Lil Rounds | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | October 20, 1984 |
Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
Genres | R&B, soul, gospel, pop, jazz |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | Bungalo Records/Universal (2009-2010) |
Website | www.MyLilRounds.com |
Lil Rounds (born October 20, 1984) is an American singer from Memphis, Tennessee, who was the seventh place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Following the conclusion of Idol, Rounds was signed to a record deal with Bungalo Records. Her debut album was to be released in 2010 but has been pushed back for a 2011 release. Rounds is now recording her album independently.
Rounds has stated that she began to sing when she was just 3 years old. She once lived in Memphis, Tennessee, along with her husband and three children. Rounds was a Customer service advisor. Before she entered the competition, a tornado ripped through Memphis on February 5, 2008, severely damaging her apartment complex and forcing her and her family to live in a motel. Her grandfather once worked with blues legend B.B. King. She said her dream mentor would be Stevie Wonder.
Rounds auditioned in Kansas City Missouri, where she received high praises from all judges saying that she was one of the best to audition, and that they thought she was a combination of Mary J. Blige and Fantasia. In Hollywood week round 1, she received a standing ovation from Kara DioGuardi and Paula Abdul after her rendition of "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton. Her semifinal performance, "Be Without You", was highly praised by the judges allowing her to join the finals. After the top 36 performance, she was considered an early front runner in which Simon Cowell stated he would think Rounds would be in the top 3 along with Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey during his interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She was eliminated on April 22 along with Anoop Desai, and returned for the Season 8 Finale on May 20, 2009 performing "Cue the Rain" with Queen Latifah.