LaToya Renee London (born December , ) is an American R&B and soul
singer and stage actress who was fourth-place finalist on the third
season of American Idol. Her debut album, Love & Life, was released in
September and spawned a number of moderate R&B chart hits. She has
concentrated on stage work, including originating and performing the
role of Nettie in the national tour of the Broadway musical The Color
Purple from to , for which she won an Ovation Award. She was the lead
in the U.S. regional debut of The Bodyguard, a musical based on the
film.London was born in San Francisco, California and raised in
Oakland, California, where she had her first public musical
performance when, at the age of , she sang in her mother's wedding.
Her interest in singing began when she was just years old, when she
frequently sang when attending Allen Temple Baptist church. As a
teenager, she sang with the Oakland Youth Chorus from to . In , she
graduated from Skyline High School (the same school actor Tom Hanks
and basketball player Gary Payton attended). She also worked as a
waitress and a bartender and sang in a Christian rock group. She was
also a backup vocalist and did frequent guest vocals for several Bay
Area artists. When she began American Idol, she was the lead vocalist
in a band, All-Star Jukebox, which usually performed at
weddings.[citation needed]London auditioned for the third season of
American Idol in Los Angeles, California. Although she moved on
through each round, she had not been featured prominently in any aired
footage and was written off by many fans before the first studio
performances. However, as a member of the third group of eight
semifinalists, she sang Eric Carmen's "All by Myself," and received a
standing ovation from celebrity judges Donna Summer, Randy Jackson and
Paula Abdul. Jackson labeled her performance as "brilliant" and "what
the search for a superstar is all about," Abdul called her
"unbelievable" and praised her "quiet confidence," and Simon Cowell
said she was "the best of the group" and that it was a "superb,
outstanding performance." She was voted through to the final
contestants with . percent of audience votes, the largest percentage
for every week of the semifinals.In the following nine weeks, London
had several high points on American Idol. Cowell called her
performance of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" "amazing" and "awesome."
Abdul said that she reminded her of "a young Gladys Knight" after she
performed the Garth Brooks song "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes
Up)," Nickolas Ashford of famed soul duo Ashford & Simpson called her
performance of "Ooo Baby Baby" by Smokey Robinson as "beautiful" and
full of "sex appeal," Film director Quentin Tarantino called her a
"powerhouse" after her performance of "Somewhere" from the musical
West Side Story, and Cowell announced her as "the best singer in the
competition" after she sang "All the Time" by Barry Manilow and gave
her "a ten out of ten" for her performance of "Don't Rain on My
Parade," which also garnered standing ovations from Abdul and Jackson.
singer and stage actress who was fourth-place finalist on the third
season of American Idol. Her debut album, Love & Life, was released in
September and spawned a number of moderate R&B chart hits. She has
concentrated on stage work, including originating and performing the
role of Nettie in the national tour of the Broadway musical The Color
Purple from to , for which she won an Ovation Award. She was the lead
in the U.S. regional debut of The Bodyguard, a musical based on the
film.London was born in San Francisco, California and raised in
Oakland, California, where she had her first public musical
performance when, at the age of , she sang in her mother's wedding.
Her interest in singing began when she was just years old, when she
frequently sang when attending Allen Temple Baptist church. As a
teenager, she sang with the Oakland Youth Chorus from to . In , she
graduated from Skyline High School (the same school actor Tom Hanks
and basketball player Gary Payton attended). She also worked as a
waitress and a bartender and sang in a Christian rock group. She was
also a backup vocalist and did frequent guest vocals for several Bay
Area artists. When she began American Idol, she was the lead vocalist
in a band, All-Star Jukebox, which usually performed at
weddings.[citation needed]London auditioned for the third season of
American Idol in Los Angeles, California. Although she moved on
through each round, she had not been featured prominently in any aired
footage and was written off by many fans before the first studio
performances. However, as a member of the third group of eight
semifinalists, she sang Eric Carmen's "All by Myself," and received a
standing ovation from celebrity judges Donna Summer, Randy Jackson and
Paula Abdul. Jackson labeled her performance as "brilliant" and "what
the search for a superstar is all about," Abdul called her
"unbelievable" and praised her "quiet confidence," and Simon Cowell
said she was "the best of the group" and that it was a "superb,
outstanding performance." She was voted through to the final
contestants with . percent of audience votes, the largest percentage
for every week of the semifinals.In the following nine weeks, London
had several high points on American Idol. Cowell called her
performance of Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody" "amazing" and "awesome."
Abdul said that she reminded her of "a young Gladys Knight" after she
performed the Garth Brooks song "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes
Up)," Nickolas Ashford of famed soul duo Ashford & Simpson called her
performance of "Ooo Baby Baby" by Smokey Robinson as "beautiful" and
full of "sex appeal," Film director Quentin Tarantino called her a
"powerhouse" after her performance of "Somewhere" from the musical
West Side Story, and Cowell announced her as "the best singer in the
competition" after she sang "All the Time" by Barry Manilow and gave
her "a ten out of ten" for her performance of "Don't Rain on My
Parade," which also garnered standing ovations from Abdul and Jackson.
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