Alexis Jordan Biography

Alexis Jordan (born April 7, 1992) is an American singer and actress from Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan rose to fame as a contestant on the first season of America's Got Talent in 2006. After being eliminated from the show, she began to upload cover songs on YouTube, of which received millions of views. The exposure led Jordan to the attention of production team Stargate and rapper Jay-Z, who both went on to sign her to their label, StarRoc/Roc Nation.

1991-2008: Early life and career beginnings

Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina to an African American, Native American and European descent mother and a Puerto Rican father. Jordan began writing songs since third grade. At the age of eleven, she moved with her parents and three younger siblings to Santa Clarita, California to pursue a career in the arts. At the age of twelve, Jordan opened for Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert.

In 2006, Jordan auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent. She sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" at her audition and made it through to next round, only to be eliminated in the semi-finals. After being eliminated from the show, Jordan and her family moved to Atlanta to be closer to the music industry. While there, she began to upload cover songs on YouTube while submitting demos. By 2008, Jordan's YouTube page was racking up millions of views. The exposure led Jordan to the attention of production team Stargate who called her to fly over to New York and record a few songs with them. It wasn't until rapper Jay-Z walked into the studio and then signed Jordan to StarRoc/Roc Nation.
2010-present: Alexis Jordan

Jordan's debut single "Happiness" was released in June 2010. The song was written by Deadmau5, Autumn Rowe, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen, with the latter two also handling its production. In the United States, "Happiness" reached number one on the U.S Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot Dance Airplay charts. It also charted in the top five in the United Kingdom, and Australia, where it certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Jordan's second single "Good Girl" was released on February 18, 2011, and debuted at number eighteen on the Irish Singles Chart, It also debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart marking her second top 10 hit in the UK.