Crystal Bowersox | |
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 Bowersox in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Crystal Lynn Bowersox (1985-08-04)August 4, 1985 (age 40) Elliston, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | crystalbowersox |
Crystal Lynn Bowersox (born August 4, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter and actress who was the runner-up on theninth season ofAmerican Idol. She was the first female finalist in three years.
Bowersox's debut album,Farmer's Daughter, was released on December 14, 2010 byJive Records. Bowersox released her second album,All That for This, on March 26, 2013.
Bowersox and her twin brother, Karl, were born inElliston, Ohio[1] to Kelly Lynn Bowersox (née Bowlander) and William Lester Bowersox.[2] Her parents divorced when she was two years old.[3] At age six, Bowersox was diagnosed withtype 1 diabetes. She attendedOak Harbor High School inOak Harbor, Ohio and later attended theToledo School for the Arts inToledo, Ohio.[1] She was in choir and played flute in the school marching band. Bowersox performed her first professional gig at the age of 10. She appeared at local bars in Toledo, most popularly Papa's Tavern, and The Village Idiot inMaumee, Ohio.
At the age of seventeen, she moved toChicago, where she played music as abusker at train stations, including the Washington and Lake Redline stops. She frequented open mics, such as the In One Ear show at theHeartland Cafe, and Uncommon Ground Clark and Grace, and Devon locations. She also played extensively in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.
In 2006, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs chose Bowersox to represent Chicago folk musicians in theSister Cities program "Experience Chicago", held inBirmingham. In 2007, Bowersox traveled internationally on an independent small cafe tour, includingMemphis,Oaxaca City,Ankara andIstanbul. She gave birth to a son, Anthony Levi Mason, in 2009;[3] according to Bowersox, his father left her six weeks into her pregnancy.[citation needed]
Bowersox auditioned forAmerican Idol inChicago, Illinois. She sang "Piece of My Heart". Guest judgeShania Twain commented that she had a "raw, natural talent."[4]
On March 2, 2010, Bowersox was hospitalized due toDiabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) fromtype 1 diabetes, forcing a last minute switch in scheduling to give her extra time to recuperate. Bowersox confirmed the illness on the May 19, 2010 results show during an interview with hostRyan Seacrest.[5][6] The men competed that day instead of the women. She sang the next day and impressed all of the judges.[7]
The following week, her strong performance promptedSimon Cowell to state, "Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat."[8]
AfterSiobhan Magnus's elimination from the top 6 ofAmerican Idol, Bowersox became the last remaining female contestant in the competition.
Bowersox was the first female contestant to make it to the finale sinceJordin Sparks won the title in 2007. She is also the first contestant inAmerican Idol history to have one of their original songs played on the show, or at least during their hometown package.[9] Crystal's original song "Holy Toledo" was played on the May 19 Top 3 Results show as the background music for her homecoming package - when she returned to Toledo, Ohio and Elliston, Ohio the previous weekend - and segued into her live performance of the same song at "Bowerstock".
During her time onIdol, Bowersox dated Tony Kusian, but the couple broke up just hours before theIdol finale.[10]
On the final performance day, inSimon Cowell's final critique onAmerican Idol, he called her performance of "Up to the Mountain" "outstanding" and "by far, the best performance and song of the night".
On May 26, 2010, Bowersox was named runner-up to winnerLee DeWyze. She announced that after herIdol career, she wants to bring more awareness to type 1 diabetes.[11]
Bowersox is the thirdIdol Runner-Up (preceded byClay Aiken andDavid Archuleta) to never be in the Bottom 3 or Bottom 2.
On May 27, 2010, one day after Bowersox's second placeIdol finish, it was announced that she had signed with19 Entertainment/Jive Records.[13] Her single "Up to the Mountain" has since been released to radio stations and iTunes.
Bowersox's debut album,Farmer's Daughter, was released to stores and iTunes on December 14, 2010. Bowersox performed her single "Farmer's Daughter" onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 16, 2010.
On October 7, 2011,RCA Music Group announced it was disbandingJive Records along withArista Records andJ Records. With the shutdown, all other artists previously signed to these three labels would see their future material released under theRCA Records brand.[14][15] However, Bowersox was not one of the artists who made the move, and was instead left without a record label.
She made her acting debut on a second-season episode ofBody of Proof.[16][17]
An EP of pre-Idol recordings was calledOnce Upon a Time... was self-released in June 2012.
She was a guest on theBlues Traveler album,Suzie Cracks the Whip, performing vocals withJohn Popper on the song "I Don't Wanna Go", and appeared with them in concert at their concert of July 4, 2012 atRed Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.
In October 2012, Bowersox signed a recording deal withShanachie Records.[18]
On January 7, 2013, it was confirmed that Bowersox's second studio album,All That for This, would be released March 26, 2013.[19] The album was produced bySteve Berlin ofLos Lobos and featuresJakob Dylan.[20] Bowersox debuted the first single from the album, "Dead Weight", onOn Air with Ryan Seacrest on February 5, 2013. Bowersox told Seacrest, "This song means more to me than even I can completely comprehend."[19]
Bowersox began a headlining tour in support of the album on March 1, 2013. The band Montë Mar was her concert opener, as well as her backing band on dates through March 31, 2013.[21][22] On March 25, 2013, Bowersox appeared onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno and performed her song "Movin' On" to promote the album. It was announced here that Bowersox will playPatsy Cline in the Broadway production ofAlways, Patsy Cline.[23] It was announced on June 11, 2013 that Bowersox would be headlining the Lancaster Festival inLancaster, Ohio on June 27, 2013[24]
Bowersox and musician Brian Walker were married on October 10, 2010, at Uncommon Ground Café in Chicago, the restaurant where the couple had met six years earlier while both were performing at Open Mic Night.[25] It was announced on May 6, 2013, that they were ending their marriage.[26]
While appearing onGood Day L.A. to promote her Christmas album on November 26, 2013, Bowersox came out asbisexual. "I have been bisexual as long as I can remember," she said. Bowersox then performed her song "Coming Out For Christmas" which explores the subject matter.[27]
| Year | Album details | Peak | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Rock | US Digital | CAN | |||
| 2010 | Farmer's Daughter[28]
| 28 | 2 | 8 | 90 | |
| 2013 | All That for This
| 71 | 21 | — | — |
|
| 2017 | Alive[31]
| |||||
| 2022 | HitchHiker[32]
| |||||
| Year | Album | Peak | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Heat | US Indie | |||
| 2010 | Season 9 Favorite Performances
| 6[33] | 38 |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
| Year | Title | EP details |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Once Upon a Time... |
|
| 2014 | Promises |
| Year | Single | Peak | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US[33] | CAN | |||
| 2010 | "Up to the Mountain" | 57 | 47 | Non-album single |
| "Farmer's Daughter" | — | 73 | Farmer's Daughter | |
| 2013 | "Movin' On" | — | — | All That for This |
| "Dead Weight" | — | — | ||
| "Coming Out for Christmas" | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
| Year | Single | Peak | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US[33] | CAN | |||
| 2010 | "Falling Slowly"(withLee DeWyze) | 66 | 70 | non-album single |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
| Year | Song | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Farmer's Daughter" | Meiert Avis |
| 2013 | "Dead Weight" | Tiger Tiger |
| 2017 | "Until Then" | Steven Rosenfeld |
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Body of Proof | Zoe Brant | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| Year | Presenter | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Female Reality/Variety Star | Nominated |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
