Alex Eugene Newell (born August 20, 1992) is an American actor and
singer. He is known for his roles as Unique Adams on the Fox musical
series Glee and Mo on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. He also starred
as Asaka in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island at the Circle
in the Square Theater in 2018. As a singer, Newell has released tracks
with Clean Bandit, Blonde, and The Knocks.Newell was born on August
20, 1992, in Lynn, Massachusetts. His father, a deacon, died of cancer
when he was six years old, at which point his mother raised him as a
single parent.After four complete years of education in the first
class of Kipp Lynn Academy, he moved on to and graduated from Bishop
Fenwick High School in 2012, where he was involved in his school's
choir, improv club, and costume club; he was also a member of his
church choir. He never had any formal voice lessons before landing the
part on Glee. He has cited Donna Summer, Sylvester, Diana Ross, Aretha
Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Beyoncé as his influences.Newell was among
34,000 to submit an audition video in 2011 for the first season of
Oxygen's The Glee Project. Newell's self-taped audition earned him
over one million MySpace views as well as a spot among the 12
participants who competed for a seven-episode arc on Glee. During the
arc, he asserted himself as an out gay man. Eventually, he became the
series’ first runner-up. Nevertheless, the producers were so
impressed that they decided to bring him on Glee for two episodes.
Newell first appeared on Glee in the third season episode "Saturday
Night Glee-ver". He was cast in the role of Wade "Unique" Adams, a
male-to-female transgender teenager. The shy, outcast Wade expressed
her female identity through music as the bold, brave alter ego,
Unique. Wade broke ground by being one of the most visible transgender
characters on television and one of the first on a network prime time
show. Newell's performance was described as "bold", with "remarkable
restraint and powerful vocals."
singer. He is known for his roles as Unique Adams on the Fox musical
series Glee and Mo on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. He also starred
as Asaka in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island at the Circle
in the Square Theater in 2018. As a singer, Newell has released tracks
with Clean Bandit, Blonde, and The Knocks.Newell was born on August
20, 1992, in Lynn, Massachusetts. His father, a deacon, died of cancer
when he was six years old, at which point his mother raised him as a
single parent.After four complete years of education in the first
class of Kipp Lynn Academy, he moved on to and graduated from Bishop
Fenwick High School in 2012, where he was involved in his school's
choir, improv club, and costume club; he was also a member of his
church choir. He never had any formal voice lessons before landing the
part on Glee. He has cited Donna Summer, Sylvester, Diana Ross, Aretha
Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Beyoncé as his influences.Newell was among
34,000 to submit an audition video in 2011 for the first season of
Oxygen's The Glee Project. Newell's self-taped audition earned him
over one million MySpace views as well as a spot among the 12
participants who competed for a seven-episode arc on Glee. During the
arc, he asserted himself as an out gay man. Eventually, he became the
series’ first runner-up. Nevertheless, the producers were so
impressed that they decided to bring him on Glee for two episodes.
Newell first appeared on Glee in the third season episode "Saturday
Night Glee-ver". He was cast in the role of Wade "Unique" Adams, a
male-to-female transgender teenager. The shy, outcast Wade expressed
her female identity through music as the bold, brave alter ego,
Unique. Wade broke ground by being one of the most visible transgender
characters on television and one of the first on a network prime time
show. Newell's performance was described as "bold", with "remarkable
restraint and powerful vocals."
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