Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-up on the sixth 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 ...

''. His major label debut album ''

A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream) ''A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)'' is the debut studio album by Blake Lewis, the runner-up on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. It was released in the United States and Canada on December 4, 2007. The first single is " Break Anotha" and was relea ...

'' was released on December 4, 2007, through 19 Recordings and Arista Records. On October 30, 2007, his first single " Break Anotha" was released. The album landed on number ten on the U.S. '' Billboard''

200 __NOTOC__ Year 200 ( CC) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 953 ''Ab ur ...

as its highest peak position with 97,500 copies sold in its debut, and has sold over 350,000 copies. After the release of his second single "

How Many Words "How Many Words" is the official second single by the singer-songwriter Blake Lewis Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-up on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. His major la ...

", which peaked at number eight on the U.S. '' Billboard''

Dance/Club Play Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

, Lewis was dropped by Arista Records. Lewis eventually signed with Tommy Boy Records. His second album, ''

Heartbreak on Vinyl ''Heartbreak on Vinyl'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Blake Lewis released on October 6, 2009 by Tommy Boy Records. A double LP pressed on red vinyl with only 500 copies was released on August 13, 2010. The vinyl conta ...

'', was released on October 6, 2009. The first single " Sad Song" was released on July 21, 2009. The album charted at number 135 on the U.S. '' Billboard'' ''Billboard'' 200, number twenty on the '' Billboard'' Independent Albums, and number seven on the '' Billboard''

Dance/Electronic Albums Top Dance/Electronic Albums, Dance/Electronic Albums (formerly Top Electronic Albums) is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States based on sales compiled by ...

with over 4,000 copies sold in the first week. His third album, ''

Portrait of a Chameleon ''Portrait of a Chameleon'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter and ''American Idol'' sixth season runner-up Blake Lewis Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-u ...

'', was released on May 20, 2014. This was his first independent record and includes the single " Your Touch". His fourth album, ''Wanderlust Unknown,'' was released in February 2020.

Biography

Early years

Lewis was born in Redmond, Washington to Dallas and Dinah Lewis. Dinah is a former rocker who still sings and plays guitar. He is an only child and is of

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

, Swiss, German and Irish descent. He attended Kenmore Junior High and later

Inglemoor High School Inglemoor High School is a public high school located in Kenmore, Washington, United States. It is one of the largest high schools in the state of Washington and has an average of 30 students per teacher. As of 2017, the student population was ap ...

Kenmore, Washington Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shore of Lake Washington. It is a suburban commuter town at the mouth of the Sammamish River, northeast of downtown Seattle and west of Bothell. The population ...

. In high school, Lewis participated in many high school state competitions . He also took part in numerous musicals, as well as comedy and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

videos with his friends. In many of these videos, he portrayed his alter ego, Jimmie Walker Blue, the character he introduced during the semi-final round of ''American Idol''. Lewis started

beatboxing Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

at seventeen. He picked up this talent purely by ear, listening to CDs of beatboxing, after he was inspired by Matthew Selby, a former member of the Los Angeles-based a cappella group M-Pact, of which fellow ''American Idol'' semi-finalist Rudy Cárdenas was a member. Aside from singing and beatboxing, Lewis plays the guitar, keyboard, drums and has written many songs such as "She Loves the Way", "Emotional Waterfalls", "Dumpty Humpty" and "Jealousy". He describes himself as an improv musician and often uses devices such as loop pedals and the

Kaoss Pad The Kaoss Pad is an audio sampling instrument and multi-effects processor originally launched by Korg in 1999. It allows users to record and process audio samples and apply various effects using an X-Y touchscreen. Features Kaoss Pads allow use ...

to layer beatboxing, instruments, vocals and effects to create a song live on stage. Being a member of the a cappella group Kickshaw for four years after graduating from high school in 1999, Lewis worked with the group on a 10-track album titled ''Put It in the Microphone'', but he quit the group in 2002 to become a solo musician going by the stage name Bshorty, which was basically inspired by the nicknames of the members of

311 311 may refer to: * 311 (number), a natural number * AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD * 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 311 (band), an American band ** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...

and "aggressive inline-skate videos during the 1990s", "doing drum and bass shows, and conscious hip hop shows, singer-songwriter stuff, and electronica and hip hop". He made connections with various musicians by performing regularly in many venues in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

such as Nectar Lounge in Fremont, SeaMonster Lounge, Lo-Fi Performance Gallery, Jet Deck in Everett (now in Mill Creek) and hosted shows like The Digital Lounge shows at ToST. Before ''Idol'', he was working on a

solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

with a number of tracks finished.

''American Idol''

Overview

Though he initially found ''American Idol'' unappealing, Lewis auditioned for it in Seattle with "

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...

" by

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

and an off-screen rendition of " Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. Introducing himself as the local beatboxing champion in the audition, Lewis beatboxed along with his teammates, including Chris Sligh, Rudy Cárdenas and Tom Lowe, to " How Deep Is Your Love" by Bee Gees in the Hollywood's Week. The memorable performance received a

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...

from the audience and Paula Abdul, who commented "that brought down the house". In an early episode of the United Kingdom edition of ''American Idol'', Lewis recalled his first solo performance in the Hollywood's Week was "

Papa Was a Rollin' Stone "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song originally performed by Motown recording act The Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by The Temptations was issued later the same year. This la ...

" by

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

. When later he sang it in front of the other finalists, Phil Stacey felt that it was the best performance he has seen from Lewis. Lewis ended up the last male contestant standing, despite Simon's first impression that the singer was a bit "over the top" adding "I don't know if you're as good as you think you are". But soon afterward, the judges began predicting Lewis' "front runner" status. In an exclusive interview with X17Online on March 4, 2007,

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

foresaw Lewis' chance to take the crown. After Lewis' performance of " Lovesong" by

The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

on March 27, Paula Abdul said that she would love to see him in the finale. Cowell further confirmed that Lewis was the front runner of male contestants on ''American Idol''. Lewis, upon entering the top 2 on May 16, 2007, he thus became the first ever contestant from the Northwestern United States (specifically,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

) to compete in the finale. Lewis' beatboxing and

scat singing In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

skills had been featured occasionally throughout the competition, notably in the performances such as "

Virtual Insanity "Virtual Insanity" is a song by British funk band Jamiroquai, released on 19 August 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, ''Travelling Without Moving'' (1996). The song interpolates parts of Jocelyn Brown's post-disco hit "Som ...

", " All Mixed Up", "

Time of the Season "Time of the Season" is a song by the British rock band the Zombies, featured on their 1968 album ''Odessey and Oracle''. It was written by keyboard player Rod Argent and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1967. Over a year after its origin ...

", "

You Give Love a Bad Name "You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album ''Slippery When Wet''. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover, ...

", "

You Should Be Dancing "You Should Be Dancing" is a song by the Bee Gees, from the album ''Children of the World'', released in 1976. It hit No. 1 for one week on the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in S ...

", "

This Is Where I Came In ''This Is Where I Came In'' is the twenty-second and final studio album by the pop group the Bee Gees. It was released on 24 April 2001 by Polydor in the UK and Universal in the US, less than two years before Maurice Gibb died from a cardiac ar ...

" and " This Love". He had also rearranged songs including "

You Keep Me Hangin' On "You Keep Me Hangin' On" is a song written and composed by Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was first recorded in 1966 by American Motown girl group the Supremes, reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. American rock band Vanilla Fudge ...

" and "You Give Love a Bad Name". Although Lewis' first performance in the semi-final weeks, "

Somewhere Only We Know "Somewhere Only We Know" is a song composed and performed by English alternative rock band Keane, officially released as the first single from their debut album, ''Hopes and Fears'' (2004). The single peaked at number three on the UK Singles C ...

", was pure singing and inspired judges to make comments about his contemporary vibe, his signature performance on the show was probably "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi. Lewis incorporated a substantial beatboxing component, making the song sound significantly different from its original version. Jon Bon Jovi, the lead singer of the band who also coached the contestants that week, noted that Lewis' rendition was "rolling the dice". All three judges acknowledged the huge risk of Lewis' arrangement, but also praised him for his originality including beatboxing. Randy Jackson believed that it was the most original performance ever on the show. Cowell even predicted that 50% of the audience "would absolutely hate it" but another half would love it. The groundbreaking performance was later ranked number six in top 20 all-time greatest ''American Idol'' performances on AOL.com. Several original versions of songs Lewis performed re-entered '' Billboard''

Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally starte ...

chart shortly after the show. Lewis' first performance on-stage, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane, re-entered the chart at number 26 (number 19 on

Hot Digital Tracks The Hot Digital Tracks chart is a song popularity chart that ranks the best selling digital tracks in the United States according to ''Billboard'' magazine. It is not to be confused with the Hot Digital Songs chart, which combines different vers ...

chart); "Time of the Season", a

The Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American chart-topper, hit in 1964 with "She's Not ...

' hit in 1968, reached number 67;

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams lef ...

's "

When the Stars Go Blue "When the Stars Go Blue" is a popular alternative country song composed and originally recorded by solo artist and former Whiskeytown band member Ryan Adams. It was first released on his album ''Gold'' on September 25, 2001, and has been describ ...

" hit number 39 (number 37 on Hot Digital Tracks chart); Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" shot up to number 29; "This Love" and "

She Will Be Loved "She Will Be Loved" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was written by frontman Adam Levine and lead guitarist James Valentine. The song was released on June 21, 2004, as the third single from Maroon 5's 2002 debut studio album, ' ...

" by Maroon 5 jumped to number 41 and number 45 respectively. Maroon 5's album ''

Songs About Jane ''Songs About Jane'' is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. The album was released on June 25, 2002, by Octone and J Records. It became a sleeper hit with the help of five singles that attained chart success, including " H ...

'' had re-entered the

Top Pop Catalog Albums Top Pop Catalog Albums is a 50-position weekly albums chart produced by ''Billboard'' Magazine which ranks the best-selling catalog albums in the United States, regardless of genre. ''Billboard'' defines a catalog title as one that is more than 18 ...

chart at number five on June 2, 2007, as well. On May 11, 2007, Lewis visited his hometown,

, Washington for the traditional ''Idol'' Top 3 hometown visits. He made numerous appearances at radio stations and then played a concert in Seattle at

Westlake Center Westlake Center is a four-story shopping center and 25-story office tower in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The southern terminus of the Seattle Center Monorail, it is located across Pine Street from Westlake Park, between 4th and ...

, including a performance of "

Baby Got Back "Baby Got Back" is a song written and recorded by American rapper and songwriter Sir Mix-a-Lot, released in May 1992 as the second single from his third album, ''Mack Daddy'' (1992). The song was written and co-produced by him, and samples the 1 ...

" with

Sir Mix-a-Lot Anthony L. Ray (born August 12, 1963), better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his 1992 hit song " Baby Got Back", which peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

. He also visited the top of the

Space Needle The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States. Considered to be an icon of the city, it has been designated a Seattle landmark. Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, it was built in the Seattle Center ...

. Fans followed him to

Bothell Bothell () is a city in King and Snohomish counties in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area, situated near the northeast end of Lake Washington. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48,161 resident ...

for a parade and concert at the Sammamish River Park. Afterwards, he proceeded to

Safeco Field T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western ...

to sing the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

, "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

", for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

's Game. Lewis claimed 311 as his all-time favorite band after his performance of "All Mixed Up". Responding to a viewer question on March 13, 2007, he had also confessed his love of " underground hip hop,

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

" such as

Common Market The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

and Panda Conspiracy, with an addition of The Mob Law, which in Lewis' opinion, "should be signed to a major label". While being the last two contestants waiting for the results on May 2, Lewis and

Chris Richardson Christopher Michael Richardson (born February 19, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter who was the fifth-place finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. Personal life Richardson was born in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ...

answered Ryan Seacrest's question about their close relationship, saying that they are best friends. Lewis has " Chris Sligh, Rudy Cárdenas", contestants from the sixth season of ''American Idol'', listed as his own "American idols" on his profile on ''American Idol'' official website, while Sligh and Cárdenas also have Lewis on their lists. Furthermore, Lewis claimed in an interview with The Blaker Girls that besides Richardson, Cárdenas and Sligh, his best friends on the show were Brandon Rogers, Jordin Sparks and

Gina Glocksen Gina Glocksen (born July 4, 1984) is an American singer, who was the ninth-place finisher on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. She was eliminated on April 4, 2007. She previously appeared in season 5. Glocksen is the first among the few co ...

. In the episode of '' The View'' on June 14, 2007, Lewis said that there were "a lot of writers on the show", including Richardson, Sligh and himself. Jimmie Walker Blue, his alter ego was introduced in the middle of the Idol.

Performances and results

* Lewis was saved first from elimination. * Due to the

Idol Gives Back ''Idol Gives Back'' was the name of a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of ''American Idol'' during its sixth season. A second ''Idol Gives Back'' concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the s ...

performance, the Top 6 remained intact for another week.

Post-''Idol''

Lewis's songs from ''American Idol'' have been on sale at the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

and the ''American Idol'' official website as '' Blake Lewis - EP'' (called a "bundle" on ''Idol'' official website) shortly after the finale of ''Idol'', along with other songs that did not make the EP's cut that are being sold as individual singles. Figures from

SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

which were posted on ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' indicated that Lewis' "

" was "the biggest-selling download of the season", with 192,000 copies sold. After the finale of ''Idol'', Blake Lewis has made several appearances on television shows. He performed Maroon 5's "

" on ''

The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet ''The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet'' was an American syndicated morning talk show. Produced by Fox, the show first aired on January 22, 2007, to a number of markets originally through Fox and MyNetworkTV, most in the Fox Television Stati ...

'' (combined with a snippet of U2's "

With or Without You "With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, '' The Joshua Tree'' (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. The song was the group's most successful sing ...

"), ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

'', ''

Live with Regis and Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...

'' and ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999 to January 7, 2012, and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the network since 1954. The program aired Monday through Friday from ...

''. In the episode of '' The View'' on June 14, 2007, he sang "

" by Keane. Lewis had also appeared on ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

'', ''The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet'' with the winner of ''Idol'', Jordin Sparks and ''

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles ...

'' with contestants who made into the top ten of ''American Idol''. On July 4, 2007, Lewis performed "

God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. The later version was notably recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature son ...

" and "

America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two neve ...

" on ''Macy's

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

Firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

s Spectacular'' with Sparks and

Melinda Doolittle Melinda Marie Doolittle (born October 6, 1977) is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to her appearance on ''American Idol'', Doolittle worked as a professional back-up sin ...

. Lewis took part in the "

American Idols LIVE! Tour 2007 American Idols Live! Tour 2007 was a summer concert tour in the United States and Canada featuring the top 10 contestants of the sixth season of ''American Idol'', which aired in 2007. It was sponsored by Kellogg's Pop-Tarts. The 59-date tour ...

" from July 6 – September 23, 2007, along with other contestants in the top ten. He revealed on '' The View'' on June 14, 2007, that all the male contestants on the show would be playing musical instruments on the tour (for the first time ever), "doing like a folk band," and that he would bring along his loop pedals for his beatboxing. Before several shows, Lewis

improvised Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

, got dressed up as a

janitor A janitor (American English, Scottish English), also known as a custodian, porter, cleanser, cleaner or caretaker, is a person who cleans and maintains buildings. In some cases, they will also carry out maintenance and security duties. A simil ...

character named Bob Bobberson and sometimes as a Pop-Tart. He performed "She Loves the Way" on the last show, becoming the first ''Idol'' who sang their pre-''Idol'' original materials on the tour. He and

have "started working on a little documentary" on the tour and it will be published at their MySpace profiles. Lewis was named number five in the list of the ten sexiest ''Idol'' contestants ever on the website during the running of the sixth season of ''American Idol'' and was ranked number 21 in the list of music's 21 sexiest single men on June 11, 2007, on AOL.com. Later in the issue of ''People'' magazine on June 15, 2007, the brand-new runner-up of ''Idol'' appeared on its list of "Hottest Bachelors of 2007". He has also made a cut on the list of 50 hottest guys on ''

Elle Girl ''Elle Girl'' was the largest older-teen fashion and beauty magazine brand in the world with twelve editions. Launched in August 2001, it was the younger sister version of ''Elle'' magazine, and similarly focused on beauty, health, entertainm ...

''.

Career

2007–2008: ''A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)''

On March 6, 2008, he performed "How Many Words", from his album ''

'', on the ''American Idol'' result show. On the release of his second single, Blake Lewis spent much of his time promoting the single "How Many Words" at various radio stations. While Blake Lewis parted with his label, Arista Records, in June 2008, he will begin his national tour starting on the East Coast at the end of September with the help of 19 Recordings and will be playing songs from ''A.D.D.'' as well as new songs. Details about the tour can be found at Blake Lewis's Myspace page or the website of his official street team, the Blake Lewis Army. Upon his record deal with Arista Records/

19 Recordings 19 Recordings Inc. (registered in the United Kingdom as 19 Recordings Ltd.) is a New York-based record label owned by 19 Entertainment. Founded in London by British entrepreneur Simon Fuller in 1999 as the music division of 19 Entertainment, the ...

which was announced officially on August 24, 2007, ''

'', Lewis' " electro- funk-

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

-pop" first studio album, was released on December 4, 2007. In fact, the singer has been recording his album in the studio "for all night long" since June 18. " Break Anotha", the first single from ''A.D.D.'', was released to radio on October 30, 2007, and on

on November 13. Blake's second single, "

" was released on March 10, 2008. ''A.D.D.'' has been made available at iTunes and includes his music video for his first single "Break Anotha". On June 25, 2008 ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' officially announced that Lewis was dropped by his label, Arista, but will remain on ''Idol'' creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings roster. Lewis has said he's already written four songs for his second album, which he's working on with his band's drummer, KJ "Quantize" Sawka. The pair will be co-producing the effort, which Lewis describes as "Massive Attack meets Zero 7 – drum-and-bass with a little pop influence." Lewis said he may release the disc through his own label, which he's in the process of getting off the ground. "I'm super-passionate about this record," he said. "Who knows what's in store? Half the year's over, and it's only going to keep going." According to MTV News, the album is expected to have the electronica genre like the first album, and "he is experimenting with his own music" by implementing blue-eyed soul, pop music, rock,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

and some

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

genre. It was also reported on

KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a top 40 format. Owned by iHeartMedia, KIIS-FM is the origin of the conglome ...

that Lewis will collaborate with

KJ Sawka Kevin Joseph "KJ" Sawka is an American musician, record producer, and DJ. He plays drums in the bands Pendulum and Destroid. Career KJ Sawka started his musical career at the age of twelve. At age eighteen, he developed an interest in electr ...

and Ryan "Alias" Tedder. As of August 2008, the artist has added one song to his sophomore LP, which may be out on the last quarter of 2008 or first quarter of 2009. Lewis told the interviewers that he is very excited to premiere his new songs, and he has learned some lessons from his "A.D.D." era. On an interview, he said, "Where to start… Orchestral Drive-By: KJ and I are about 5 songs deep now. Can't wait for you all to hear this. I haven't been this excited in a while. I haven't been able to produce in a year and half, besides a couple songs on 'A.D.D.' and from what I have learned in the last year, it sure has paid off. STOKED!!!" It was reported that Lewis has collaborated with his friends on the band, Project Lionheart at a track called "My Eyes" and "Hell Yeah". Aside from that, he also collaborated with Common Market's "Trouble Is", where he contributed backing vocals. Blake says who is currently producing his record with his drummer, KJ Sawka. Blake also recorded a track at 311 frontman Nick Hexum's house for the next album. Blake finished a charity song called "Selfless" with

Darude Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen (; born July 17, 1975), better known by his stage name Darude (), is a Finnish DJ and record producer from Eura, Satakunta. His music is characterised by its progressive/uplifting style. He started making music in 199 ...

for Dance4Life. In September, Blake was featured on a song for BT's album, which he says is a "throwback to Flock of Seagulls.". Blake has also been in Darude's song "I Ran" which hit the charts and is on local radio stations constantly.

2009–2012: ''Heartbreak on Vinyl''

On April 30, 2009, Lewis performed at the 2009 Congressional Clubs' First Lady's Luncheon to Honor Michelle Obama. He performed three songs including a beatbox version of "America the Beautiful". His second album, ''

,'' was distributed under Tommy Boy Records – a dance/hip hop/electronic label whose catalog includes albums by Africa Bambaataa, Biz Markie and De La Soul. He signed a deal on Tommy Boy Entertainment to record an electronica album. The first single from the album, " Sad Song", was released on July 21, 2009. The album was released on October 6, 2009.

2013–2015: ''Portrait of a Chameleon''

On February 25, 2013, it was announced that Lewis has signed with Republic Records. He was going to release his third studio album ''

'' in spring 2013 and the first single " Your Touch" premiered on February 26, 2013, on a commercial for

Internet Explorer 10 Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) is the tenth, and by now, discontinued, version of the Internet Explorer web browser and the successor to Internet Explorer 9, released by Microsoft on September 4, 2012, shortly after the completion of Windows Serv ...

. The song was released to iTunes on March 4, 2013. On February 17, 2014, Blake Lewis officially announced that his new album would be released May 20, 2014, on his own record label, Audio Day Dream Records.

2016–presnt: ''Strings, Spit, & Serenades'', ''Our Fragile Heart: Remixes & Rarities'' and ''Wanderlust Unknown''

In 2017, Lewis released ''Strings, Spit, & Serenades,'' a live album that included live versions of music from previous albums and a live version of "7 Nation Army Dreams" featuring Chris Poage. In 2018, Lewis released a remix album featuring unreleased tracks and new remixes of former releases. The album includes mixes from

and Alex Greggs. Lewis released his fourth studio album, ''Wanderlust Unknown'', on January 24, 2020, featuring lead singles "Pot of Gold" and "Trouble". The album featured collaborations with fellow ''American Idol'' alum

Elliott Yamin Efraym Elliott Yamin ( he, אפרים אליוט ימין; born July 20, 1978) is an American singer known for his hit single " Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. His self-titled album, released Marc ...

and new recording artist Olivia Kuper Harris. Blake also served as co-writer and producer for Olivia Kuper Harris' ''Juicy,'' and for Olivia Ryan's "New Warriors."

Voice acting

Lewis made his voice acting debut in the English dub of the

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

series '' Durarara!!'', in which he voiced Kasuka Heiwajima; however, he was replaced by

Vic Mignogna Victor Joseph Mignogna (); born August 27, 1962)Birthday tweet: * is an American voice actor and musician known for his voice-over work in the English dubs of Japanese anime shows, such as Edward Elric from the '' Fullmetal Alchemist'' series ...

in the show's second season. Lewis had also voiced a character named Thump on one episode of ''

Generator Rex ''Generator Rex'' is an American animated science fiction television series created by Man of Action for Cartoon Network, with John Fang of Cartoon Network Studios serving as supervising director. It was inspired by the comic '' M. Rex'', publish ...

''.

Philanthropy

Lewis has been supporting

cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...

Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center Seattle Children's, formerly Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, formerly Children's Orthopedic Hospital, is a children's hospital in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The hospital specializes in the care of infa ...

in Seattle by donating 50% of the proceeds from the merchandise of The Blaker Girls. He chose to put his support behind this organization after a best friend of his as well as his friend's girlfriend were diagnosed with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...

. In 2010 Lewis competed on ''

Don't Forget the Lyrics ''Don't Forget the Lyrics!'' is an international game show in the United States. The American show originally aired on Fox from July 11, 2007, to June 19, 2009, and after a year off the air, a third overall season, and first as a syndicated sh ...

'' to raise money for the Seattle Children's Hospital, a charity that he has worked with for over ten years.

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Notes: *¹ Since ''Blake Lewis'' was available exclusively through the

, it was not eligible to chart on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Singles

As featured artist

Postmodern Jukebox

Notes: *¹ While Jordin Sparks, the winner of the sixth season of ''American Idol'', had " This Is My Now" as her official single, Lewis did not announce his choice of single officially, despite the fact that "You Give Love a Bad Name" was the highest-charting track among his "bundle" of songs available for downloading. "You Give Love a Bad Name" entered a number of charts. *² Unlike the debut songs of previous winners and runners-up of ''American Idol'', all five songs that appeared on ''Blake Lewis (EP)'' were released digitally only, not physically. *³ While not being announced as a single, "

", the song Lewis performed in the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...

week on ''American Idol'', has debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 99, the Pop 100 chart at number 74 and the Hot Digital Songs chart at number 70 in the issue of the charts on June 9, 2007. Several tracks by Lewis have made appearances that week on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and the Pop 100 chart as well, including " This Love" (number 2; number 80), "

" (number 10; number 92) and " I Need to Know" (number nineteen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart).

Unreleased original works

*"Closer to Reason" *"Emotional Waterfalls" *"Give It to Me" (duet with Laura Blue) *"My MySpace" (featuring The Sampler) *"She Loves the Way" (produced by BT) – he performed the song on

*"Drivin' Me Crazy"

Guest vocals

*2003: Unexpected Arrival, "Julie" (featuring Blake Lewis); "Take Control" (featuring Blake Lewis) Both chorus's written by Blake *2007: Caleb Cunningham and K-Tone, "My Eyes" (featuring Blake Lewis) *2007: KJ Sawka, "Brotherhood of the Drum" (featuring Blake Lewis); "Move On" (featuring Blake Lewis); "WTO" (featuring Blake Lewis) (from the album ''Cyclonic Steel'') *2008:

, "Selfless" (featuring Blake Lewis); "I Ran (So Far Away) (featuring Blake Lewis) *2009: DJ Dan, "Operator" (featuring Blake Lewis)

Cameos

*2006: The Sampler, "The Chuck Norris Rap, The Harry Potter Rap, Snakes on a Plane Rap" (music video) *2007:

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

, "

Tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

" (music video) *2018:

Blair St. Clair Blair St. Clair (born May 16, 1995) is an American drag queen, singer, and hair stylist, known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10), tenth season of the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', as well as the RuPaul's Dra ...

, " Irresistible" (music video)

References

External links

*
Blake Lewis
on Sony BMG Musicbox Network *
Blake Lewis
on AOL.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Blake 1981 births Living people American beatboxers American Idol participants American male drummers American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American male pianists American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Welsh descent American soul singers American tenors Guitarists from Washington (state) People from Bothell, Washington People from Redmond, Washington Singer-songwriters from Washington (state) 19 Recordings artists 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers