Alexis Jordan

Alexis Jordan (born April 7, 1992) is an American singer and actress. Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina, as the last child of a mixed race mother and a Puerto Rican father. Her musical career started when she performed the opening act for American singer Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert. In 2006, she auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent and sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing". She was later eliminated from the show and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with her family. Jordan uploaded videos of her cover versions on her official YouTube account. She was discovered by Stargate, which flew Jordan to New York to record a few songs. She met American rapper Jay-Z and signed a recording contract with his new record company, StarRoc/Roc Nation.

Alexis Jordan
Alexis Jordan.jpg
Jordan at the ESKA Music Awards in May 2011
Background information
Born (1992-04-07) April 7, 1992 (age 32)
OriginColumbia, South Carolina, United States
GenresDance-pop, pop, R&B
Occupation(s)Singer, actress, dancer
Years active2006–present
LabelsRoc Nation, Columbia, StarRoc
Associated actsSean Paul, Jay Z
Websitewww.alexisjordanofficial.com

In September 2010, Jordan released "Happiness", which peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs. It was her first number-one single. "Happiness" was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 210,000 copies. Jordan released her debut album Alexis Jordan a few months later. Around this time, Jordan was appearing in two television series. She was nominated for "Best International Act" and "Best Push Act" and won "International Hit of the Year" for her single "Happiness".

Life and career

1995–2008: Early life and career beginnings

Alexis Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on April 7, 1992. Jordan was born as the last child, she also has three older siblings. Her mother is of African American, Native American, and European descent, while her father is Puerto Rican. Jordan began writing songs when she was in third grade. When she was eleven years old, her family moved to Santa Clarita, California, so she could have a career in the arts. The following year, Jordan was the opening act for Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert.[1]

In 2006, Jordan auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent.[2] At the auditions, she sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" as a cover version. Jordan made it to the next round, but was eliminated from the show during the semi-finals. Jordan and her family then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to be closer to the music industry. Jordan began uploading cover versions on her official YouTube account, and submitted demos to record companies across the nation.[3] By 2008, Jordan's YouTube page had reached a million views. After seeing her uploaded videos, Stargate asked Jordan to record a few songs with them. They flew Jordan to New York[disambiguation needed].[4] While Jordan was in the recording studio, rapper Jay-Z entered. After they talked, Jordan became the first artist to be signed with Sony Music label StarRoc/Roc Nation, which is owned by Jay-Z.[5]

2010–present: Alexis Jordan and second album

After Jordan signed a record deal with Jay-Z's record studio, she released her debut single "Happiness" in September 2010. "Happiness" peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, becoming Jordan's first number-one single.[6] The song also peaked at number one in Norway[7] and the Netherlands.[8] It peaked at number three in Australia and the United Kingdom.[9][10] The single was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for shipments of 210,000 copies.[11] "Good Girl" was Jordan's second single, released in February 2011. It debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart, giving Jordan her second top-ten hit in the United Kingdom.[6] "Good Girl" peaked at number 15 in Ireland, and later became her second chart-topper on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs in April 2011.[2][12] Jordan released her self-titled debut album Alexis Jordan on February 25, 2011.[13] The album debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart, and number 11 on the Australian Albums Charts.[9]

Jordan's third single, "Hush Hush", was released on May 8, 2011.[14] Jordan became a supporting act for English group JLS' tour in the United Kingdom for a month.[15] She also appeared on T4 on the Beach in the United Kingdom, where she performed "Hush Hush" and "Good Girl" from her first album.[16] Jordan recorded a duet with reggae singer Sean Paul for his single "Got 2 Luv U",[17] which peaked at number one in Switzerland and Bulgaria.[18] The editor of Take40 called Jordan one of the current "hottest artists", behind Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne.[19]

Jordan was one of many headliners for the Boston Pride Parade in June 2012. The parade is an annual event held in Boston, Massachusetts for LGBT people.[20][21] Jordan told the Daily Record that she is working on her second album. She stated that "It is a big departure from what I have done."[22]

Discography

Filmography

Movies
Year Movie Role Notes
2011 Honey 2 herself cameo appearance
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006 America's Got Talent herself – contestant eliminated in the semi-finals
2008 Emily's Reasons Why Not sister episode: "Why Not to Date a Twin"
2010 The Xtra Factor herself 1 episode
2011 Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight herself
The Dome herself episode: "The Dome 57"
T4 on the Beach herself – performer

Awards and nominations

Year Organisation Award Result
2011 ESKA Music Awards International Hit of the Year ("Happiness")[23] Won
Music of Black Origin Awards Best International Act[24] Nominated
2011 MTV Europe Music Awards Best Push Act[25] Nominated

Alexis Jordan Media

References

  1. "Biography – The Official Alexis Jordan Site". Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mcmonagle, Mickey; Lyons, Bev (24 June 2011). Simon right to ditch Cheryl says talent show veteran Alexis Jordan. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/music-news/2011/06/24/simon-right-to-ditch-cheryl-says-talent-show-veteran-alexis-jordan-86908-23223681/. Retrieved 16 March 2012. 
  3. Jeffries, David. "Biography: Alexis Jordan". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  4. Alexis, Nadeska (26 March 2010). "Alexis Jordan Snags Deal With Roc Nation". The Boombox. AOL. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  5. "Alexis Jordan interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' May 2011". Bluesandsoul.com. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Chart Stats – Alexis Jordan". UK Singles Chart. Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  7. "Discography Alexis Jordan". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  8. "Dutch charts portal" (in Nederlands). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Alexis Jordan Discography". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  10. "Chart Stats – Alexis Jordan – Happiness". UK Singles Chart. Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  11. "Top 50 Singles Chart - 9/5/2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  12. "Chart Highlights: Pop, Country Songs & More". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media). http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-pop-country-songs-more-1005141302.story. Retrieved 20 April 2011. 
  13. "Alexis Jordan (Album) – Alexis Jordan". iTunes Store (Ireland). Apple Inc. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  14. "Music – Singles Release Diary". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  15. Nissim, Mayer (12 April 2011). "Alexis Jordan to support JLS, Olly Murs". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  16. "Alexis Jordan's debut fragrance would "smell of soap"". Pressparty.com. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  17. Johnson, Richard (8 March 2012). Testing the Tomahawk. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Testing-the-Tomahawk_10849926. Retrieved 15 March 2012. 
  18. "Discography Alexis Jordan". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  19. "WIN - CD Prize Pack Featuring Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne And Alexis Jordan Biography". bollywoodhithot. 7 March 2011. https://bollywoodhithot.com/alexis-jordan-biography-age-career-net-worth/. Retrieved 15 March 2012. 
  20. DiDomizio, Milva (6 June 2012). Boston Pride Parade and Festival. http://articles.boston.com/2012-06-06/thingstodo/32082264_1_rain-or-shine-events-honor-pride-week-events. Retrieved 5 July 2012. 
  21. Siegel, Joe (6 June 2012). Boston Pride Week Features Parade, Festival and More. http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=133779. Retrieved 5 July 2012. [dead link]
  22. Lyons, Bev; Mcmonagle, Mickey (24 June 2011). Simon right to ditch Cheryl says talent show veteran Alexis Jordan. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/music-news/2011/06/24/simon-right-to-ditch-cheryl-says-talent-show-veteran-alexis-jordan-86908-23223681/. Retrieved 5 July 2012. 
  23. "ESKA Music Awards 2011". Ema.eska.pl. Archived from the original on 29 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  24. Fitzmaurice, Sarah (1 September 2011). "Jessie J leads the pack with five MOBO Award nominations... and will battle it out against Adele in three categories". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  25. "MTV Europe Music Awards 2011: Nominations". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! Inc. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.

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