SANTA MONICA, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Recording Academy) - After narrowing down thousands of entries, The Recording Academy announced the Top 5 finalists in the "My GRAMMY Moment" program today. As The Recording Academy continues its mission of discovering and nurturing music makers, it now places in the hands of music fans the historic opportunity for unsigned artists to vie for a special performance slot on the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards with multi-GRAMMY nominee Justin Timberlake. The public can log on to Yahoo!
Music (https://music.yahoo.com/mygrammymoment/), the official online partner of the GRAMMY Awards, to view the video submissions, bios and photos of all five hopefuls, and vote for their favorite.
"We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response we have received for our 'My GRAMMY Moment' opportunity, and the Top 5 finalists reflect a diverse group of extremely talented singers," said Neil Portnow, President of The Recording Academy. "Tens of thousands of music fans are passionately supporting their favorite 'My GRAMMY Moment' finalist, and that passion is at the very core of the fan and music maker relationship. And on February 11, millions will tune in to watch the debut of a very deserving and talented new artist in the ultimate Recording Academy career development opportunity."
Over the next several weeks, fans will continue to narrow the field by voting online at Yahoo! Music. The Top 3 finalists will be announced during Super Bowl weekend and each will rehearse individually with Timberlake during GRAMMY Week in Los Angeles. The public can vote for their favorite finalist from the day of the Top 3 announcement up until 6:59 p.m. PT/9:59 ET on Feb. 11. During the live broadcast, viewers will be able to cast votes on their mobile phone. The interactive mobile voting technology, provided through a partnership with VeriSign, will be active within a two hour window from 8 p.m. to 9:59 p.m. ET (5 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. PT) on Feb. 11. The winner will be announced live on the show before his/her performance with Timberlake on the GRAMMY Awards, Feb. 11, 2007 at STAPLES Center in L.A., broadcast live on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
Top 5 Finalists
" Jillian Gaudious (25), Long Branch, N.J.
" Jessica (Jessie) James (18), Warner Robins, Ga.
" Africa Miranda (30), Montgomery, Ala.
" Brenda Radney (22), Staten Island, N.Y.
" Robyn Troup (18), Houston, Texas
Biographical Information on the Top 5 Finalists Jillian Gaudious, 25, was raised in Long Branch, N.J., and currently works there full-time. She began singing when she was just four and has dreamed of becoming a star ever since. Describing her sound as soul with pop and R&B, Jillian plays guitar, writes her own material and hopes to become a successful recording artist. She cites Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and the Supremes as her favorite artists.
Jessica (Jessie) James, 18, calls herself a military brat since she has lived in various parts of the country, but calls Georgia home. A senior at Warner Robins High School, she began singing when she was just two years old, sang in her school choirs and performed publicly when she was nine. With a Southern soul sound, Jessica plays guitar and writes many of her own songs. Her goal is to nab a country record deal in Nashville and have a long and successful music career.
Africa Miranda, 30, calls Montgomery, Ala., her hometown and currently is writing and performing songs in New York City. To pay the bills, she's working at a temp agency and does promotional modeling and event staffing. She began singing as a child in her school choir, and eventually in pageants and school programs as she grew older. Africa says her sound is R&B/pop with rock and hip-hop thrown in the mix. Africa cites Prince, Outkast and Mariah Carey as three of her favorite artists.
Brenda Radney, 22, was born and raised in Staten Island, N.Y., and currently resides there as a freelance singer/songwriter. She began singing at the age of four and has fond memories of sitting in the window at her grandmother's porch singing "Tomorrow" from Annie and "Part Of Your World" from The Little Mermaid. Brenda's musical style is a mash-up of pop, R&B, alternative, gospel, electro and indie rock, and her aspiration is to become as successful as Prince, Beyonce and U2. In addition to singing, she writes songs and plays seven musical instruments.
Robyn Troup, 18, was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She has been singing ever since she could talk and has notebooks filled with songs she has written. Robyn is multitalented, having studied ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance along with taking both piano and voice lessons. While she describes her musical style as a blend of R&B, pop and hip-hop, Robyn cites artists including Stevie Wonder, Aaliyah and Destiny's Child as her muses.
Voting and Performance Information
" The Top 5 finalists' videos, bios and photos are available for fans to view on Yahoo! Music. Voting begins today and ends on Feb. 3 to determine which three finalists move on to the next round.
" The Top 3 finalists will be announced during Super Bowl weekend and will rehearse individually with Justin Timberlake in Los Angeles during GRAMMY Week.
" The public can vote for their favorite finalist from the day of the Top 3 announcement up until 6:59 p.m. PT/9:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 11. Viewers can also text vote within a two hour window during the live telecast from 8 p.m. to 9:59 p.m. ET (5 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. PT). The final performer will be announced live on the show before his/her "GRAMMY Moment" with Timberlake.
" Users can log on directly to Yahoo! Music or CBS.com to access the video submissions, video viewing and voting site: https://music.yahoo.com/mygrammymoment/.
About the Submission/Selection Process
" Unsigned artists in the U.S. - 18 years of age and older - uploaded a 60-second video clip to Yahoo! Music of an a cappella performance of one of nine GRAMMY Award-winning songs:
o "If I Ain't Got You" (originally performed by Alicia Keys), "Breathe" (originally performed by Faith Hill), "Come To My Window" (originally performed by Melissa Etheridge), "What's Love Got To Do With It" (originally performed by Tina Turner), "Dance With My Father" (originally performed by Luther Vandross), "Cry Me A River" (originally performed by Justin Timberlake), "Respect" (originally performed by Aretha Franklin), "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (originally performed by Whitney Houston), or "Vision Of Love" (originally performed by Mariah Carey).
" The selection process of the Top 12 was rigorous and thorough. Thousands of video submissions were judged and whittled down to 12 by a VIP Blue Ribbon Committee made up of singers, songwriters, producers, music industry execs, as well as key executives from The Recording Academy.
