ordin Sparks charmed America and the world as a big-voiced, beautiful 17-year old entry on TV juggernaut American Idol, winning the 2006-2007 season championship. Hailing from Arizona, Sparks began as a young underdog in the cost and noticeably grew in confidence and poise each week, ultimately becoming the front-runner after her stunning performance of the classic “I Who Have Nothing.” In addition to adding a youthful brightness to the competition, Sparks charmed the judges and the audience with her infectious smile and self-effacing personality.
Her victory on Idol created great expectations for Sparks, who released her 19 Recordings/Jive Records debut album in late 2007. It was a hit, fueled by the single “Tattoo” as well as her duet with Chris Brown, “No Air.”
Two years later, Sparks released of her sophomore album, Battlefield, working with a cadre of hit-making producers and songwriters that include Dr. Luke, fellow label-mate T-Pain and Ryan Tedder. It was even more laser focused on her teen demographic with the contributions of the hired hitmakers, though Sparks showed some songwriting chops on the latter part of the disc, co-writing four of the album’s best songs.
Sparks made her movie debut in 2012 as part of Whitney Houston’s reboot of Sparkle, earning solid reviews. She has continued to perform regularly since then and record more sporadically, hitting the charts in 2023 with the sultry “Call My Name.”
By Chris Rizik