Bianca Ryan
Template:Infobox soloBianca Taylor Ryan (born September 1, 1994) is a prodigious American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who was the winner of the first season of NBC's America's Got Talent.
Biography
Career
Ryan, who has a preference in the rhythm and blues genre, cites Patti Labelle, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Yolanda Adams, and Jennifer Holliday as some of her favorite singers.
In 2003, Ryan competed on Star Search, accompanied by her father Shawn (who she had to persuade to take her), but she did not win[1].
Ryan performed at several notable venues, including Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Financial Field. Ryan's only regular appearance was as an anthemist for a semi-pro inline hockey team called the Philadelphia Growl[2]. She has been performing for them since she was eight years old and will likely continue to sing at the team's events in the forseeable future.
Ryan appeared in commercials for the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant chain and the Philadelphia Zoo. She also has a part in 12 and Holding, a feature film planned for a release in fall 2006.
Ryan is of three-fourths Irish descent from her father's side and one-fourth Japanese descent from her mother's side[3]. Ryan's grandmother, Yoko, is full Japanese[4]. Ryan is a middle child of four (second eldest), and has an older brother (3 years her senior), a younger sister (Isabella Jade, 5 years her junior), and a younger brother (Jagger, 8 years her junior). In fall 2006, she will be a sixth grader at School Lane Charter School in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania.
America's Got Talent
When Ryan auditioned for America's Got Talent, she was accompanied by her mother, Janette, but only because of legal reasons since she was a minor—the show focused on Ryan as a solo singer. She sang Jennifer Holliday's "And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going)," surprising the crowd and the judges with her impressive voice, unusually powerful for an 11-year old child. Brandy Norwood didn't know what to say after the performance, adding that it was "un-be-lievable." The other two judges were in shock. Piers Morgan, who said she needed to change her hair and clothes, also said she deserved to win the competition. Ryan was accepted after auditioning.
Ryan's first appearance on America’s Got Talent became one of the most popular videos on YouTube, an online video archive partly owned by NBC.
After performing "Piece of My Heart", barefoot, a la Janis Joplin, at the semi-finals, Ryan was announced as the viewers' choice that week on America's Got Talent, placing her into the million-dollar finale round.
The finale results aired on August 17, 2006, in which Ryan was announced as the winner of the first season of the show.