Michael Jordan Woodard (born October 6, 1997) is an American singer and voice actor. He made it to the top 5 on season 16 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 ...

'' before being eliminated. He is the voice of Arlo in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

film ''

Arlo the Alligator Boy ''Arlo the Alligator Boy'' is a 2021 American 2D animated adventure musical film directed by Ryan Crego in his directorial debut. The film is led by Michael J. Woodard and Mary Lambert in their debut acting roles as Arlo and Bertie respectivel ...

'' and the follow-up series '' I ♥ Arlo'', for which he has received award nominations.

Personal life

Woodard is from

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.East Falls East Falls (also The Falls, formerly the Falls of Schuylkill) is a neighborhood in the Northwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It lies on the east bank of the "Falls of the Schuylkill," cataracts submerged in 1 ...

by his mother and grandmother. His mother Wanda is visually impaired. He attended William M. Meredith School and was also homeschooled for some time. He sung in the church choir at Greater Saint Matthew Baptist Church. His first experience in music was singing "A Little Candle" at a Christmas pageant. When he was eight, he auditioned for a children's play at his local performing arts school. In 2016, he moved to Los Angeles after accepting a degree at the

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

. At the time of ''American Idol'', he was working as a bowling alley attendant.

Career

In 2009, Woodard performed the national anthem for the

Philadelphia Freedoms The Philadelphia Freedoms is a tennis team currently competing in World TeamTennis. Overview The team traces its origins to WTT's inaugural season, in 1974. The Philadelphia Freedoms (1974), original team starred tennis legend and social pi ...

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

and for the last men's quarterfinal match at the US Open. He performed at the US Open again in 2010, and months later performed at a rally for President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. In 2012, Woodard was the winner of

The Hub The Hub may refer to: Places * The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines * The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival * T ...

's ''

Majors & Minors ''Majors & Minors'' is an American reality television singing competition, that premiered on The Hub on September 23, 2011. Auditions were held for 8-16 year olds, and the winner received a chance to have a partnership with Sony , com ...

'', where ''American Idol'' alumni

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

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 ...

and

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

appeared as guest mentors with partnership of

RCA Music Group RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009, and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 as all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA ...

as his prize. Woodard auditioned for ''

'' in 2017, singing " Make It Rain". Throughout the competition he sang "

You Oughta Know "You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her third studio album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' (1995) on July 6, 1995. After releasing two studio albums, Morissette left MCA Records Canada and ...

", "

Golden Slumbers "Golden Slumbers" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the sixth song of the album's climactic B-side medley. The song is follow ...

", "

Angel in Blue Jeans "Angel in Blue Jeans" is a song recorded by American rock band Train for their seventh studio album '' Bulletproof Picasso''. The song was written by Pat Monahan, Amund Bjørklund, and Espen Lind, and was produced by the latter two as well as Butc ...

", "

Titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

", "

Believe In Yourself Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

", "

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...

", "

I Would Die 4 U "I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, '' Purple Rain''. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billbo ...

", and " Flat on the Floor". He was eliminated alongside

Cade Foehner The sixteenth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on March 11, 2018, on the ABC television network. It is the show's first season to air on ABC, and after 15 years on Fox, Ryan Seacrest continued his role as the show's host, while Katy Perry ...

in the top 5. Woodard had his voice acting debut in 2021, starring as the titular character in the Netflix animated musical film ''

''. Director Ryan Crego cast him after seeing his ''American Idol'' audition. Woodard reprised the role in the follow-up series '' I ♥ Arlo''. In May 2021, Woodard was signed to

Unsub Records Unsub Records (originally titled Metamorphosis Music) is an American record label owned by Capitol Music Group and founded in 2014 by singer Katy Perry. History Perry first announced plans to launch her own label in June 2012. She spoke to ''Th ...

, the record label of ''American Idol'' judge

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

. Woodard has cited influence from such artists as

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

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 ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

, and

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

Filmography

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodard, Michael J. 1997 births Living people 21st-century African-American male singers American Idol participants Singing talent show winners Singers from Pennsylvania Musicians from Philadelphia American male voice actors Unsub Records artists