#90 Siobhan Magnus

Next on my American Idol finalist countdown is my number 90 American Idol finalist Siobhan Magnus. She landed in sixth place on American Idol season 9. She was ranked at number 31 by The Los Angeles Times top 120 power rankings list of May 31, 2010. Her music genres are pop, rock, blues, and soul. Her musical influences are Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Lauryn Hill, Courtney Love, Johnny Lang, her father Alan Magnus, Stevie Wonder, and others. Her favorite quote is: "Sing as if no one were listening."

Siobhan Evelyn Magnus was born to Alan and Colleen Magnus on March 15, 1990, in Barnstable, Massachusetts. She grew up with two older brothers Rory and Joe, an older sister Emily, and two younger sisters Ceili and Azora.  Her father Alan is a singer-songwriter. Her siblings play in various musical acts, and her brother Rory is in the motion picture animation industry. She is the niece of Tracy Ferrie, a former bassist for the Christian metal act called Stryper and Alan Ware, and drummer for Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra.

Magnus has been singing since fourth grade, where she sang "Tomorrow" from the play Annie in a choral concert. She started her career as the lead vocalist of an alternative rock band called Lunar Value, also consisting of lead guitarist Ralph Bousquet, bassist Matthew Kohler, and drummer Jordan Bonina.

Magnus is a member of the Barnstable High School class of 2008 in Hyannis, Massachusetts. During her time in high school, she was a member of the Barnstable High School Drama Club. When the drama club was filmed for an Internet reality show by Warner Brothers, she was featured as one of the three incarnations of Dorothy for the play The Wizard of Oz. Back in the time of American Idol season 7,  in a local profile about Magnus's singing talent, the music department chair of her school district was quoted as saying "Hands down, I think she'd win American Idol." During her senior year in high school, she was voted the most individual girl. She auditioned as a vocal major at Berkelee College of Music (a private college founded in 1945, accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges) and known as a school for jazz, rock, and popular music), but she was rejected. She dropped out of Salem State College, a four year public college founded in 1854 as Salem Normal School under the direction of Horace Mann and located approximately 15 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts, after one semester because she felt out of place as a non-partier.

Before her stint on American Idol, Magnus worked as an apprentice glassblower in Hyannis, Massachusetts. She auditioned for American Idol season 9 in Boston, Massachusetts, and was one of the two Massachusetts to make the semifinals of the show, with Tyler Grady being the other one. She auditioned with the song "Love of My Life" by the British rock band called Queen. During the first Hollywood round, she performed "A Woman's Worth" by Alicia Keys. During the second Hollywood round, she performed "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. During the third Hollywood round, she performed "Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder, which would later be performed by James Durbin on American Idol season 10.

During top 24 week, Magnus performed "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. During top 20 week, she performed "Think" by Aretha Franklin. During top 16 week, she performed the traditional song "The House of the Rising Sun." During top 12 week, she performed "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones. During top 11 week, she performed "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. During top 10 week, she performed "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan. During top 9A week, she performed "Across the Universe" by The Beatles. During top 9B week, she performed "Suspicious Minds" by Mark James. During top 7 week, she performed "When You Believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, which was previously performed by David Archuleta on top 7 week of American Idol season 7. I prefer Archuleta's verson over Magnus' version. During top 6 week, after performing "Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain, Magnus was eliminated to sixth place. She was in the bottom 3 with Casey James and my favorite season 9 finalist Michael Lynche. Her elimination came as a surprise to many American Idol experts. Reportedly as a result, many fans of Magnus vowed not to watch the rest of American Idol season 9. The week after Magnus' dismissal, American Idol had its lowest ratings since 2002. Magnus is currently the only contestant from Massachusetts to become a finalist in American Idol history.

After her stint on American Idol, Magnus gave several media appearances and performed "House of the Rising Sun" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and "Paint It, Black" on The Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman would go on to say to Magnus "I don't know why they voted you off, frankly I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, you should be our American Idol". She also visited the If I Can Dream house, which stars American Idol season 9 semifinalist Alex Lambert, and sang "I Will Come to You" by Hanson and "Halo" by Beyoncé.  She visited the house a second time with the Top 10 contestants, and sang many songs, including "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, "No One" by Alicia Keys, "Creep" by Radiohead, and "Umbrella" by Rihanna, which would later be performed on American Idol season 10 by Naima Adedapo. She also appeared on The Wendy Williams Show performing "Summertime", composed by George Gershwin.

Magnus returned to the finale of American Idol on May 26, 2010 and sang "How Deep Is Your Love" with Aaron Kelly, who were later joined by the original artist The Bee Gees. She also had group performances with Alice Cooper, Christina Aguilera, and Janet Jackson.

On June 9, 2010, Magnus performed with childhood Idols Hanson at the Bardot in Hollywood, California. Magnus actually declared the experience (performing with Hanson) was "better than winning American Idol."

Magnus participated in the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010, where she performed "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones, "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt, and "Stockholm Syndrome" by Muse. She also performed in two group numbers: "Climb" by Miley Cyrus and "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson. She was self-signed with the label Snotface.  Her first single "Beatrice Dream" was released to iTunes on May 1, 2011. She has announced that the release of her debut album, Moonbaby, is being postponed due to "negotiations" with unspecified third-parties.

Next up on my American Idol finalist countdown is my number 89 American Idol finalist. He is the most recent American Idol winner.