Carmen Rasmusen
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| Carmen Rasmusen | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Carmen Rasmusen |
| Born | March 25, 1985 |
| Origin | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Genre(s) | Country, country pop, country rock, bluegrass |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, actress |
| Label(s) | R3 (2004-2007), Lofton Creek (2007-present) |
| Website | http://www.carmenrasmusen.com |
Carmen Rasmusen (born March 25, 1985 in Edmonton, Alberta[1]) is a Canadian-American country singer and songwriter who ranked sixth on the second season of American Idol in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar.[2]
Despite being eliminated, Rasmusen released an EP by herself, called Carmen featuring her first single, Photograph. Three years later, Rasmusen signed a record deal with an independent country record label, Lofton Creek Records. Her debut single, "Nothin' Like the Summer" was released on April 24, 2007 and the debut album with the same name was released on iTunes on August 14, 2007 and everywhere in America on August 28, 2007.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Days
Rasmusen was born of Norwegian heritage on March 25, 1985. The second of four children, Rasmusen began playing piano at the age of 6. She spent most of her childhood performing: singing, dancing (includes cheerleading, tap, ballet and hip-hop dance) until going to Hollywood in early 2003 and becoming one of the Top Twelve Finalists for American Idol. She has performed in public since the age of 5. Rasmusen graduated from Woods Cross High School in Northern Utah in 2003.[3] She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an alumnus of Brigham Young University.[4]
[edit] American Idol
Rasmusen auditioned initially in Los Angeles and was put through to Hollywood. She was originally eliminated by the judges during the Top 100 stage. In a surprise move, Rasmusen and three other young female singers were brought back to compete in the Wild Card show. No clear reason was made public, but speculation at the time centered on the show's producers wanting to provide a greater demographic diversity in the Final 12.
Rasmusen performed "Can't Fight the Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes for her Wild Card performance. Although the judges, including Simon Cowell, opined that it was not a good enough performance to advance, the next night Cowell chose her as his "judge's choice" to move into the Top 12. Carmen survived for seven weeks in the finals, earning generally mixed reviews from the judges throughout her stay. Her performances of "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Turn the Beat Around" received relatively high marks from both judges and viewers, while her rendition of Blondie's "Call Me" during Billboard #1 Hits Night drew brickbats. Judge Randy Jackson was often one of her harshest critics.
Rasmusen was praised by her fans as having a wholesome, girlish appeal and for refusing to wear outfits she thought were inappropriate for her.[citation needed] Fans also cited her on-stage energy and strong vocal projection. Detractors pointed to her recurring difficulty in controlling her natural vibrato and her tendency to yodel when changing registers.[5] She was also one of the most outspoken defenders of the show among the second season finalists in the wake of the scandal involving Corey Clark's allegations regarding Paula Abdul.[6]
As the only contestant in the second season under the age of eighteen, she had to spend three hours a day with an on-set tutor. Her mother had to accompany her with the other contestants to the special American Idol house, where they all lived during the competition.
[edit] Performances
- Wildcards - "Can't Fight the Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes
- Top 12 (Motown) - "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes
- Top 11 (Movies) - "Hopelessly Devoted To You" by Olivia Newton-John
- Top 10 (Country Rock) - "Wild Angels" by Martina McBride
- Top 9 (Disco) - "Turn the Beat Around" by Vicki Sue Robinson (Bottom 2)
- Top 7 (Billy Joel's Music) - "And So It Goes" (Bottom 2)
- Top 6 (Diane Warren's Music) - "Love Will Lead You Back" by Taylor Dayne (Eliminated)
[edit] Post-Idol
After her elimination she went on to appear in numerous shows promoting American Idol and she appeared on the last episode of the second season singing with the other finalists. Rasmusen also appeared on the American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs singing "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes.
Rasmusen made her acting debut in 2003 in the feature film Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy as Charlotte Lucas.[1] In 2004, Carmen released an EP by R3 Records, Carmen. On December 15, 2005, Carmen married Bradley Herbert, the son of Utah Lt. Governor, Gary R. Herbert in Bountiful, Utah. Their marriage was announced on FOX 13 News in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rasmusen also appeared in a three episode series of NBC's Fear Factor, aired on June 13, 2006 - June 27, 2006 . In the first episode, she was teamed with Anthony Fedorov, and won the first challenge involving a demolition derby, ultimately winning a trip to Africa. She finished in second place.[1]
In June 2006, Carmen played a news reporter in commercials for Maverik, a convenience store in the western USA.
In February 2007, it was announced that Carmen signed with Lofton Creek Records.
In the fall of 2007, Carmen's first book was released. Staying in Tune discusses how she's been able to uphold her values while involved with the entertainment industry.[7]
[edit] Recording and television career
[edit] 2007-present: Nothin' Like the Summer
Rasmusen is signed with Lofton Creek Records. Her debut album, Nothin' Like the Summer was released on August 28, 2007, and the first single, "Nothin' Like the Summer", debuted on April 24, 2007.[8]. The song was written by Rasmusen, Victoria Shaw and Jason Deere who also produced the song and her album.
Rasmusen is not only out doing the radio tour set up by Mike Borchetta of Lofton Creek Records, she also started a new program called “Hitching a Ride” where fans can hitch a ride and hang on the bus for a while. This is being done through the local radio stations.
Rasmusen also stopped at 30 radio stations and 10 Television shows including Fox, MSNBC, and Geraldo on Fox News Channel. She has done several live performances all over the country one of which she opened for Tracy Byrd and Jason Michael Carroll. [9]
On July 10, 2007, Rasmusen went to Today to talk about her career and her future plans.[10]
"Nothin' Like the Summer" video debuted in Shanghai, Australia and United Kingdom.[11]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Statistics |
|---|
Carmen EP
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| Nothin' Like the Summer |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Photograph" | Carmen EP |
| 2007 | "Nothin' Like the Summer" | Nothin' Like the Summer |
[edit] Filmography
- Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy (2003), as Charlotte Lucas
- Down And Derby (2005), as Marilyn
[edit] Awards and Nominations
| Year | Presenter | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | New Music Weekly Awards | “New Country Artist of the Year” | Won |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Carmen Rasmusen at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ “What other talents do you have?” page from American Idol website
- ^ Carmen Rasmusen bio from the IMDb
- ^ Former 'Idol' Releases First Album. BYU NewsNet. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
- ^ Search Results
- ^ 'American Idol 2' finalist Carmen Rasmusen defends Paula Abdul - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs
- ^ Spring Creek Book Company, (http://www.springcreekbooks.com/catalog/98897.html)
- ^ Biography from Rasmusen's official site
- ^ Carmen Rasmusen page from Lofton Creek Records
- ^ Biography from Rasmusen's official site
- ^ Carmen Rasmusen
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Lofton Creek Records
- Carmen Rasmusen at MySpace
- Carmen Rasmusen at the Internet Movie Database
- Carmen Rasmusen at American Idol
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