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 June 2, 1983) is an American folk-pop singer, songwriter, and actress. She became famous as a top finalist on the seventh season of American Idol.

Brooke released her first album, Songs from the Attic, in 2005. After American Idol, her album High Hopes & Heartbreak came out in 2009. Her song "Hold Up My Heart" was a hit, reaching number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Brooke is also part of a music group called Jack and White.

About Brooke White

Her Early Life

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

Her Personal Life

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 part. After high school, she moved to Los Angeles, California. There, she spent four years working on her music. She recorded songs and performed in clubs. Brooke also worked as a nanny for twin baby girls for a year.

During her time on American Idol, Brooke shared that she learned to be stronger and more confident. 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.

American Idol Journey

How She Started

White performing during the American Idols Live! Tour 2008

Brooke auditioned for American Idol in Philadelphia. She sang "Like a Star" and all the judges liked her. 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."

In Hollywood week, Brooke played the piano and sang "Beautiful" by Carole King. The judges thought she sounded like a young Carly Simon or Carole King.

During 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 picked Brooke as one of his favorite singers early in the competition.

One week, she sang "You're So Vain" and looked at Simon Cowell, which got the judges' attention. She also sang an acoustic version of "Love Is a Battlefield" and "Let It Be" by The Beatles. The judges praised her performances.

Guest mentor Andrew Lloyd Webber was very impressed by Brooke. He thought she would have a great night. However, during her song "You Must Love Me," Brooke stopped and restarted because she forgot the words. This was the first time someone had done that so far into a song on the show. Despite this, she was still safe that week.

When she sang for Neil Diamond week, she changed the lyrics of "I Am...I Said" to "I'm Arizona born and raised." This made the song more personal.

Brooke was in the bottom three contestants three times. She was eliminated on April 30, 2008, after performing "I'm a Believer" and "I Am...I Said." She finished in fifth place.

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 Idol, Brooke appeared on many TV shows. She was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. On Ellen's show, Ellen even cut Brooke's husband's hair! Brooke also filmed a funny video for VH1, making fun of her stopping songs on Idol.

Brooke returned to the Idol stage for the season finale. She sang with the other finalists and also performed with Graham Nash. She became a spokesperson for "Save The World Summer," a campaign by Malaria No More and Idol Gives Back. This campaign helps fight malaria.

Brooke went on the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008. She sang songs like "Let It Be" and "Yellow." In September 2008, her hometown of Mesa, Arizona, even declared "Brooke White Day." She performed for free, and people could donate to Malaria No More.

Brooke also launched her official website and sang for the Walt Disney World Paris parade. She worked with fellow Idol singer Michael Johns on a song called Life is Okay. In 2009, she released a special holiday music collection on iTunes.

Her Music Career

Songs from the Attic (2005)

Brooke's first album, Songs from the Attic, came out in 2005. It had 11 songs, including some of the first ones she ever wrote. It also had 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 sing. The album was re-released after she was on American Idol.

High Hopes and Heartbreak (2009–2011)

In 2009, Brooke announced her new album would be called High Hopes & Heartbreak. She started her own record label called "June Baby Records" with Randy Jackson. Her first song from the album, "Hold Up My Heart," was released in February 2009. She performed it on American Idol.

The album High Hopes & Heartbreak was released digitally on iTunes in July 2009. She also released a music video for her second song, "Radio Radio." Brooke performed live online, playing songs from her album. She also released a live music collection called Live Session EP.

Jack and White (2011–2016)

Brooke teamed up with singer-songwriter Jack Matranga to form a music duo called Jack and White. They released a six-song collection called Gemini. They also released another collection called Winter in 2012. Later that year, they released Undercover, which featured cover songs from different decades.

Brooke White Christmas (2012)

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

Never Grow Up: Lullabies and Happy Songs (2014)

In 2014, Brooke announced she would record a lullaby album. She used a special platform called PledgeMusic to raise money for a charity called Operation Underground Railroad. This charity helps rescue children from slavery. Brooke worked with many artists on the album, including David Archuleta and Carly Smithson from American Idol.

Calico (2019)

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

Her Musical Inspirations

Brooke says her music is inspired by the "soulful sounds of the 70s." She loves artists like the Carpenters, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, and James Taylor.

When asked who she would like to sing with, she chose John Mayer for a modern artist. Her dream duet partner would be Carole King, who is one of her biggest inspirations. She also looks up to Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, who are past American Idol winners.

Carly Simon, one of Brooke's inspirations, said that Brooke was her favorite Idol contestant. She loved Brooke's performance of "You're So Vain" and said Brooke sang it "so much better than I ever did."

Acting Roles

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

Music Albums and Songs

Studio albums

EPs (Extended Plays)

Singles

Other Charted Songs

Songs She Was Featured On

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

Other Music Releases

iTunes Exclusive "American Idol Live Performances"

1. "Happy Together"
2. "You're So Vain"
3. "Love Is a Battlefield"

iTunes Exclusive "American Idol Studio Performances"¹

1. "Let It Be" – 3:30
2. "Here Comes the Sun" – 2:51
3. "Every Breath You Take" – 3:54
4. "Jolene" – 2:39
5. "You've Got a Friend" – 5:08
6. "Hero" – 3:54
7. "You Must Love Me" – 2:40
8. "I Am...I Said" – 3:31

Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) – EP

1. "Rhiannon" – 3:13
2. "Hold Up My Heart" – 3:21
3. "Radio Radio" – 3:23
4. "High Hopes & Heartbreak" – 3:42
5. "Take It Away" – 2:58

See also

In Spanish: Brooke White para niños