Jordin Sparks

Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress.

Sparks also appeared with Alice Cooper in his 2004 Christmas show and toured with Christian contemporary singer Michael W. Smith in 2006.

Sparks attended Sandra Day O'Connor High School until 2006 when she was homeschooled by her grandmother, Pam Wiedmann, to better concentrate on her singing.

Sparks is an evangelical Christian and attended Calvary Community Church in Phoenix.

On her American Idol biography, she thanked her parents, grandparents, and God for her win.

She won an award for best young artist of the year in Arizona three years in a row.

Before appearing on American Idol, Sparks participated in and won such talent competitions as Coca-Cola's Rising Star, the Gospel Music Association Academy's Overall Spotlight Award, America's Most Talented Kids, Colgate Country Showdown, and the 2006 Drug Free AZ Superstar Search.

In 2006, Sparks was one of six winners of the Phoenix Torrid search for the "Next Plus Size Model".

She was flown to California, where she was featured in Torrid ads and promotional pieces.

A full-page ad for Torrid featuring Sparks ran in the December 2006 issue of Seventeen magazine.

In the summer of 2006, at the age of 16, Sparks auditioned twice for the sixth season of American Idol: once in Los Angeles but failed to make it past the first round; and again in Seattle after winning Arizona Idol, a talent competition conducted by Phoenix Fox station KSAZ-TV.

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 debut studio album (2007) was met with critical and commercial success; it peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200, received platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over two million copies worldwide.

The album was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten singles "Tattoo" and "No Air" (with Chris Brown)—the latter received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and remains the third highest-selling song by an American Idol contestant—with three million digital copies sold in the United States.

From the time Jordin was nine years old until her win as American Idol 2007, her maternal grandmother, Pam Wiedmann, managed her.

Prior to Idol, Sparks frequently performed the national anthem at various local sporting events, notably for the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Seattle audition is the one seen in the January 17, 2007, broadcast of American Idol, in which she earned a "gold ticket" and the right to appear in the Hollywood Round.

American Idol judge Randy Jackson made the offhand prediction that "Curly hair will win this year."

While on the show, Sparks gained a loyal fan base known as "Sparkplugs".

On May 23, 2007, at the age of 17, Sparks won the sixth season of American Idol.

She remains the youngest winner in American Idol history.

Cowell said, "Jordin was the most improved over the whole season – didn't start the best, but midway through this was the girl who suddenly got momentum."

He included that "Young girl, likeable, and the singer won over the entertainer [Lewis]."

Four selected songs Sparks had performed on American Idol, including the season's coronation song, "This Is My Now", were made available on her self-titled EP, released on May 22, 2007, the day before the grand finale.

Sparks's second studio album, Battlefield (2009) saw further success and debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200.

Its lead single of the same name reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and made Sparks the only American Idol contestant to have their first five singles peak within the top 20 of the chart.

In 2009, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 91st Artist of the 2000s Decade.

She made her stage debut as Nina Rosario in the musical In The Heights (2010), and her feature film debut as the titular character in Sparkle (2012).

Sparks has also released several perfumes, including Because of You... in 2010 as well as Fascinate and Ambition in 2012.

Sparks was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Jodi Wiedmann Sparks and former professional American football player Phillippi Sparks.

Jordin has a younger brother, Phillippi "PJ" Sparks Jr., who played football at Arizona Christian University.

Her father is of African-American descent and her mother is of European descent, specifically German, English, Scottish, and Norwegian.

She grew up in the suburbs of Ridgewood, New Jersey, while her father played as a defensive back for the New York Giants.

After living in New Jersey, Sparks attended Northwest Community Christian School in Phoenix through the eighth grade.

In 2012, Sparks was ranked at number 92 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music".

As of February 2012, she has sold 1.3 million albums and 10.2 million singles in the United States alone, making her one of the most successful American Idol contestants of all time.

Following the release of Battlefield, Sparks ventured into acting, pursuing television and Broadway.

After a five-year absence from music, she signed with Salaam Remi's record label Louder Than Life, an imprint of Sony Music to release her debut mixtape, #ByeFelicia (2014).

Her third studio album, Right Here Right Now (2015), was met with continued critical praise despite a steep commercial decline.

Throughout her career, Sparks has received numerous accolades, including an NAACP Image Award, a BET Award, an American Music Award, a People's Choice Award and two Teen Choice Awards.