Jordis Losana Sikahema Unga (born August 6, 1982) is an American rock singer from

Forest Lake, Minnesota Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, located 27 miles northeast of Saint Paul. The population was 20,611 at the 2020 census. The 2021 population is 20,608. History Forest Lake began as a stop on the St. Paul ...

. After years of building a cult following in Minneapolis, as a vocalist for The Fighting Tongs and Liars Club, Unga reached international fame for her performances on the first season of the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television reality show '' Rock Star: INXS'' where 15 contestants competed to become the lead vocalist for the Australian rock band INXS. She finished fifth overall. Unga was also a contestant on the second season of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'' as a part of "Team Blake". She was eliminated on April 16, 2012, finishing in the Top 16 of the competition. In 2014, Unga released her debut album, ''A Letter from Home''.

Biography

Early years

Unga comes from a musical family. Her father, originally from

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

, moved the family around a lot when she was young. Eventually the family settled down in St. Paul, Minnesota when she was about 10 years old. Through her aunt, she is related to

Sione Vailahi Sione Havea Vailahi (born 6 September 1958) is a Tongan professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Barbarian. He is best known for his various stints with National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and W ...

, a professional wrestler. Unga attended

Forest Lake Area High School Forest Lake Area High School, also known as Forest Lake High School, is a public four-year high school in Forest Lake, Minnesota, United States, founded in 1909. The school is a member of Minnesota Independent School District 831 (Forest Lake Are ...

, and, in 2000, the

Perpich Center for Arts Education The Perpich Center for Arts Education is an agency of the state of Minnesota that seeks to advance K-12 education throughout the state by teaching in and through the arts. A campus in Golden Valley houses the center's three main components: the ...

for her senior year of high school where she studied music. Early 2002, Unga was the front singer for The Fighting Tongs. The band adopted the name from the movie ''Big Trouble in Little China''. The band supported

Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and " I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated with ...

, Anthrax,

Sevendust Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lo ...

and

Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Diesel ...

. It was dissolved after recording a self-financed EP, ''Horseshoes and Hand Grenades''. Ex-members including Unga, drummer Corey Frazee, guitarist "Moose" Hitchcock and bassist Josh Hoglund formed "Liars Club". Unga first appeared on television as a contestant on

Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...

(2004) but was knocked out of the competition in the first round.

''Rock Star: INXS (2005)''

She appeared on the first season of the

television reality show '' Rock Star: INXS'' where 15 contestants competed to become the lead vocalist for the Australian rock band INXS. Contestants were housed in the

Paramour Mansion The Canfield-Moreno Estate is a historic residence and estate located in the Moreno Highlands neighborhood of Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California. It was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1988. Originally known as Crestmou ...

, and squared off in a singing contest featuring well-known rock songs. Each week, viewers voted for their favorite contestant. The three contestants with the fewest votes performed an INXS song the following night. Except for the second week, each week one finalist was asked to perform an encore performance of the song they performed the night before, noted as an "Encore Performance". As the youngest contestant at age 22, Unga received international notoriety for her rendition of

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

's '

Baba O'Riley "Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band the Who, and the opening track to their fifth album ''Who's Next'' (1971). It was issued in Europe as a single on 23 October 1971, coupled with "My Wife". Roger Daltrey sings most of the song ...

'. Dave Navarro, one of the judges, declared, "Let's close the competition now!" Unga scored high marks in the second round of the competition with

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

's "

Heart-Shaped Box "Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993 ...

". Halfway through the competition, Unga was invited by Navarro to perform

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

's "

Should I Stay or Should I Go "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by English punk rock band the Clash, from their album ''Combat Rock'', written in 1981 and featuring Mick Jones on lead vocals. It was released in 1982 as a double A-sided single alongside " Straight to ...

" with his band Camp Freddy at the West Hollywood

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at Ha ...

. Camp Freddy featured former

The Cult The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...

bassist

Billy Morrison Billy Morrison is a British guitarist and singer who plays guitar with Billy Idol and performs with the Los Angeles-based cover band Royal Machines. Morrison previously played with Camp Freddy and fronted the hard rock act Circus Diablo. He ...

on guitar and ex-

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...

drummer

Stephen Perkins Stephen Andrew Perkins (September 13, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter. A drummer and percussionist, he currently plays with Jane's Addiction and Hellride. Following the dissolution of Jane's Addiction, Perkins continued to play w ...

. During the show, Unga achieved the feat of simultaneously having the top four most downloaded songs on

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History I ...

, reaching the No. 1 position on the MSN charts being an unprecedented feat for an unsigned artist. Unga's performances on ''Rock Star: INXS'' by week of the performance: *Week 1: **

''(

)'' **

''(

)'' *Week 2: ** The Reason ''(

Hoobastank Hoobastank (sometimes stylized as h∞bastank, and originally known as Hoobustank) is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, by lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassis ...

)'' *Week 3: **

Gimme Some Lovin' "Gimme Some Lovin" is a song first recorded by the Spencer Davis Group. Released as a single in 1966, it reached the Top 10 of the record charts in several countries. Later, ''Rolling Stone'' included the song on its list of the 500 Greatest So ...

''(

The Spencer Davis Group The Spencer Davis Group were a British band formed in Birmingham in 1963 by Spencer Davis (guitar), brothers Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass guitar), and Pete York (drums). Their best known songs include the UK numb ...

)'' *Week 4: ** The Man Who Sold the World ''(

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

)'' – ''Encore Performance'' *Week 5: **

Layla "Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were compos ...

''(

Derek and the Dominos Derek and the Dominos was an English–American blues rock band formed in the spring of 1970 by guitarist and singer Eric Clapton, keyboardist and singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. All four members had previous ...

)'' *Week 6: **

Knockin' on Heaven's Door "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, ...

''(

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

)'' *Week 7: ** Dream On ''( Aerosmith)'' *Week 8: **

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

''(

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

)'' **'' Listen Like Thieves ( INXS) – Bottom 3 Performance'' *Week 9: **

We Are the Champions "We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released from the band's sixth album ''News of the World'' (1977). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems.

''(

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

)'' **Try Not ''(Jordis Unga)'' **Us ''( INXS)'' – ''Ensemble of remaining contestants with INXS'' **''

Need You Tonight "Need You Tonight" is a song by the Australian rock band INXS, released as the first single from their 1987 album, ''Kick'', as well as the fourth song on the album. It is the only INXS single to reach No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It ...

( INXS) – 'Bottom 3 Performance Unga placed fifth after being eliminated on September 7, 2005, but left the show with an Epic Records recording contract.

After ''Rock Star: INXS''

After the competition, Unga spent time writing songs and recording demos for her debut album, but it was never released. Epic Records paired her with various collaborators, including

David Hodges David Hall Hodges (born December 5, 1978) is an American songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a studio contributor to the rock band Evanescence from 2000–2002. He has since had success co-writing and co–produci ...

and the duo

Anne Preven Anne Preven (born February 25, 1965) is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer. As a member of the alternative rock band Ednaswap, she co-wrote "Torn" which was covered by Lis Sørensen (Danish), Trine Rein (Norwegian), and then N ...

and

Scott Cutler Scott Michael Cutler is an American songwriter, musician, record producer, and music executive. As a member of the alternative rock band Ednaswap, he co-wrote "Torn" which was covered in 1997 by Natalie Imbruglia. Her recording became the worl ...

Ednaswap Ednaswap was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, that existed between 1993 and 1998. Over a span of five years, the band released four major label records on East West, Elektra Records and Island Records. The band is best know ...

. Unga's first official live performance was October 15, 2005, singing the national anthem at Staples Center 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' ...

for the boxing event 'The Rematch; Mora vs. Manfredo Jr.' Unga was invited by Yolanda 'Lonnie' and Muhammad Ali to perform at the Grand Opening for the

Muhammad Ali Center The Muhammad Ali Center is a non-profit museum and cultural center dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali, a native of Louisville, and his wife Lonnie Ali founded the museum in 2005. The six-story, museum is located in ...

located in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

on November 19, 2005. She performed

's '

'. As a part of the ceremonies, Unga shared the stage with

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

, Richie Havens,

Hootie and the Blowfish Hootie & the Blowfish are an American soft rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band ...

, Jim Carrey,

Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series '' Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He ap ...

and Herbie Hancock. Other celebrities in attendance were President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

, Brad Pitt,

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

, Evander Holyfield, and

Montel Williams Montel Brian Anthony Williams (born July 3, 1956) is an American television host, actor and motivational speaker. He is known for hosting the long-running daytime tabloid talk show '' The Montel Williams Show'', which ran in syndication from 199 ...

. Unga has co-written music with Oscar-nominated songwriters

and

, Grammy winning artist and producer

, and

Kevin Griffin Kevin Michael Griffin (born October 1, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Better Than Ezra. His songs have been performed and recorded by artists such as Taylor ...

(lead singer of

Better than Ezra Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and signed with The End Records. The band formed in 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and consists of Kevin Griffin (vocals and guitar), Tom Drummond (bass ...

In ''The Voice'' (2012)

In 2012, Jordis Unga took part in the second season of the American reality television series ''

''. On the program broadcast on February 13, 2012, she sang "

Maybe I'm Amazed "Maybe I'm Amazed" is a song written by English musician Paul McCartney that was first released on his 1970 debut solo album ''McCartney''. Although the original recording has never been released as a single, a live performance by McCartney's l ...

" from

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

. Three of the 4 judges,

Cee-Lo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway - Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, including the Gnarls ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

and

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

, hit their "I Want You" buttons. Unga eventually chose Blake Shelton as mentor becoming part of the 12-member "Team Blake". On March 5, 2012, Unga defeated Brian Fuente in the Battle Rounds to advance to the Live Shows. Unga was eliminated in the quarterfinal round on April 16, 2012. On the finale results show, she was called back by finalist

Tony Lucca Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

to perform Fleetwood Mac's "

Go Your Own Way "Go Your Own Way" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album, '' Rumours'' (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 on both sides of the Atlantic. Written and sung ...

" with him as one of his final performances.

''A Letter from Home'' (2012–present)

In 2012, Jordis started a Kickstarter campaign in order to release her debut album 'A Letter from Home'. The campaign gained 1,424 backers and pledged $75,949 (with a goal of $33,300), and raised $45,000 within the first three days. However, Unga's Kickstarter campaign became the subject of multiple Federal Trade Commission complaints due to unfulfilled rewards.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''A Letter from Home'' (2014)

Compilations

* ''A Night at the Mayan Theatre'' (2005) ''(includes her interpretation of "

" by

and " The Man Who Sold the World" by

as a bonus track.)'' * ''The Best of Rock Star: INXS'' (2005) ''(includes her performances of "

, " The Man Who Sold the World" by

and "

" by

)''

Songs

* ''Pretty Vegas'' (2005) ''(co-composer with Marty Casey, Andrew Farriss and J.D. Fortune)''

Videography

A DVD titled ''Rock Star: INXS The DVD'' was released on November 29, 2005, containing selected performances by the final six contestants (

J.D. Fortune Jason Dean Bennison (born September 1, 1973), better known by his stage name J.D. Fortune, is a Canadian singer and songwriter best known for his six-year tenure as the frontman of the Australian rock band INXS. He received worldwide recognition ...

Marty Casey Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey (born September 26, 1973) "New sensation: Marty Casey is a hit!" (news report/bio), Karen Budell, ''Metromix Chicago'', October 17, 2005, webpage: Metromix-New-Sensation: states, "Oct. 3, 2005-- Marty arrived in h ...

Mig Ayesa Miguel Alfonso Ramon Legarda "MiG" Ayesa (born 12 January 1970) is a Filipino-Australian singer and actor who was a finalist in the reality television show '' RockStar: INXS'' as well as appearing in stage productions of ''We Will Rock You'' ...

, Suzie McNeil, Jordis Unga, and

Ty Taylor Ty Taylor (born January 5, 1969, in Montclair, New Jersey) is an American musician best known for being the lead singer of Los Angeles soul rock band Vintage Trouble. He is the voice of character Lester Grimes on the HBO series ''Vinyl'' create ...

) as well as the post-finale mini-concert by INXS & J.D. Fortune, short behind-the-scenes footage, and extras including the contestants' casting interviews and a photo slideshow. Unga's performances for ''Rock Star: INXS The DVD'' were taken from episodes throughout the series: *Week 1, Episode 2: Jordis Unga – "

" (

) *Week 4, Episode 11: – " The Man Who Sold the World" *Week 8, Episode 23 – "

" (

)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Unga, Jordis 1982 births Living people 21st-century American singer-songwriters American rock songwriters American rock singers The Voice (franchise) contestants American people of Tongan descent American women singer-songwriters American women rock singers People from Chicopee, Massachusetts People from Forest Lake, Minnesota Singer-songwriters from Minnesota 21st-century American women singers Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts