Download Free Syesha Mercado Songs

Syesha Mercado music biography continued...

Mercado was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on January 2, 1987, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Dreaming of becoming a gospel singer one day, she signed a contract at age nine with the Take Stock in Children initiative, a scholarship program for "low-income families who show potential for college but are unlikely to be able to afford a higher education." She graduated from Booker High School in 2005, where she was in the Theater VPA (Visual and Performing Arts) and currently studies at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.



Mercado tried out for American Idol in Miami, where she sang Aretha Franklin's "Think." The judges unanimously voted her on to Hollywood week. Once there, Mercado lost her voice, but was able to power through to the top 24 despite the setback, with a stirring rendition of "Chain of Fools." Despite fairly good reviews from the judges, Mercado landed in the bottom two or three five times without being voted off. Some commentators, including American Idol judge Simon Cowell, believed her style was more suited for Broadway than pop music. But Mercado picked up steam as the competition wore on and wound up being the only female contestant in the Top 3. She was voted off on May 14th 2008, allowing fellow contestants David Archuleta and David Cook a chance to compete in the finale. Mercado counts as her influences Whitney Houston, Etta James and Alicia Keys, and from the way it looks now, it won't be long before she joins them at the top of the charts.