Vered "Didi" Benami ( he, ורד "דידי" בן עמי; born October 25, 1986) is an American singer who was the tenth-place finalist on the
ninth 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 ...
''. Since her appearance on ''American Idol'', she has spent the past few years honing her craft, taking classes and writing her first full-length album, ''Reverie''.
Early life and education
Benami was born in New York before moving to
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
at the age of seven. Her father is Israeli and her first name, ''Vered'' (ורד) means "rose" in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. She spent most of her formative years in Knoxville, Tennessee. Benami was raised Jewish.
Benami is a 2005 graduate of
West High School. She started singing in the fifth grade. In school, she performed the role of Marty in the musical "
Grease" and frequently performed the national anthem in front of various crowds.
On ''American Idol'', Benami said she was a cheerleader and mascot at Bearden Middle School.
Benami attended
Nashville's
Belmont University
Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...
before moving to California. This move followed the death of her close friend and roommate, Rebecca Joy Lear, in an automobile accident driving from Nashville to her Kansas home during the Christmas holiday of her first year.
They wrote songs together, mostly on Lear's album, but Benami recently said that she would pursue Lear's music first and would most likely upload Benami version of Lear's songs.
''American Idol''
Benami auditioned for ''American Idol'' in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, where she has lived for four years. She has credited her friend, Rebecca Joy Lear, as one of the reasons she auditioned for ''American Idol''.
At Benami's audition she sang
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' song "
Hey Jude". The judges all loved her performance, including guest judge
Avril Lavigne. She became a front-runner in the competition following her well-praised performance of
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she rose to fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.''
Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on Janua ...
's song "
Terrified" (co-written by Idol judge Kara DioGuardi) on the first solo of Hollywood Week, where
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 ...
said "she was good". During the group week of Hollywood week Benami's group sang
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
' "
No One". On the second solo performance of Hollywood week, she sang
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...
's "
Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
".
In the top 24 performances, Benami sang
Ingrid Michaelson's "
The Way I Am" where the judges did not love her rendition of it, saying she has a good voice but it was rather "sound-alike". In the top 20 performance, she sang
Bill Withers
William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...
's "
Lean on Me", where once again the judges did not love her performance, with
Randy Jackson saying it was pitchy and Simon Cowell said it was like a screeching cat. During the top 16 performances, however, she made a comeback with the song
Fleetwood Mac's "
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is a major figure in the Mabinogi, the medieval Welsh story collection. She appears mainly in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, and again in the Third Branch. She is a strong-minded Otherworld woman, who chooses Pwyll, prince of Dyfe ...
", with
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (; born December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She writes music primarily in the pop rock genre. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; sales o ...
adding that that performance has the "singer/songwriter" vibe that she loves on Benami's performance of "Terrified".
On March 31, 2010, Benami was eliminated from the competition and finished in 10th place. Despite an encore of "Rhiannon" for the judges' save, the judges chose not to save her, though, Simon Cowell stated it was "a million times better" than her performance the night before.
Performances/results
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010
![Didi-Benami-AI Tour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Didi-Benami-AI_Tour.jpg)
On the
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010, Benami sang two songs, Katharine McPhee's "
Terrified" and Kyler England's "Lay It on Me". She also sang in the group performance of
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
's "
The Climb" with
Aaron Kelly,
Katie Stevens
Katherine Mari Stevens (born December 8, 1992) is an American actress and singer, known for finishing in eighth place on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' and starring as Karma Ashcroft in '' Faking It'' and Jane Sloan in ''The Bold Type' ...
,
Andrew Garcia
Andrew Adrian Garcia (born October 18, 1985) is an American singer from Moreno Valley, California who was the ninth place finalist on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. Garcia has released two EPs and numerous standalone singles. He has a ...
,
Tim Urban, and
Siobhan Magnus.
Benami also appeared with
Jason Reeves on Jason's Official Twitter page where he thanked her for giving life to the song. They later sang "Terrified" with Jason on the guitar.
Promising to fulfill Rebecca's musical dream, Benami released and sang her version of Rebecca's songs "Lullaby" and "No Destination" on her official Myspace page.
Post-''Idol'' career
Benami attended interviews such as
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
after her elimination. She also appeared on various other shows during her post-Idol tour including the
Late Show with David Letterman,
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 ...
, and
Access Hollywood
''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...
. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Late Show, and Access Hollywood, Benami performed the Kara DioGuardi-penned "Terrified", her song made famous from
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 ...
's Hollywood Week.
Also, a track Benami recorded prior to participating on American Idol, "Sweet Rain", was uploaded onto
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
after she was voted off the show. The track was co-written by Rocco Guarino, Ryan Gonzalez, and Joseph "Panhead" Peck, as well as, produced by Rocco Guarino, who also produced American Idol alumna
Amanda Overmyer's debut album. Benami stated via her Twitter page that she will be collaborating with producer Kyler England in the studio on April 6, 2010. On April 7, Benami had an interview with OK! Magazine. She stated, "I want to have a record out by this time next year. By the end of the year is my goal, but I don't know how logistics will work out after the tour. I already started writing some songs, so I don't know if I could get an EP out by the end of the year and then do a record the following year. I definitely want to do a compilation of Rebecca's music. I would eventually like to act, that would be fun. I would love to do sitcoms, like
Friends. I love
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
, I think she's amazing. I would eventually like to write a book about all my experiences since I moved to L.A. About losing a friend, being an inspiration and turning something bad into something good."
In mid-April, Benami volunteered with '"Idol Gives Back" along with various past Idol contestants including
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 ...
. They packed food for local underprivileged families. She stated via Twitter that she is currently practicing for the upcoming American Idol summer tour for which she will be performing along with the remainder of the top ten finalists.
Benami appeared as a guest in the ''
If I Can Dream
"If I Can Dream" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown for the singer and notable for its similarities with Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. The song was published by Elvis Presley's music pu ...
'' house. She sang
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
's ''
No One'' with
Katie Stevens
Katherine Mari Stevens (born December 8, 1992) is an American actress and singer, known for finishing in eighth place on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' and starring as Karma Ashcroft in '' Faking It'' and Jane Sloan in ''The Bold Type' ...
,
Andrew Garcia
Andrew Adrian Garcia (born October 18, 1985) is an American singer from Moreno Valley, California who was the ninth place finalist on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. Garcia has released two EPs and numerous standalone singles. He has a ...
, and
Siobhan Magnus; and
Radiohead's ''
Creep'', with Stevens and Magnus. She also sang ''Terrified'' inside the house, teaching it to former ''American Idol'' contestant and ''If I Can Dream'' castmate
Alex Lambert.
Benami sang 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 ...
at the 2011 NBA Playoffs in Orlando, Florida, on April 19, 2011, during the first-round game between the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks.
Benami sang the national anthem and ''
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 ...
'' during the 7th inning stretch for the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 30, 2012.
Benami released a single called ''Gasoline'' in May 2012, available digitally through iTunes and Amazon; as well as a duet with Keaton Simons, ''If I Hadn't Forgotten'', recorded at Revolver Studios in fall of 2011.
Benami portrays the titular character in the music video for "Hurricane" by
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman (abbreviated as Theory or TOAD) is a Canadian rock band from North Delta, British Columbia. Formed in 1999, the band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as 604 Records. The band includes traits of music styles ...
.
References
External links
*
Didi Benamiat ''
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 ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benami, Didi
American women singer-songwriters
American Idol participants
American people of Israeli descent
Belmont University alumni
1986 births
Living people
Musicians from Knoxville, Tennessee
Singers from New York City
American women pop singers
Jewish American musicians
Singer-songwriters from California
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
Guitarists from Los Angeles
Guitarists from Tennessee
Jewish women singers
Guitarists from New York City
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American Jews
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)