Brooke White facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brooke White
Brooke White in September 2022
Background information
Birth name	Brooke Elizabeth White
Born	(1983-06-02) June 2, 1983 (age 42) Phoenix, Arizona, US
Origin	Mesa, Arizona, United States
Genres	Folk-pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
Years active	2005–present
Labels	June Baby Records (2009–present)

Brooke Elizabeth White, born on June 2, 1983, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her folk-pop music. Brooke became famous after finishing in fifth place on the seventh season of American Idol.

In 2005, Brooke released her first album, called Songs from the Attic. After American Idol, her album High Hopes & Heartbreak came out on July 21, 2009. The first song from that album, "Hold Up My Heart", was released on February 25, 2009. It reached number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. Brooke is also part of a music group called Jack and White.

About Brooke White

Early Life and Family

Brooke Elizabeth White was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona, with her parents, Brad and Kaylene, and her three younger siblings: Katie, Tyler, and Quinn. She also has family in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Personal Journey

Brooke started singing when she was 16 years old. She tried out for her high school musical, Meet Me in St. Louis, and got the main role. She finished high school in 2001. Brooke moved to Los Angeles, California, when she was 19. There, she spent four years working on her singing and songwriting. She performed in clubs and recorded music. Brooke also worked as a nanny for twin baby girls for a year.

During her time on American Idol, Brooke shared that she sometimes struggled with her confidence. However, she realized she was stronger than she thought. Today, Brooke lives in Van Nuys, California, with her husband, David Ray. They have a daughter, born in 2012, and a son, born in 2016. Brooke is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Brooke's American Idol Adventure

Auditions and Performances

White performing during the American Idols Live! Tour 2008

Brooke White auditioned for American Idol in Philadelphia. She sang "Like a Star" and all the judges liked her performance. During her audition, she mentioned she had never seen an R-rated movie. This made judge Simon Cowell joke about "bringing her to the dark side."

During the Hollywood week of the show, Brooke played the piano and sang "Beautiful" by Carole King. The judges thought she sounded like a young Carly Simon or Carole King. In the live shows, Brooke often played her own instruments. She played guitar for songs like "You're So Vain" and "Jolene". She played piano for "Let It Be" and "Hero". Simon Cowell even picked Brooke as one of his favorite singers early in the competition.

One memorable moment was during the 1970s theme week. Brooke sang "You're So Vain" and looked at Simon Cowell, which got the judges' attention. Later, during a week focused on music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Brooke had a small hiccup. She stopped singing "You Must Love Me" a few lines in because she forgot the words. She apologized and started the song again. This was a rare moment on the show. Despite this, she was safe from elimination that week.

When Brooke sang during Neil Diamond week, she changed some lyrics in "I Am...I Said" to make it more personal. Instead of "I'm New York City born and raised," she sang "I'm Arizona born and raised," which was Neil Diamond's own idea! Brooke was in the bottom three contestants three times during the competition. She was eliminated on April 30, 2008, finishing in fifth place.

American Idol Performances and Results

• White was saved first from elimination.
• When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, White was among the Bottom 3 but declared safe second, when Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated.

After American Idol

White signing autographs during the American Idols Live! Tour 2008

After leaving American Idol, Brooke White appeared on many TV shows. These included The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen even cut Brooke's husband David's hair! He had promised not to cut it until Brooke was eliminated from Idol.

Brooke also joined the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008. This tour traveled across the country from July to September 2008. She sang songs like "Let It Be" and "Yellow" by Coldplay. Brooke also filmed a funny video for the TV show Best Week Ever, where she joked about her "stopping and starting" habit from Idol.

Brooke became a spokesperson for "Save The World Summer." This was a campaign by Malaria No More and Idol Gives Back to help fight malaria. In September 2008, her hometown of Mesa, Arizona, even declared "Brooke White Day"! She performed a free concert there and collected donations for Malaria No More.

Brooke's Music Career

First Album: Songs from the Attic (2005)

Brooke's very first album, Songs from the Attic, was released in 2005. It was produced by Tim Simms and included some of the first songs Brooke ever wrote. The album also featured cover songs like "Dream On" by Aerosmith and "Yellow" by Coldplay. A music video for her song "Free" showed her story of moving to Hollywood to become a singer. This album was re-released after she became famous on American Idol.

High Hopes & Heartbreak (2009)

In 2009, Brooke announced her new album, High Hopes & Heartbreak. She started her own record label called "June Baby Records" with Randy Jackson, who was a judge on American Idol. The album's first song, "Hold Up My Heart", was written entirely by Brooke. She performed it on American Idol in February 2009. The album was released digitally on iTunes on July 14, 2009. Brooke also held a live online show to celebrate the album's release.

Jack and White (2011–2016)

Brooke teamed up with singer-songwriter Jack Matranga to form a music duo called Jack and White. They released an album called Gemini in 2011. They had planned to write songs for Brooke's solo album, but they liked working together so much that they formed a duo! They later released two more albums, Winter in 2012 and Undercover in 2012, which featured cover versions of popular songs. Their last album, Lost, was released in 2015.

Christmas Album and Lullabies

In 2012, Brooke released her first Christmas album, Brooke White Christmas. It included classic songs like "Blue Christmas" and "Silent Night". She even performed "Wonderful Christmastime" on NBC's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting show.

In 2014, Brooke recorded a special album called Never Grow Up: Lullabies and Happy Songs. She raised money for this album through PledgeMusic, and the money went to a charity called Operation Underground Railroad. This charity helps rescue children from terrible situations. Brooke worked with many other artists on this album, including fellow American Idol singers David Archuleta and Carly Smithson.

Calico (2019)

On October 4, 2019, Brooke released a country music album called Calico. The name "Calico" is short for "California Country." She worked with Eric Straube and Chris Qualls on this album.

Musical Inspirations

Brooke White loves the "soulful sounds of the 70s." She is inspired by artists like the Carpenters, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, and Elton John. She also admires Carly Simon, who publicly said Brooke was her favorite contestant on American Idol. Carly Simon was very impressed with Brooke's performance of "You're So Vain". Brooke also looks up to former American Idol winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Acting Roles

Brooke White has also acted in TV movies. She starred in Change of Plans, which aired in 2011. For this movie, she wrote and performed three songs. In 2013, she starred in another TV movie called Banner 4th of July. She also wrote and performed two original songs for that movie.

Brooke White's Music Albums

Studio Albums

Extended Plays (EPs)

Singles

Other Charted Songs

Songs with Other Artists

• "Life Is Okay" (Michael Johns featuring Brooke White)

Other Music Releases

• iTunes Exclusive "American Idol Live Performances"
  • "Happy Together"
  • "You're So Vain"
  • "Love Is a Battlefield"
• iTunes Exclusive "American Idol Studio Performances"
  • "Let It Be"
  • "Here Comes the Sun"
  • "Every Breath You Take"
  • "Jolene"
  • "You've Got a Friend"
  • "Hero"
  • "You Must Love Me"
  • "I Am...I Said"
• Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) – EP
  • "Rhiannon"
  • "Hold Up My Heart"
  • "Radio Radio"
  • "High Hopes & Heartbreak"
  • "Take It Away"

See also

In Spanish: Brooke White para niños