Syesha Mercado
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Syesha Raquel Mercado (born January 2, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and model. Mercado was the third-place finalist on the seventh 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 ...
''. Prior to ''Idol'', Mercado was on '' The One: Making a Music Star'' and she won ''Florida Super Singer''. Her musical influences are
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 ...
,
Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...
,
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 ...
,
Zap Mama Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music with a mixture of infused African vocal techniques, urban, hip hop with emphasis on voice. The worldwide success of Zap Mam ...
, Lauryn Hill, and
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
. On June 25, 2009, Mercado was officially confirmed to have landed the lead role of Deena Jones in the United States national tour of '' Dreamgirls'' that also opened internationally in Japan. The tour began at the
Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...
on November 7, 2009.


Biography


Early life

Mercado was born in
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
, on January 2, 1987. Her mother, Zelda, a former
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
backup singer, is
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
and her father, José, is of Puerto Rican descent. Mercado grew up in Bradenton and
Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...
. She attended Booker High School for the Visual and Performings Arts Theatre Program and graduated with a certificate as a performance major in Sarasota, where she appeared in various productions. At the 2005 Florida Theatre Conference and the 2005 South Eastern Theatre Conference, Mercado won "Best Supporting Actress" for her role as the Sour Kangaroo in ''
Seussical the Musical ''Seussical'' is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on ''Horton Hears a Who!'', '' Gertrude McFuzz'', and ''Horton Hatches the Egg'' while inc ...
''. Mercado also appeared as a contestant on the failed
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
talent show, ''The One: Making a Music Star'' in summer 2006.


Education

Mercado attended Daughtrey Elementary School and Manatee School for the Arts both in
Manatee County Manatee County is a county in the Central Florida portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county s ...
. Dreaming to become a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
singer one day, Mercado signed a contract at age nine with the
Take Stock in Children Take Stock in Children Inc. (TSIC) is a nonprofit organization founded by Don Pemberton in 1995 and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The organization aims to provide mentors and college scholarships to low-income students in Florida, in order ...
, a scholarship program for "low-income families who show potential for college, but are unlikely to be able to afford a higher education." Mercado graduated from Booker High School in 2005, where she was in the Theater Visual and Performing Arts department. She also attended
Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...
in Miami, majoring in theatre.


Personal life

Mercado is best friends with former idol contestant
Ramiele Malubay Ramiele Macrohon Malubay (born September 6, 1987), also known as Ramiele, is a Filipino-American singer and the ninth place finalist on the seventh season of the television series ''American Idol.'' Biography Ramiele Macrohon Malubay was born ...
.


''The One: Making a Music Star''


Performances/results

*: The show was cancelled after Top 10 week.


''Florida Super Singer''


Performances/results

*: Based on 3 Judges, text message and internet votes. 2,000,000 in total


''American Idol''


Overview

She auditioned for ''American Idol'' Season 7 in Miami, Florida, singing "
Think In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...
" by Aretha Franklin where she made it to Hollywood with all three judges saying 'yes'. When she arrived in Hollywood she had lost her voice and insisted on going on vocal rest. She was seen communicating through paper and pen to the camera throughout the week. She sang " Chain of Fools" and was accepted into the top 24. She was the only female in the top 3 and was voted off on May 14 allowing fellow contestants
David Archuleta David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop singer. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition, leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, he becam ...
and David Cook a chance to compete in the finale and joining
Kimberley Locke Kimberley Dawn Locke (born January 3, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She has recorded in the dance and pop genres, and has targeted the adult contemporary radio format. She was the cohost of the daytime talk ...
and Jax as the female contestants to get voted off in the top 3 to allow two male contestants to compete in the finale. Despite good reviews from the judges, Mercado had been in the bottom three or two five times without being voted off. This led to her tying up with
season one Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguat ...
fellow 3rd place finalist, Nikki McKibbin, for the most weeks spent in the bottom three or two at the time until season fourteen 4th place finalist, Rayvon Owen, was featured in that same position six different times. Some commentators, including ''American Idol'' judge Simon Cowell, believed her style was more suited for Broadway than pop music.


Performances/results

*: Mercado was saved first from elimination. *: When
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
announced the results for this particular night, Mercado was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second when
Chikezie Chikezie Eze () is an American singer and the tenth place finalist on the seventh season of the television series ''American Idol''. Early life Chikezie was born in Inglewood, California to Nigerian parents, attended high school at the Los ...
was eliminated.
*: When revealing the results, Seacrest simultaneously declared Mercado and
Carly Smithson Carly Sarah Smithson ( Hennessy; born 12 September 1983) is an Irish soul and pop rock singer who was the sixth place finalist on the seventh season of ''American Idol''. In 2001, Smithson released her first studio album for MCA Records called ...
safe, as Michael Johns was eliminated.
*: When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Mercado was among the Bottom 2 but declared safe when Carly Smithson was eliminated.


Post-''Idol'' career

After her elimination, Mercado appeared on ''
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 ...
'', ''
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 ...
'' and WSVN's ''Deco Drive.'' Also, the week following the grand finale, Syesha sold a total of 18,000 legal downloads from iTunes. She completed the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008 which ran from July 1, 2008, to September 13, 2008. The songs she performed on the tour were " Umbrella" by
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 ...
, " If I Ain't Got You" by
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 ...
and " Listen" by
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
. In November 2008, she performed " One Rock and Roll Too Many" in the
6abc IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade ABC 6 or 6abc may refer to one of the following television stations in the United States: Current affiliates * KAAL in Austin/Rochester, Minnesota *KIVI-TV in Nampa/Boise, Idaho *KSVI in Billings, Montana * KWNB-TV in McCook, Nebraska **Satellite o ...
. She was the guest host of the WSVN 7 yacht at the 37th annual Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat parade on December 13, 2008. She sang "
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 ...
" at the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
and the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
game on Fox on December 14, 2008. On December 20, 2008, she assisted the
Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...
in building homes for struggling families in
Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which is home to approximately six million people. History Miramar wa ...
. In February 2009, she participated in the opening of the
American Idol Experience The American Idol Experience was a theme park attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. Inspired by the popular American television series ''American Idol'', the attraction invited park guests to audition in fron ...
attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios. On February 19, 2009, Mercado performed in her first live concert after the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008. It was her own concert where all the proceeds went to benefit the Amer-I-Can program, a gang-prevention program started by NFL great,
Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...
. She performed eight songs in front of a sold out audience of about 4,000 fans. She sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the opening day baseball game between the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
and the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
on April 6, 2009. She most recently worked on an album in
Los Angeles 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' ...
. She has stated that it is to be a
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
/ R&B album. In addition to working on the album, in her free time she is taking acting lessons. Mercado acted in her first feature film ''Dreams'' in 2011 as the character Mia. She released a cover of "Love on Top" by Beyoncé that went viral online, inching two million views on YouTube. Mercado is also known for her acoustic, soulful cover of " Skyfall" by Adele.


Theatre

It was officially confirmed on June 25, 2009, that Mercado landed the lead role of Deena Jones in the upcoming United States national tour of ''Dreamgirls''. On November 4, 2009, Mercado appeared on '' The Wendy Williams Show'' to promote the tour which began on November 7, 2009, and ended on December 29, 2010. Mercado then starred as Ti Moune in the revival of '' Once on This Island'' at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. Opening night was May 30, 2012, on a run through June 24. Mercado performed in the
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
transfer production of Broadway musical ''
Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...
''. She was a late addition to the cast, replacing Stephanie Umoh during rehearsals in the role of Nabulungi. From January to June 2014, Mercado reprised the role of Nabulungi in the Broadway production of the ''Book of Mormon'', making it her Broadway debut.


Discography

Singles * "Christmas Melody" (2011) * "Tears" (2017)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mercado, Syesha 1987 births Living people Musicians from Bridgeport, Connecticut 20th-century African-American women singers American Idol participants American musical theatre actresses American people of Puerto Rican descent American women singer-songwriters American sopranos 21st-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Florida Florida International University people Actresses from Miami Actresses from Bridgeport, Connecticut Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American women singers African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American women singers Singer-songwriters from Connecticut