Early life
Elise Testone was born on July 29, 1983,[citation needed] to LuAnne and Victor Testone.[7] She grew up in Kinnelon, New Jersey,[8] and got her first job making sandwiches at Taste of Reality, a local deli.[9] At the age of 13, Testone took lessons with New York City vocal coach Judy Hages.[10] After graduating from Kinnelon High School in 2001, Testone attended Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, earning a bachelors degree in music in 2005.[7][8][11]
In 2006, Testone moved to Charleston, South Carolina and began collaborating with local rock, pop, funk, and soul musicians, while writing her own blues and jazz songs.[1][2][3] In a November 2008 interview, Testone said she worked at PawPurri for Pets in the mornings.[9] In the afternoons, she was a vocal coach at Music Unlimited in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.[7][9] In the evenings, she performed regularly at restaurants and clubs in Charleston, South Carolina.[9][12][13] Testone performs solo and with several Charleston groups, including The Freeloaders, James Brown Dance Party, and Slanguage.[14][15] In October 2011, Testone and her band, The Freeloaders, won the Funk/Soul/R&B Artist of the Year award in the Charleston City Paper’s Music issue.[10][16] Testone received additional recognition from the Charleston City Paper in 2011, winning the staff pick for Best Tribute for Elise Testone’s James Brown Dance Party.[2]
Testone has performed as an opening act for various other artists, including Snoop Dogg, Nappy Roots, Seven Mary Three, and Kevin Costner and Modern West.[14][15] She can play the piano,guitar, drums, tambourine, and cello.[1][3][17] Her favorite artists are Bonnie Raitt, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix.[18] Other musical influences include B.B. King, Tori Amos, Erykah Badu,Jewel, and Lauryn Hill.[18]
[edit]
American Idol
Main article: American Idol (season 11)
[edit]
Overview
On July 22, 2011, Testone auditioned in Savannah, Georgia.[1] She received a standing ovation in Vegas Round along with Reed Grimm, Eben Franckewitz and Haley Johnsen with their group performance of Bobby Vee's "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes."[citation needed]
In the semi-finals, Testone performed Adele's "One and Only" and was one of five female contestants to advance to the finals based on viewer votes.[7]
In the first round of the finals, Testone performed Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and was the female contestant with the lowest number of votes. Between Testone and Jeremy Rosado, the male contestant with the lowest number of votes, the judges decided to eliminate Rosado.[19] Testone and fellow contestant Jessica Sanchez received an endorsement from The X Factor season 1 finalist Chris Rene.[20]
The following week, in the top eleven round, Testone performed "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green and received praise from the judges, with Randy Jackson proclaiming, "America, Elise is back!"[21] Nonetheless, Testone was in the bottom three again.[22] This was not well received by the judges, as Jennifer Lopez explained, "I’m not happy. It's not fair. Great performances should be rewarded. She was one of the best last night."[22]
In the top ten round, Testone sang Billy Joel's "Vienna" and received a standing ovation from the judges.[23][24] After spending two weeks in the bottom three, Testone was declared "safe" when the voting results were announced.[25] Testone received a second consecutive standing ovation for her performance of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" in the top nine round,[26] which critics considered to be her signature moment of the season.[27][28] After seeing Testone rehearse before the performance, celebrity mentor Stevie Nicks enthusiastically stated, "If I needed a singer, I'd hire her in a second."[29]
In the top six round, Testone performed Queen's "I Want It All" and The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Bold as Love".[29] The show's record producer mentor Jimmy Iovine called Testone "a great singer who makes bad [song] choices."[28] She defended her song choices stating, "Those were the best choices for me, but probably the majority of people at home want to be able to sing along."[6]
Testone was eliminated on April 26, 2012, finishing the competition in sixth place.[6]
[edit]Performances/results
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Get It While You Can" | Janis Joplin | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | First Solo | "Virtual Insanity" | Jamiroquai | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Some Kind of Wonderful"[30] | Soul Brothers Six | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Second Solo | Not aired | N/A | Advanced | |
| Las Vegas Round | Songs from the 1950s Group Performance | "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" | Bobby Vee | N/A | Advanced |
| Final Judgment | Final Solo | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" | James Brown | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 25 (12 Women) | Personal Choice | "One and Only" | Adele | 12 | Advanced |
| Top 13 | Whitney Houston | "I'm Your Baby Tonight" | Whitney Houston | 2 | Saved1 |
| Top 11 | Year They Were Born | "Let's Stay Together" | Al Green | 4 | Bottom 32 |
| Top 10 | Billy Joel | "Vienna" | Billy Joel | 5 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Their Personal Idols | Trio "Landslide" / "Edge of Seventeen" / "Don't Stop" with Colton Dixon & Phillip Phillips | Fleetwood Mac / Stevie Nicks | 3 | Safe |
| Solo "Whole Lotta Love" | Led Zeppelin | 12 | |||
| Top 8 | Songs from the 1980s | Solo "I Want to Know What Love Is" | Foreigner | 2 | Bottom 33 |
| Duet "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" with Phillip Phillips | Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty | 8 | |||
| Top 7 | Songs from the 2010s | Duet "Somebody That I Used to Know" with Phillip Phillips | Gotye feat. Kimbra | 3 | Bottom 34 |
| Solo "You and I" | Lady Gaga | 10 | |||
| Top 75 | Songs from Now & Then | "No One" | Alicia Keys | 3 | Bottom 36 |
| "Let's Get It On" | Marvin Gaye | 10 | |||
| Top 6 | Queen | "I Want It All" | Queen | 4 | Eliminated |
| Contestant's Choice | "Bold as Love" | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 10 | ||
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