Pia Toscano | |
|---|---|
 Toscano in March 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | October 14, 1988 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | piatoscanomusic |
Pia Toscano (born October 14, 1988) is an American singer. Toscano placed ninth on the tenth season of American Idol . In 2016, she released the EP Belong. Her debut album I'm Good was released on October 14, 2022. [2]
Toscano was born in New York City on October 14, 1988, to Jane and Pat Toscano, and grew up in Howard Beach, Queens. [3] [4] Her father worked as a corporate executive. [5] She is of Italian descent. [6] She began performing in talent shows when she was four and, by the time she was nine, had performed in a local church production of Jesus Christ Superstar . [7] Toscano was the official The Star-Spangled Banner singer at her middle school, P.S./M.S. 207, and performed at every event including graduation. She attended LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in New York City and graduated in 2006. Fellow Idol contestant Karen Rodriguez also attended this school.
She performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets' minor league team, several times a year for three years. [7] In addition, Toscano was the winner of the New York Mets annual "Anthem Search" competition in 2008 and was selected to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a July 2008 game. [8] [9] Toscano has also opened for the Barenaked Ladies and performed with Josh Groban at Madison Square Garden. [10]
Prior to Idol, Toscano worked as a make-up artist [11] and as a wedding singer in a band called "Current Affair". [6] She cites her musical influences as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Etta James, and Luther Vandross. [11]
Toscano auditioned for Idol four times before. She made it through to Hollywood in season 6, but got cut during the first day of Hollywood. In 2010, she auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and was put through to Hollywood, this time making it through to the Top 24. Toscano was eliminated from the competition on April 7, 2011, finishing in ninth place.
She was considered a frontrunner in the competition, and her elimination shocked judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler, all three of whom were visibly and vocally upset. [12] [13] Some viewers and media outlets described Toscano's departure as one of the most shocking eliminations in American Idol history. [14] [15] After Idol, Jennifer Lopez and David Foster helped guide her career. [16]
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" [17] | Aretha Franklin | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | First Solo | Not aired | N/A | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Group Performance | "Grenade" | Bruno Mars | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Second Solo | Not aired | N/A | N/A | Advanced |
| Las Vegas Round | Songs of The Beatles Group Performance | "Can't Buy Me Love" | The Beatles | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round Final | Final Solo | "Doesn't Mean Anything" | Alicia Keys | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 (12 Females) | Personal Choice | "I'll Stand by You" | The Pretenders | 12 | Advanced |
| Top 13 | Your Personal Idol | "All by Myself" | Eric Carmen | 5 | Safe |
| Top 12 | Year You Were Born | "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" | Whitney Houston | 7 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Motown | "All in Love Is Fair" | Stevie Wonder | 8 | Safe |
| Top 11 1 | Elton John | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Elton John | 4 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame | "River Deep – Mountain High" | Ike & Tina Turner | 7 | Eliminated |
Following her elimination, Toscano appeared on several talk shows. She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 8, Live with Regis and Kelly on April 11, Today on April 12, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 14. She performed "I'll Stand by You" on the April 26, 2011 episode of Dancing with the Stars . On May 25, Toscano appeared on Rachael Ray along with Stefano Langone and Paul McDonald. Toscano performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "I'll Stand by You" at the Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C., on May 29, 2011.
The following summer, Toscano toured with the American Idols Live! Tour 2011, which began in West Valley City, Utah on July 6, 2011, and ended in Manila, Philippines on September 20, 2011.
On July 5, 2011, it was announced that Toscano had officially signed with Interscope Records. Her debut single titled "This Time" premiered July 11 and was released digitally on July 13. [18] Toscano performed the single on So You Think You Can Dance on August 4, Good Morning America on August 12, and Live with Regis and Kelly on August 16. Toscano had worked with Rock Mafia on two songs titled "Counterfeit" and "Dreamgirl" for her then-upcoming album. [1]
On September 11, 2011, Toscano performed "God Bless America" at the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs game. In addition, Toscano performed "I'll Stand by You" and "This Time" at the Columbus Day parade in New York City. Toscano performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship in Miami, Florida on November 20, 2011.
Toscano recorded a duet of "The Christmas Song" with Il Volo for their EP Christmas Favorites, which was released on November 21, 2011. On November 27, 2011, Toscano appeared on Disney Channel's So Random! , where she performed her single "This Time". Toscano also co-wrote the song "Wrecking Ball" with Steven Miller for Aubrey O'Day, which was released on April 23, 2012. [19]
She performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before every Los Angeles Kings home game in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, the first two rounds of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, before the 2014–15 season opener on October 8, 2014, and before Game 2 of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On August 7, 2012, it was announced that Toscano met with the showrunners of Glee ; however, the role she was auditioning for was re-written at the last minute, but the showrunners were hopeful that she would come back for a different role. [20]
On September 4, 2012, Toscano parted ways with Interscope Records and 19 Management and her debut album that she recorded would not be released.[ citation needed ] Toscano made her film debut in Grace Unplugged in 2013.[ citation needed ]
On May 30, 2014, Toscano began a six-date summer tour as a background singer for Jennifer Lopez, including appearances on Good Morning America and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [21] [22]
In 2014, Toscano started a collaborative project 7East with singer-songwriter Jared Lee. A single, "I Don't Believe It", was released on October 7, 2014, with a video released on October 28. [23] [24]
In 2015, her collaboration with DJ/producer Jenaux, "Renegades", was released on Enhanced Music. [25]
Toscano released two singles, "Pyro" and "You'll Be King", on April 7, 2016.[ citation needed ]
In 2017, Toscano joined David Foster's Hitman Tour as a regular featured performer. [26] In 2018, Toscano was a cast member on the music reality Westside . [27] In November 2018, Toscano began touring with Andrea Bocelli as a guest performer. [28]
On May 30, 2022, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" at the 33rd Annual Memorial Day Concert. Her debut album I'm Good was released on October 14, 2022. [2]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| I'm Good [2] |
|
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Belong |
|
| Christmas with You |
|
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [29] | US Heat. [30] | |||
| 2011 | "This Time" | 4 | 16 | non-album single |
| 2014 | "I Don’t Believe It" (with Jared Lee; credited as 7EAST) | – | – | |
| 2016 | "Pyro" | — | — | Belong |
| "You'll Be King" | — | — | ||
| 2017 | "Say You Won't Let Go" (James Arthur cover) | – | – | non-album single |
| 2018 | "In My Blood" (Shawn Mendes cover) | – | – | |
| 2019 | "Delicate" (Taylor Swift cover) | – | – | |
| 2021 | "Brave (from The Great Artist )" (with Jon Altham and Matthew Postlethwaite) | – | – | I'm Good |
| 2022 | "I'm Good" | — | — | |
| "Walk Through the Fire" [2] | — | — | ||
| 2023 | "Labor of Love" [31] | — | — | non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Renegades" (Jenaux featuring Pia Toscano) | non-album single |
| 2016 | "Siren" (Vicetone featuring Pia Toscano) [32] | Aurora [33] |
| 2017 | "Love Me Again" (Taylor Olson featuring Pia Toscano) | non-album single |
| 2020 | "My Funny Valentine" (Sean Patrick Murray featuring Pia Toscano) | |
| 2021 | "#Wicked4Whitney" (Jared Jenkins and Michael Korte featuring Avery Wilson, Pia Toscano, George Lovett, Candice Boyd, Brooke Simpson and Sheléa) | |
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "This Time" | Marc Klasfeld |
| 2015 | "Renegades" | Robert Styles |
| 2016 | "Siren" (Vicetone ft. Pia Toscano) [34] | |
| 2016 | "You'll Be King" | Robert Styles |
| 2020 | "Never Alone" (Emmanuel Kelly ft. Pia Toscano) (Paul Oakenfold & Varun Remix) | Henry Finn |
"America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never met.
Jennifer Lynn Affleck, also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking barriers for Latino Americans in Hollywood and helping propel the Latin pop movement in music. She is also noted for her impact on popular culture through fashion, branding, and shifting mainstream beauty standards.
Jennifer Kate Hudson, also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and television personality. Having received numerous accolades for her work in music, film, television, and theater, Hudson became the youngest woman and third African-American recipient of all four major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) in 2022. She was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
"The Star Spangled Banner" is a charity single recorded by American singer Whitney Houston to raise funds for soldiers and families of those involved in the Persian Gulf War. Written by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The musical arrangement for Houston's rendition was by conductor John Clayton. The recording was produced by music coordinator Rickey Minor, along with Houston herself. The recording was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances and the US edition of the 2000 release, Whitney: The Greatest Hits.
"Let's Get Loud" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her debut studio album, On the 6 (1999). Originally written by the song's co-writer Gloria Estefan for herself, she felt as if the song was too similar to her previous material and passed it onto Lopez. Estefan, who co-wrote the song alongside Kike Santander, stated that Lopez would have "more fun with it" and would put "a new spin" on it. "Let's Get Loud" is regarded as Lopez's signature song. Estefan eventually released her own version of the song in 2011 as a bonus track on the deluxe Target edition of her album Miss Little Havana.
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.
The American singing competition show American Idol has generated controversy over the years in numerous areas.
Ayla Marie Brown is an American recording artist from Wrentham, Massachusetts, and former NCAA basketball player. She was a contestant on American Idol on season 5 in 2006 and placed inside the Top 16. Shortly after the season's conclusion, Brown attended Boston College on a full basketball scholarship, and graduated in 2010 with a communications degree.
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.
"On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, Love? (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. "On the Floor" was written by Kinnda "Kee" Hamid, AJ Junior, Teddy Sky, Bilal "The Chef" Hajji, Pitbull, Gonzalo Hermosa, Ulises Hermosa, along with the song's producer RedOne. It is a pop song combining techno, Latin, dance-pop and house music and with a common time tempo of 130 beats per minute. Lopez recorded a Spanish-language version of the song titled "Ven a Bailar", which includes additional lyrical contributions from Julio Reyes Copello and Jimena Romero.
Paul McDonald is an American singer-songwriter from Huntsville, Alabama, who as of 2011 resides in Nashville. McDonald placed 8th on the tenth season of American Idol and since 2005, he has been the lead singer of the band Hightide Blues which was renamed The Grand Magnolias in 2010.
Thialorei Lising Megia is a Filipino-American singer and television actress. She is known for being a contestant on the tenth season of American Idol and for starring as Haley Chen on Days of Our Lives.
Stefano Langone, known as Stefano in his recording career, is an American singer and musician from Kent, Washington. Langone placed seventh on the tenth season of American Idol. Post American Idol, Langone pursued his musical career and became an independent artist in January 2014.
Jennifer Lopez has starred in over thirty feature films in a career that spans four decades as actor Lopez rose to become the highest paid actor of Latin descent in Hollywood, and one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood during the late-nineties and into the current millennium, making in the region of US$20 million per film role. She is also the richest actress in Hollywood, with an estimated net worth of $400 million.
The American Idols Live! Tour 2011 is a summer concert tour in the United States, Canada and the Philippines that features the Top 11 contestants of the tenth season of American Idol. The 49-date tour started in West Valley City, Utah, on July 6, and its North American leg ended in Rochester, New York on September 10. Forty-five dates were originally planned but four extra dates were added due to high demand, including two final shows in Manila, Philippines, only the second time the show has traveled outside North America after Singapore was added to the tour schedule in Season 3.
"This Time" is the debut single of American recording artist and American Idol season 10 finalist, Pia Toscano. It was her only release under Interscope before she announced she had parted ways on September 4, 2012.
Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her finish as the runner-up on the eleventh season of American Idol.
"I Luh Ya Papi" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her eighth studio album, A.K.A. (2014). Featuring guest vocals from American rapper French Montana, the song was released on March 11, 2014 as the lead single from the album by Capitol Records. The song was written and produced by Noel "Detail" Fisher, with additional writing from Andre Proctor, Karim Kharbouch, and Lopez. Cory Rooney and Fisher provided vocal production for the song. Musically, "I Luh Ya Papi" is a hip hop song, backed with synths and metallic beats, that lyrically contains innuendoes and references to Lopez's body.
A.K.A. is the eighth studio album by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on June 13, 2014, by Capitol Records and was her only release on the label. Lopez started working on the album in February 2013, after the end of her first worldwide tour, the Dance Again World Tour. Originally scheduled to be released in November 2013, Lopez postponed the album release to 2014. Undecided between Same Girl and A.K.A. as the album's title, Lopez eventually chose the latter as the title.
Aurora is the debut extended play (EP) by Dutch DJ duo Vicetone. It was released via Spinnin' Records.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
