Brianna Taylor (born May 30, 1987) is a

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

personality, singer and songwriter, having appeared on both the fifth season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' and '' The Real World: Hollywood'', the twentieth season of

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's long-running

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

series, ''

The Real World Real World or The Real World may also refer to: * Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds Television * ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017 * "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...

''. In 2008, she released her debut, self-titled EP, ''Brianna Taylor'', on Chamberlain Records; according to that label's website, she was later signed to

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

Early life

Taylor is of

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, and Puerto Rican descent. Her mother, Yvonne, raised Brianna and her sister, Victoria, as a single mother. They lived first in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia before moving to Warrington Township. Taylor attended

Central Bucks High School East Central Bucks High School East is a public high school serving students in tenth through twelfth grades, one of three high schools in the Central Bucks School District. The school is located in Buckingham, Pennsylvania in Bucks County, adjacent to ...

Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Buckingham Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 20,075 at the 2010 census. Buckingham takes its name from Buckingham in Buckinghamshire, England. History In Buckingham and the Buckingham area, there are ...

, graduating in 2005.

Career

Taylor never took singing lessons; her grandmother acted as her vocal coach. After gaining experience singing at weddings and shopping malls, she auditioned for the popular singing competition, ''

'' during that show's fifth season and reached the Top 44 before eventually being eliminated. Before auditioning for ''

'' and eventually being cast in its 20th anniversary season, Taylor was an

exotic dancer A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

for two years at Double Visions in

Horsham Township, Pennsylvania Horsham Township is a home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is located ten miles north of Center City Philadelphia. The township, incorporated in 1717, is one of the oldest original municipalities in Montgomery County. Altho ...

, near Philadelphia. While living in Philadelphia, Taylor maintained a volatile relationship with an ex-boyfriend, and at one point, a violent argument resulted in Taylor's arrest and eventual guilty plea to a reduced charge of

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...

. The aftermath of the episode can be seen on her season of ''The Real World''. In the third episode of that season, she reveals that she had battled an addiction to

crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

and

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

as recently as two months prior to being cast on the show. During the show, Brianna develops a mutual attraction for fellow roommate Joey Kovar, but is later disturbed by how he behaves while intoxicated. She also returns to Philadelphia with roommate Will Gilbert to resolve her legal troubles during that season, and is picked up to record several songs of her own, as well as perform live with

Alex Band Alexander Max Band (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. He is best known for being the vocalist of Los Angeles rock band the Calling, having performed on their hit song "Wherever You Will ...

, formerly of the band The Calling. In the show, she is also offered a song by Matthew Bair of the powerpop band Bandcamp. Taylor's debut self-titled EP, ''Brianna Taylor'', was co-produced by

Tomas Costanza Tomas Costanza (born September 2, 1976) is a certified-platinum American record producer/songwriter and owner of the Killingsworth Recording Company.

, of the band

Diffuser Diffuser may refer to: Aerodynamics * Diffuser (automotive), a shaped section of a car's underbody which improves the car's aerodynamic properties * Part of a jet engine air intake, especially when operated at supersonic speeds * The channel betw ...

, and Matthew Bair, who is now a guitarist with

Eve 6 Eve 6 is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Southern California, best known for their hit singles " Inside Out," "Leech," " Here's to the Night," and "Promise." They disbanded in 2004, returned for numerous tours in 2007 with a new lineup ...

. The first single, "Summertime," was released in 2008. As of July 22, 2008, Brianna's self-titled EP was the 16th most-purchased album on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and sold over 60,000 copies. Taylor returned to

in order to participate in the eighteenth season of the show's long-running '' The Real World/Road Rules Challenge'', which premiered on September 30, 2009. She was in the challenger's team and was eliminated in the third episode. On October 13, 2009, Taylor released her first full-length debut album, ''Fireworks at the Fairground'' via Chamberlain Records, featuring her new single ''Criminal''.''Fireworks at the Fairground'' at Amazon.com
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Television work

*''

'' (

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

; 2005) Herself *'' The Real World: Hollywood'' (

; 2008) Herself *'' Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins'' (

; 2009) Herself

Discography

*''Brianna Taylor'' (EP) (Chamberlain Records; 2008) *'' Fireworks at the Fairground'' (Chamberlain Records; 2009)

References

External links

The Real World Official SiteThe Real World DailiesBrianna Taylor
at MySpace {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Brianna 1987 births Living people American female erotic dancers American erotic dancers American Idol participants African-American people American people of German descent American people of Puerto Rican descent People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Musicians from Philadelphia The Real World (TV series) cast members Universal Music Group artists Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania The Challenge (TV series) contestants 21st-century American women 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians