Erika Van Pelt | |
|---|---|
 Erika Van Pelt at theWarwick Mall inWarwick, Rhode Island for Cancer Awareness Day. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Erika Lynn Van Pelt (1985-12-12)December 12, 1985 (age 40) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Origin | South Kingstown, Rhode Island |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations | Singer, wedding singer,[1] disc jockey[2] |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Website | Official website |
Erika Lynn Van Pelt[3] (born December 12, 1985) is an American singer fromSouth Kingstown, Rhode Island,[4] who placed in tenth place on theeleventh season ofAmerican Idol.[5]
Van Pelt was born and raised inProvidence, Rhode Island. In 2002, she moved toSouth Kingstown, Rhode Island.[6] Van Pelt sang at church in the children's choir and at the age of seven was singing solos with the adult choir.[7]
Van Pelt went toSouth Kingstown High School and joined the vocal jazz music ensemble and chorus and was involved in musical theatre.[7] She was in groups that received first places at the Rhode Island All State Jazz Choir, Rhode Island All-State Chorus, All New England Chorus and All-Eastern Chorus competitions.[8] She was a founding member of a cappella group called SoundCheck.[9]
Van Pelt attended Community College of Rhode Island andBerklee College of Music inBoston, Massachusetts and studied jazz, rock, pop andsoul along with production and engineering.[10] After college, in 2005, she launched her own company, VP Entertainment, a full-service mobile DJ company, and became an independent contractor with Kaleidoscope Kabaret, performing throughout New England at major venues includingFoxwoods Resort Casino andMohegan Sun.[7] She performs part-time with The Sultans of Swing, and is a performing partner of Fairhaven Entertainment and Boston Swing.[10][11][12]
Her major live performances include the national production "If You're Irish" and the annual "Chance to Dance" shows at theProvidence Performing Arts Center, as well Boston Swing with Mark Maher at theHard Rock Cafe in Boston, Massachusetts.[12][13] In February and March 2010, she starred alongside Matthew Royalty-Lindman inThe Contemporary Theater Company's production ofThe Last 5 Years.[14] She has been a member of the company since 2010, also caroling with the company's holiday singers each year since 2009.
Van Pelt draws her influences anywhere fromAerosmith,Aretha Franklin,Nina Simone,Chaka Khan,Pink,Joss Stone,Jessie J,Brandi Carlile,Björk,Jill Scott, andKim Burrell.[12][15] She has a passion for rhythm and blues, soul, country, jazz, rock and classical.
Van Pelt auditioned for the eleventh season ofAmerican Idol inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the semi-final round, she performedHeart's "What About Love", but was not one of the five highest female vote getters. The judges selected her to be one of the six wild card performers. She performedLady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" and was selected as one of the three wild cards to advance to the Top 13. Van Pelt was eliminated on March 22, 2012, after cutting her usually shoulder length locks to a pixie cut, courtesy ofTommy Hilfiger. Over all, she finished in tenth place.
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" | The Shirelles | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | First Solo | "Glitter in the Air" | Pink | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | Not aired | N/A | Advanced | |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Second Solo | Not aired | N/A | Advanced | |
| Las Vegas Round | Songs from the1950s Group Performance | "Great Balls of Fire" / "Shake a Tail Feather" | Jerry Lee Lewis /The Five Du-Tones | N/A | Advanced |
| Final Judgement | Final Solo | "Don't You Remember" | Adele | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 25 (12 Women) | Personal Choice | "What About Love" | Toronto | 2 | Wild Card |
| Wild Card | Personal Choice | "The Edge of Glory" | Lady Gaga | 5 | Advanced |
| Top 13 | Whitney Houston | "I Believe in You and Me" | Four Tops | 4 | Bottom 3 Women1 |
| Top 11 | Year They Were Born | "Heaven" | Bryan Adams | 8 | Bottom 32 |
| Top 10 | Billy Joel | "New York State of Mind" | Billy Joel | 2 | Eliminated |
Van Pelt appeared onThe Today show andAnderson on March 27, 2012,[16][17] and performed onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 30, 2012.[18] She took part in theAmerican Idols LIVE! Tour 2012, which began July 6, 2012 and ran till September 21, 2012.[19] She teamed up with American Idol season three top 10 finalistJohn Stevens to perform with theBeantown Swing Orchestra in a holiday concert in Providence, R.I. on December 9, 2012.[11] Her debut single, "Listen, Learn, Then Delete" was released on July 31, 2013.[20] Erika's debut album, "My Independence" was released on October 8, 2013. The executive producer for the album was Rich Sokolow and songwriters were Erika Van Pelt, Rich Sokolow, Peter Wostrel and Clara Lofaro. The album was nominated for twoNew England Music Awards for "Album of the Year" and "Best Indie/Pop Act of the Year".[21] Erika performed a number of major shows in 2013, including opening for the multi-Grammy nominated Daughtry for the WXLO acoustic Holiday Concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, opening for Tegan and Sara at WPRO FM's "What Women Want Expo" in Cranston, Rhode Island, and performing at the Magic 106.7 Tree Lighting Ceremony with Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block Fame on the Boston Common.[22]
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