Mandisa
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| Mandisa | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mandisa Lynn Hundley |
| Born | October 2 1976 |
| Origin | Citrus Heights, California |
| Genre(s) | R&B, Gospel, CCM |
| Years active | 2006—present |
| Label(s) | EMI, Sparrow Records |
Mandisa Lynn Hundley (born October 2, 1976[1]), most commonly known simply as Mandisa, is a Grammy-nominated American singer and was the ninth-place finalist in the fifth season (2006) of American Idol.
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[edit] Biography
Mandisa grew up in Citrus Heights, California (Sacramento County) and graduated from El Camino Fundamental High School. She then attended American River College in Sacramento where she studied Vocal Jazz. Then she was off to Fisk University in Tennessee and graduated with a bachelor's of music degree with a concentration in vocal performance. Mandisa currently resides in the suburban Nashville community of Antioch, Tennessee. When she auditioned for American Idol in Chicago, she asked the judges to call her "just Mandisa", and she has been billed as Mandisa (with no last name) on the show since the show's Hollywood round. Mandisa was a backup singer for famed Christian author and speaker Beth Moore. She has stated her musical influences run the gamut from Whitney Houston to Def Leppard.
Idol judge Simon Cowell made several comments about Mandisa's weight during her audition. When he first saw her, he quipped are we "going to have a bigger stage this year." Later, when Paula Abdul commented that Mandisa had a "Frenchie" growl to her voice, Cowell responded that a more apt comparison would be to France itself. These were among comments that drew the ire of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, and would be one of the reasons Mandisa would entitle her 2007 album "True Beauty".
When Mandisa presented herself to the judges prior to the final cut-down to the season's 24 semi-finalists, she told Cowell: "what I want to say to you is that, yes, you hurt me and I cried and it was painful, it really was. But I want you to know that I've forgiven you and that you don't need someone to apologize in order to forgive somebody. I figure that if Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you." Cowell told Mandisa that he was "humbled" and apologized to her immediately.
On the March 7, 2006 Idol show, she stated in her pre-performance video that she sucked her thumb until she was 24 years old. She performed a rendition of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" which drew praise from all three judges. She was among the 12 contestants chosen on March 9, 2006, as a finalist in Idol's fifth season.
Finals Stevie Wonder Week- Mandisa performed "Don't You Worry bout' A Thing. During this week Randy commented that her performance wasn't as great as her rendition of "I'm Every Woman", but he said she was the best so far. Paula said Mandisa can sing anything. Simon said she was the best so far.
1950's Week- Mandisa sang a 1954 classic "I Don't Hurt Anymore". Randy loved it and thought that she had set the mark. Paula commented that the performance was flawless and that Mandisa was a throbred. Simon proclaimed that he loved it and that Mandisa made herself and the song very sexy.
[edit] Elimination
Mandisa was eliminated from American Idol on April 5, 2006, in the Top 9, having never previously been in the Bottom 3 (she was there with Paris Bennett and Elliott Yamin, neither of whom had been in the bottom 3 either). Mandisa revealed that, when the first group of Taylor Hicks, Kellie Pickler and Chris Daughtry was sent back to safety, and Mandisa, Elliott and Paris were on the stage on one side and the other group of Ace Young, Katharine McPhee and Bucky Covington on the other side, she told Paris and Elliott that it was most likely their own group in the bottom three, as she remembered how the same thing had happened in American Idol (Season 3), when the three divas landed in the bottom three, and was sure that it would probably be a "shocker" like that one as Ace, Katharine and Bucky had all been in the bottom three earlier. She, like most eliminated contestants, appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno one day later.
[edit] After 'Idol'
Mandisa performed the song "I Don't Hurt Anymore" at the TV talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly. Mandisa sang with Gladys Knight at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and collaborated with tobyMac and Kirk Franklin on tobyMac's recent album, Portable Sounds.[2]
Her book IdolEyes (with Angela Elwell Hunt) was published by Tyndale House in May 2007. She performed on American Idol Extra with her song "True Beauty". There is a line in the performance that ran, "You can keep all your red high heels and your open toed shoes; I'm good in my barefeet." This line likely refers to Mandisa's belief that she does not need to dress provocatively or appear half-dressed, like many of today's female performers, to be a singer or sell albums. Some viewed the line as a playful reference to fellow American Idol Season Five finalists Kellie Pickler and Katharine McPhee, who recorded songs titled "Red High Heels" and "Open Toes," respectively, for their debut albums.
Mandisa released her first single, "Only the World," on May 22, 2007. The song had a successful debut on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, which tracks commercial single sales, debuting at #2 and reached #1 the following week. It is also getting major airplay on Christian radio stations. The track is available for purchase on ITunes along with the album track "True Beauty".
Her first full-length album was released on July 31, 2007. It debuted at #1 on the Top Christian Albums charts, making it the first time a new female artist has debuted at #1 in the charts 27 year history. [3] It also debuted at #43 on the Billboard 200, an unusually high debut on that chart for a Christian artist. She also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for True Beauty in December of the same year.
Mandisa's cover of "Shackles" features a horn section provided by LiveHorns.com with Tommy Vaughan on trumpet, Rodney Mills on trombone, and Shane Philen on sax.
Her second single "God Speaking" was released to Christian radio in October.
On December 6, 2007, the 50th Annual Grammy Awards nominations were announced and Mandisa's debut album was nominated for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album[4].
[edit] American Idol performances
[edit] Semifinals
- February 21, 2006 - "Never" by Heart
- The judges were impressed, saying she started the show off on a great note.
- February 28, 2006 - "Cry" by Faith Hill
- The judges were generally positive, and Simon identified her as the leading female in the competition.
- March 7, 2006 - "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan
- The judges said she "sounded amazing" and "it was in a completely and utterly different league; it was brilliant."
[edit] Finals
- March 14, 2006 - "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" by Stevie Wonder
- The judges felt it was the best of the night so far,and were pleased.
- March 21, 2006 - "I Don't Hurt Anymore" by Martina McBride
- The judges loved the song and Simon Cowell thougth it was a sexy performance.
- March 28, 2006 - "Praise You" by Mary Mary
- Simon and Randy were not blown away, Paula as usual saying Mandisa has her own religion with million of followers.
- April 4, 2006 - "Any Man Of Mine" by Shania Twain
- Song Choice wasn't good all three judges commented , however they liked her voice.
In Mandisa book Idol Eyes it reveals her song choice for Queen week which was Who Wants To Live Forever, but Mandisa was eliminated before this week.
[edit] Pop Culture References
- When The Daily Show parodied President Bush's decision-making abilities by featuring him in a superhero comic book by R. Sikoryak called "The Decider," one of his decisions in the comic book was to vote for Mandisa because "she's a sure thing."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Full Length Albums
| Album | Statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
True Beauty
| ||||||||
| Album | Statistics |
|---|---|
Christmas Joy EP
|
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Date Added | Billboard Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | Hot Singles Sales | Hot Christian AC | Hot Christian Songs | Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | ||||
| 2007 | "Only The World" | May 21, 2007 | - | 1 (5 weeks) | 6 | 7 | True Beauty | |
| 2007 | "God Speaking" | October 22, 2007 | - | 28 | True Beauty' | |||
| 2007 | "Christmas Makes Me Cry" | November 6, 2007 | - | 2 | 3 | Christmas Joy EP | ||
| 2007 | "Christmas Day (Michael W. Smith song featuring Mandisa)" | November 20, 2007 | - | 1 | 2 | 18 | It's a Wonderful Christmas | |
[edit] True Beauty Billboard Chart Performance
| Week # | Billboard | Christian | Week Sales | +/- | Cumulative Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 43 | 1 | 17,000 | 100% | 17,000 |
| 2 | 88 | 4 | 8,000 | 52% | 25,000 |
| 3 | 122 | 4 | 6,000 | 29% | 31,000 |
[edit] Other Appearances
"Lose My Soul" - TobyMac (with Kirk Franklin & Mandisa), from the album "Portable Sounds"
"Redeemer" - Beth Moore Presents Songs of Redemption
"Dance, Dance, Dance" - Sonic Praise 2: Worship for Life
"Christmas Day" - Michael W. Smith Its A Wonderful Christmas
Mandisa appeared on the 700 Club on July 9th 2007. She discussed the release of her new album "True Beauty" and book "IDOLeyes". Mandisa sang a song from the new album "God Speaking".
She also appears on the long-running series of 'WOW' CDs on this year's Wow 2008 compilation.
"The Right Thing" - Veggie Tales song off the 2008 movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie.
[edit] Bibliography
- IdolEyes May 9, 2007
[edit] References
- ^ "Gray-haired Hicks brings soul to Idol" by Wade Kwon for the Scripps Howard News Service, 17 March 2006. Retrieved May 25, 2006.
- ^ Star Song
- ^ http://billboard.com/bbcom/chart_beat/bonus.jsp
- ^ 50th Annual Grammy Awards nominations. Grammy.com
- ^ http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=47291
- ^ Jesus Freak Hideout
[edit] External links
- Mandisa's Official Website
- Mandisa's Record Label
- Mandisa at IMDB
- Mandisa at American Idol
- February 21, 2006 Sacramento Bee article
- MTV Mandisa Interview
- STREETBRAND Magazine Interview
