Katharine McPhee Biography

As American Idol’s 2006 runner-up, Katharine McPhee burst onto the music scene with her love of pop music, classic good looks, and an affinity for acting as well as music. The daughter of an already established singer, Katharine McPhee began singing at the young age of two. As a young adult, she chose the Boston Conservatory for her studies, majoring in theater.

Three semesters later, she moved to Los Angeles and began pursuing a career in television and film. Small roles followed, such as one in the film Crazy, and another in a production of Annie Get Your Gun, but it was her audition for American Idol in 2005 which jump-started her opportunity for a career in music and film. Performances of songs such as "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Someone to Watch Over Me” brought her into the final twelve on the show, and she finished as the year’s runner-up.

Following American Idol, Katharine McPhee singed to 19 Recordings Limited, Simon Fuller’s record label, and released “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny.” The single went on to be a chart-topper for 2006. Immediately after, Katharine McPhee began working with top notch producers and collaborators such as Nate Hills and Kara DioGuardi, in preparation for her debut album. Katharine McPhee was released in 2007, landing on the Billboard charts at number two and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week.

Katharine McPhee quickly began a careful balancing act between a burgeoning career in music and one in film. She signed with Neutrogena as their spokesperson in 2008 and began filming commercials for the company, while at the same time contributing vocals to songs for Randy Jackson, fellow American Idol contestant Elliot Yamin, and David Foster. She also made her film debut in The House Bunny in 2008, and sang “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” for Chris Botti: Live in Boston, for PBS. She also guest starred on CSI: NY for an episode, and participated in “An Evening of Stars” to benefit the United Negro College Fund. Shortly after, she accepted a role in the independent comedy You May Not Kiss the Bride.

Since that time, Katharine McPhee has released the additional albums Unbroken (2010) and Hysteria (2015.) She also began her role as Paige Dineen on the hit television series Scorpion, which premiered in 2014 and has been renewed now for its fourth season. Most recently, McPhee began filming the feature production Louisiana Cavier, alongside director and award-winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr.