 1265 Recordings. Asciutto released her debut EP, Innocence, on April 22, 2016, which was followed by her debut album, Cold Fame, on June 2, 2017.

Dexter Roberts is an American singer and songwriter who first came to prominence in 2014 as the seventh place finalist on the thirteenth season of American Idol. In 2019, he placed third on the sixteenth season of The Voice. In between his appearances on American Idol and The Voice, he released two EPs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Idols Live! Tour 2014</span> 2014 concert tour

The American Idols Live! Tour 2014 was a concert tour that featured the Top 10 finalists of the thirteenth season of American Idol. The tour started on June 24, 2014, in Binghamton, New York and ended on August 23, 2014, in Redmond, Washington.

<i>American Idol</i> season 14 Season of television series

The fourteenth season of American Idol, also known as American Idol XIV, premiered on the Fox television network on January 7, 2015. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Randy Jackson stepped down as the in-house mentor and was replaced by Scott Borchetta. Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola ended its relationship with the show.

<i>American Idol</i> season 15 Season of television series

The fifteenth season of American Idol, also branded as American Idol: The Farewell Season, premiered on the Fox television network on January 6, 2016. Ryan Seacrest continued as host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Scott Borchetta also returned as the in-house mentor. On April 7, 2016, Trent Harmon was announced as this season's winner, while La'Porsha Renae was the runner-up.

<i>American Idol</i> season 17 Season of television series

The seventeenth season of American Idol premiered on March 3, 2019, on the ABC television network. It was the show's second season to air on ABC. Ryan Seacrest continued as host, while Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie returned as judges. Bobby Bones returned as the in-house mentor, and acted as a guest host for the episode on April 8, 2019.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/michaela_anne_nobilette_born_1993_22399021 [ bare URL ]
  2. ↑ Fred Bronson (March 20, 2014). "'I wouldn't have auditioned if my girlfriend wasn't there,' Nobilette told THR". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ↑ "Pop Idol Will: 'I'm gay'". BBC News. March 10, 2002. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Idol gossip". The Advocate . September 3, 2002. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007., Steele, Bruce C. (January 21, 2003). "A teen Idol's dreams". The Advocate. BNET Business Network.
  5. ↑ AI Aftermath: 12th place finishers Archived March 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine by Jason Hughes, posted March 13, 2008.
  6. ↑ Caplan, David (September 24, 2008). "Clay Aiken No More Secrets". People Magazine. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Clay Aiken in 2003: "People Think You're a Womanizer or You're Gay"". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  8. ↑ ""American Idol" finalist – former stripper? | American Idol | Television News | News + Notes". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  9. ↑ 'Idol' Contestant Danced At Gay Strip Club, Venue Claims
  10. ↑ Hernandez, David (September 15, 2022). "INTERVIEW: LGBTQ+ SINGER DAVID HERNANDEZ OPENS UP ABOUT HIS LATEST EP AND EXPRESSING HIS IDENTITY THROUGH HIS MUSIC" (Online Magazine). Interviewed by The Untitled Space. Cesarine, Indira (founder); Quillard, Bobby (photographer). Retrieved July 8, 2024. Q: As a gay Latin-American artist, how is it important for you to have your artistry reflect your identity? A: It's super important. I really don't think that you can be completely happy in life until you are your authentic self. There's a lot of freedom in that. And I do believe that people can see through the smoke and mirrors. I think that once you're OK with yourself and you're able to comfortably stand tall and say this is who I am, other people that are like-minded get on board and it creates this whole community of support.
  11. ↑ 'American Idol' Producer OKs David Hernandez's Stripper Past; Show Keeps Mum On Danny Noriega Video: 'We're never judgmental about what people do to earn a living,' Ken Warwick says.
  12. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/27/interview-adam-lambert-gay-queen-american-idol_n_1709190.html , quote=I came out of the closet when I was 18, went through all the necessary struggles, and after that I didn't talk about being gay, I just was.
  13. ↑ Trebay, Guy (April 12, 2009). "Gay Talk Surrounds Adam Lambert of 'Idol'". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ "Adam Lambert: America's First gay 'Idol'?". ABC News .
  15. ↑ "Adam Lambert: Shaking Up 'Idol'" Mark Harris. August 5, 2009.
  16. ↑ Blas, Lorena (June 15, 2009). "Idol Adam Lambert 'comes out' in print" . Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 MK Nobilette could make history on "American Idol"
  18. ↑ 'American Idol' Season Premiere: TV Recap
  19. ↑ 'American Idol': San Francisco tryout draws small, but hearty crowd
  20. ↑ American Idol 13 Audition Numbers Are Small
  21. 1 2 'American Idol': M.K. Nobilette Becomes First Openly Gay Contestant; Joins Top 30
  22. ↑ "MK Nobilette from American Idol". Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  23. ↑ Annie Barrett (February 6, 2014). "American Idol' recap: Hollywood Horror Story". Entertainment Weekly.
  24. ↑ "Wetpaint – Celebrity Gossip, Entertainment News, TV Spoilers, and Hot TV".
  25. ↑ 'American Idol' movie night: Grab some popcorn
  26. 1 2 Santilli, MJ (November 15, 2014). "American Idol alum, MK Nobilette, Signs Record Deal" . Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  27. ↑ Gave up on 'American Idol'? Seven reasons to watch again
  28. ↑ 'American Idol' Recap: MK Says Being 'Very Obviously Gay' Is A 'Positive Thing'
  29. ↑ "Home". American Idol. Season 13. March 5, 2014. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  30. ↑ MK Nobilette Says American Idol Coming Out Response Mostly Positive, Pacific Rim Video.
  31. ↑ Schwerha, Matt. "Girlfriend of MK Nobilette talks American Idol journey". Chicago Spectrum.
  32. ↑ "This Is Me". American Idol. Season 13. February 26, 2014. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  33. ↑ Barnett, Sue (March 14, 2014). "For 'American Idol' contestant, S.F. Jewish community is home". J.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.