#61 Brooke White

Next on my American Idol finalist countdown, which ends by February 28, 2012, is Brooke White. She landed in fifth place on American Idol season 7. She released her debut album Songs from the Attic in 2005 under the record label New Millennium Records Group. Her first post-Idol album is High Hopes & Heartbreak released in 2009 under the record label June Baby Records. Her first single "Hold Up My Heart" was released on February 25, 2009, and the song debuted at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Brooke Elizabeth White was born to Brad and Kaylene White on June 2, 1983, in Phoenix, Arizona. She grew up with three younger siblings: Kaylee, Tyler, and Quinn. She is of English descent. She also has family members in Nova Scotia, Canada, and she is a Mormon.

White started singing at the age of 16, when she auditioned for the high school musical, Meet Me in St. Louis, a 1989 broadway production based on the 1944 of the same name, and earned the lead role. White graduated from Heritage Academy High School in 2001. She, at one time, attended beauty school, and described herself as a "beauty school dropout", and shared on American Idol that she started doing hair at the age of 11. White moved to Los Angeles, California when she was 19 years old, where she attended the Musicians Institute for three months and then spent the next four years honing her craft as a singer-songwriter recording in the studio and performing in the clubs of Hollywood, California under the guidance of Tim Simms. White also spent a year as a nanny for twin baby girls. During her elimination video on American Idol, White stated "It's probably not a secret that I struggled with my own confidence but I'm stronger than I thought I was and that's a great thing to get out of this." White currently resides in Van Nuys, California, with her husband. On December 16, 2011, she announced on her blog that she is pregnant with a baby girl due to be born in May 2012.

White auditioned for American Idol season 7 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she sang "Like a Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae and received positive reviews from all of the judges. During the Hollywood Round, she performed "Beautiful" by Carole King, and accompanied herself on piano. After that performance, judges commented that White reminded them of a young Carole King. During top 24 week, White performed "Happy Together" by The Turtles, a Los Angeles based rock band fronted by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman and known for its cover version of "It Ain't Me Babe" by Bob Dylan. During top 20 week, she accompanied herself on the guitar for her performance of "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon and stared at Simon Cowell during the performance. During top 16 week, she performed "Love Is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar, and she advanced to the finals.