Kree Annette Harrison (born May 17, 1990) is an American singer and musician, who was the runner-up on the twelfth season of American Idol.[1]
Kree Harrison | |
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| Birth name | Kree Annette Harrison |
| Born | May 17, 1990 Port Arthur, Texas, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
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Early life
editKree Annette Harrison[2] was born on May 17, 1990 at St. Mary's Hospital in Port Arthur, Texas. The family moved to Woodville, Texas in a home that was given to them by their grandmother. At three, Harrison asked her pastor if she could sing during church. The request was accepted and after she sang, her pastor commented, "I was expecting Jesus Loves Me, but she belted out El Shaddai by Amy Grant. I knew then this child had a special gift." Over the next several years, Harrison sang for churches, rodeos, weddings and competitions. At eight, she was the opening act for R&B performer Percy Sledge. At nine, she won "Artist of the Year" from Kirbyville Playhouse, and at ten, she sang on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and was invited back on three other occasions. She sang in country playhouses all over the area, as a special guest at a Warren Talent Show, and she was second-place winner in the New York Apollo competition held in Houston. On October 11, 2001, Harrison's father died after the plane he was on crashed off the coast of Spain. After sixth grade, her family moved to Nashville to pursue her singing career. She attended seventh grade there, and was home schooled afterwards to devote more time to her music. On September 22, 2009, Harrison's mother was killed in a head-on traffic collision.[3]
Harrison scored a development deal with Lyric Street Records at ten, which resulted in her family moving from Woodville to Nashville. The deal ended two years later without any recordings released due in part to some creative differences.[4][5]
Harrison began writing her own songs at the age of fourteen and often found herself in writing sessions with songwriters such as Trey Bruce and artist Rebecca Lynn Howard. She performed across local venues in Nashville such as the Bluebird Cafe. Harrison signed a publishing deal with Chrysalis Records at sixteen. She was working on an album when her mother died. She would later meet with an executive travel and event coordinator at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and made affiliations with the company. She would go on to perform at BMI showcases in Florida, such as the Key West Songwriters Festival and the San Destin Music Festival.[6] She also sang backup vocals on Kacey Musgraves' album, Same Trailer Different Park, and Eli Young Band's album Life at Best.[7]
Harrison was friends with country singer Mindy McCready. McCready invited Harrison up to sing her song "Guys Do It All the Time" with her at a 2011 Country Music Association performance in Nashville.[8]
American Idol
editHarrison auditioned in Oklahoma City and performed an original song that she wrote to her mother.[9]
After Harrison sang "Stars" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals on Hollywood week, judge Keith Urban commented,
"Your voice is one of my favorites in the entire competition. You have something amazing in your voice, literally my arms get covered in chills when you hit certain notes."
In the semi-finals, Harrison performed "Up to the Mountain" by Patty Griffin where she received standing ovation from judges Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, and Randy Jackson called her a "natural born singer". On March 7, 2013, Harrison was voted into the Top 10.[1] Her performance of "Crying" by Roy Orbison earned her enough votes to establish her as one of the night's top three contestants, along with Candice Glover and Angie Miller.[10] Harrison once again landed in the night's top three contestants after she performed "Piece of My Heart" by Erma Franklin, along with Lazaro Arbos and Angie Miller.[11] After her Top 6 performance, Harrison earned enough votes to land in the night's top two contestants, along with Candice Glover. In the Top 3, her performance of Here Comes Goodbye by Rascal Flatts which was dedicated to her late parents left both the judges and audience in tears. She became the runner-up on May 16, 2013.[12]
| American Idol season 12 performances and results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | Not aired
|
N/A | Advanced | |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | First Solo | ||||
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Sin Wagon" with Brandy Neelly, Haley Davis and Britnee Kellogg |
Dixie Chicks | ||
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Solo | "Stars" | Grace Potter and the Nocturnals | ||
| Las Vegas Round | Personal Choice | "Up to the Mountain" | Patty Griffin | 7 | |
| Top 20 (10 Women) | Personal Choice | "Stronger" | Faith Hill | 8 | |
| Top 10 Reveal | Victory Song | "Evidence" | Candi Staton | 10 | N/A |
| Top 10 | Music of the American Idols | "Crying" | Roy Orbison | 8 | Safe (Top 3 votes) |
| Top 9 | The Beatles | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | The Beatles | 1 | Safe |
| Top 8 | Music of Motor City | Duet "Like a Prayer" with Janelle Arthur |
Madonna | 2 | |
| Solo "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" | Ben E. King | 11 | |||
| Top 7 | Rock | Solo "Piece of My Heart" | Erma Franklin | 3 | Safe (Top 3 votes) |
| Trio "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" with Janelle Arthur and Amber Holcomb |
Billy Joel | 7 | |||
| Top 6 | Burt Bacharach and Hal David | "What the World Needs Now Is Love" | Jackie DeShannon | 4 | Safe (Top 2 votes) |
| Songs They Wish They'd Written | "Help Me Make It Through the Night" | Kris Kristofferson | 10 | ||
| Top 5 | Year they Were Born | "She Talks to Angels" | The Black Crowes | 3 | Bottom 21 |
| Divas | "Have You Ever Been in Love" | Celine Dion | 8 | ||
| Top 4 | Contestant's Choice | Solo "It Hurt So Bad" | Susan Tedeschi | 3 | Safe |
| Duet "Rumour Has It" with Amber Holcomb |
Adele | 5 | |||
| One-Hit Wonders | "A Whiter Shade of Pale" | Procol Harum | 9 | ||
| Top 42 | Songs from Now and Then | "See You Again" | Carrie Underwood | 4 | |
| "Stormy Weather" | Ethel Waters | 8 | |||
| Quartet "Wings" with Candice Glover, Amber Holcomb, and Angie Miller |
Little Mix | 9 | |||
| Top 3 | Jimmy Iovine's Choice | "Fuckin' Perfect" | Pink | 1 | |
| Judges' Choice | "Here Comes Goodbye" | Rascal Flatts | 6 | ||
| Producer | "Better Dig Two" | The Band Perry | 8 | ||
| Finale | Simon Fuller's Choice | "Angel" | Sarah McLachlan | 1 | Runner-up |
| Winner's Single | "All Cried Out" | Kree Harrison | 3 | ||
| Favorite Performance | "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" | Patty Griffin | 5 | ||
- ^Note 1 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Harrison was in the bottom 2, but declared safe as Janelle Arthur was eliminated.
- ^Note 2 Due to the surprise non-elimination at the top 4, the top 4 remained intact for another week.
- ^Note 3 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Harrison was in the bottom 2, but declared safe as Amber Holcomb was eliminated.
Post-Idol career
editHarrison took part in the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2013, from July 19 through August 31, 2013. In July 2013, it was announced that Harrison had not been picked up by the Universal Music Group Nashville.[13] On May 6, 2014, Harrison premiered a new song called "Strong and Silent," which she co-wrote with Fancy Hagood and Kate York.[14]
She performed on the fifteenth season finale of American Idol on April 7, 2016.[15] The second single, "Dead Man's House," was released in May 2016,[citation needed] and her debut album, This Old Thing, was released on July 8, 2016.
Harrison parted ways with Plaid Flag in early 2018, signing a new record deal with One Vision Music Group. Harrison released a new single "I Love the Lie" in March 2019.[16] "Get Away with Anything" was released in October 2019, and Harrison's second studio album, Chosen Family Tree, was announced for a January 2020 release,[17] but it was later pushed back to a release date of June 12, 2020,[18] although it was pushed back again to August 21, 2020.
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [19] |
US Heat [20] | ||
| This Old Thing |
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28 | 20 |
| Chosen Family Tree |
|
— | — |
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [21] | |||
| 2013 | "All Cried Out" | 34 | — |
| 2016 | "This Old Thing" | — | This Old Thing |
| "Dead Man's House" | — | ||
| 2019 | "I Love the Lie" | — | Chosen Family Tree |
| "Get Away with Anything" | — |
Music videos
edit| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "This Old Thing"[22] | Jonathan Pears |
| 2019 | "I Love the Lie"[23] | Slater Goodson and Alex Berger |
References
edit- ^ a b Carlson, Erin (March 7, 2013). "'American Idol': Top 10 Revealed Amid Brutal Eliminations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ Callahan, Erinn (May 17, 2013). "Kree fans crushed by 'Idol' outcome". The Port Arthur News. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- ^ Barnes, Kelli (May 9, 2013). "Tyler County still home for AI Finalist Kree Harrison". Tyler County Booster. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Paulson, Dave (May 9, 2013). "Nashville's Kree Harrison heads to 'American Idol' finale". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ Lloyd, Matt (May 11, 2013). "A Star is Born: American Idol's Kree Harrison". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ "Kree Harrison Bio: American Idol Season 12 Finalist". HotStuffavenue. February 6, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ Capwell, Andy (May 15, 2013). "American Idol Finale: Who Should Win, Kree Or Candice?". WEBB. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ Nessif, Bruna; Senta Scarborough (March 25, 2013). "American Idol's Kree Harrison Sang With "Good Friend" Mindy McCready—Watch Now". E!. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (March 5, 2013). "'American Idol': Get to Know Season 12's Top 10 Girls". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
- ^ "Kree Harrison Lands in the Top Three on 'American Idol'". March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
- ^ Etkin, Jaimie (April 4, 2013). "'Idol' Results: Burnell Taylor Eliminated And Top 6 Are Revealed". HuffPost. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ^ Ava Zinn (April 18, 2013). "Still a Vote for the Girls Victory – Kree (Harrison) in Bottom two, Angie (Miller) safe". Vote for the Girls. Aeverine Zinn Holdings. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ "Kree Harrison Label Update: Not Signed By UMG Nashville". Mjsbigblog.com. June 28, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- ^ "Kree Harrison Debuts New Songs, Teases Album Plans! (AUDIO & VIDEO)!". Mjsbigblog.com. May 6, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
- ^ "Plaid Flag Music | Label, Publisher & Studio | Nashville TN". plaidflagmusic.com. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ^ "American Idol's Kree Harrison on Her New Music: 'Nashville Inspired Me'". People. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ Annie Reuter (October 8, 2019). "Kree Harrison Readies January Album Release With Sultry 'Get Away With Anything': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ Despres, Tricia (February 20, 2020). "Kree Harrison Makes a Musical Plea With 'Make It Easy'". Taste of Country. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "Kree Harrison: Top Country Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Kree Harrison: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs". Billboard. June 1, 2013.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Kree Harrison : This Old Thing". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Kree Harrison : I Love the Lie". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2016.