Joanna Pacitti
Encyclopedia
Joanna Pacitti is an American singer and lead vocalist in the band City (Comma) State.
Annie
after entering a contest sponsored by the department store Macy's
. Pacitti starred in 106 performances with the national tour, obtaining mixed reviews.
Shortly before the show was to open on Broadway
, she was terminated by the show's producers. The firing generated national publicity. Pacitti appeared for interviews on ABC
World News Tonight, Good Morning America
, American Journal and Turning Point
, an in-depth report with Barbara Walters
. Her family employed a public relations strategist to elicit opportunities with various media outlets. After successfully appealing the initial rejection of her case, Pacitti eventually settled out of court on undisclosed terms.
, who met her in a restaurant and was instantly impressed by her demo tapes. Young introduced her to various people in the music business, ultimately resulting in a five-year record deal with industry giant Ron Fair
of A&M records
.
At the age of 16, Pacitti was officially signed to A&M Records
. Prior to her own album debut, she appeared in various soundtracks, including the Legally Blonde
soundtrack in 2001 and in a five track promotional CD released with Mattel’s My Scene - Chelsea Spring Break (Series 2), called My Scene -Chelsea Mix. In 2002, the Taiwanese girl group S.H.E
made a cover of her song "Watch Me Shine". By the age of 18, Pacitti had already written about 100 songs.
In 2003, Pacitti was one of three participants in MTV
's First Year, which detailed the process of obtaining various professions over the course of a year. Pacitti is seen attempting to launch a music career in the show.
In 2004, she had a brief appearance on the show What I Like About You
, in which she played a singer named Amber and sang her song "Ultraviolet".
After many years of delay at the hands of A&M Records, Pacitti's first single, "Let It Slide", was finally released in May 2006 under Geffen Records
and went to radio at the end of June. Her debut album, This Crazy Life
, was released on August 15, 2006. The album debuted at #31 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
Throughout 2006, she toured with Sheryl Crow
and Nick Lachey
. She then joined Teen People’s Rock’n’Shop Tour in July.
During the first half of 2007, Pacitti recorded the song "Out From Under" for the Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack
. The song was later covered by Britney Spears
in 2008, and was featured on her sixth studio album, Circus
.
When her label faced significant budget cuts, Joanna parted ways with Geffen Records in late 2007. She had been working on a follow-up to This Crazy Life at the time.
Joanna was the lead singer of the band City (Comma) State, until they broke up in May 2011.
of American Idol
in Louisville, Kentucky
, in an episode that aired on January 21, 2009. She passed the audition into the Hollywood round. Pacitti's past accomplishments have stirred debate about whether American Idol contestants should be strictly amateur performers.
On the February 11 Idol broadcast, she was shown advancing into the Top 36. FOX issued a press release the next morning announcing that Pacitti was "ineligible to continue" and was removed from the competition. According to Star magazine, the reasoning behind this was that Pacitti has "very personal connections" to Michelle Young and Roger Widynowski, two executives that work at the Los Angeles office of American Idols 19 Entertainment
.
In addition to living in the same apartment complex as the 19 Entertainment executives for several years, Pacitti has also allegedly called Young her "manager" and "best friend," and credited Widynowski—a former RCA Records publicist—with "helping me get where I am today." She was replaced on the program by Felicia Barton.
Theater
In 1996, at age 12, Pacitti was chosen to star in the 20th anniversary revival of the musicalMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
after entering a contest sponsored by the department store Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
. Pacitti starred in 106 performances with the national tour, obtaining mixed reviews.
Shortly before the show was to open on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, she was terminated by the show's producers. The firing generated national publicity. Pacitti appeared for interviews on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
World News Tonight, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, American Journal and Turning Point
Turning Point (TV show)
Turning Point was an ABC News program that aired from 1994 to 1999.Turning Point was an hour-long program on a single topic, making it similar to CBS' 48 Hours, which it ran directly opposite for some of its run. The program tended toward sensational topics, such as former members of Charles...
, an in-depth report with Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
. Her family employed a public relations strategist to elicit opportunities with various media outlets. After successfully appealing the initial rejection of her case, Pacitti eventually settled out of court on undisclosed terms.
Music career
Pacitti began pursuing a pop career throughout her teenage years. When she was 14 years old, she was discovered by Michelle YoungMichelle Young
Michelle Young is an American musician. She has performed on a wide variety of recordings and is probably best known for her work with the progressive rock group Glass Hammer. Citing Kate Bush as an influence, Young was professionally trained in classical voice at the University of...
, who met her in a restaurant and was instantly impressed by her demo tapes. Young introduced her to various people in the music business, ultimately resulting in a five-year record deal with industry giant Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
of A&M records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
.
At the age of 16, Pacitti was officially signed to A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. Prior to her own album debut, she appeared in various soundtracks, including the Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and produced by Marc E. Platt...
soundtrack in 2001 and in a five track promotional CD released with Mattel’s My Scene - Chelsea Spring Break (Series 2), called My Scene -Chelsea Mix. In 2002, the Taiwanese girl group S.H.E
S.H.E
S.H.E is a Taiwanese girl group whose members are Selina Jen, Hebe Tien, and Ella Chen. The name of the group is an alphabetism derived from the first letter of each member's name. Since releasing their first album Girls Dorm , S.H.E has recorded 12 albums with sales totalling over 15 million, and...
made a cover of her song "Watch Me Shine". By the age of 18, Pacitti had already written about 100 songs.
In 2003, Pacitti was one of three participants in MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's First Year, which detailed the process of obtaining various professions over the course of a year. Pacitti is seen attempting to launch a music career in the show.
In 2004, she had a brief appearance on the show What I Like About You
What I Like About You (TV series)
What I Like About You is an American television sitcom set mainly in New York City, following the lives of two sisters, Valerie Tyler and Holly Tyler . The series ran on The WB Television Network from September 20, 2002, to March 24, 2006, with a total of 86 episodes produced...
, in which she played a singer named Amber and sang her song "Ultraviolet".
After many years of delay at the hands of A&M Records, Pacitti's first single, "Let It Slide", was finally released in May 2006 under Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
and went to radio at the end of June. Her debut album, This Crazy Life
This Crazy Life
This Crazy Life is the debut studio album by American singer Joanna Pacitti, more commonly known as Joanna. The singles from this album are "Let It Slide" and "Screaming Infidelities". One of Pacitti's songs, "Ultraviolet" was featured on the Girl Next compilation album...
, was released on August 15, 2006. The album debuted at #31 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
Throughout 2006, she toured with Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
and Nick Lachey
Nick Lachey
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...
. She then joined Teen People’s Rock’n’Shop Tour in July.
During the first half of 2007, Pacitti recorded the song "Out From Under" for the Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack
Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack
Bratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the live-action theatrical film Bratz. It features songs from and inspired by the film by various artists, including the Bratz themselves. The "Bratz" are Janel Parrish , Skyler Shaye , Logan Browning and Nathalia Ramos...
. The song was later covered by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
in 2008, and was featured on her sixth studio album, Circus
Circus (Britney Spears album)
Circus is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears. The album was first released on November 28, 2008 by Jive Records. Spears started work on the album in early 2008 with a range of producers including long-time producers Bloodshy & Avant and Danja...
.
When her label faced significant budget cuts, Joanna parted ways with Geffen Records in late 2007. She had been working on a follow-up to This Crazy Life at the time.
Joanna was the lead singer of the band City (Comma) State, until they broke up in May 2011.
American Idol
Pacitti auditioned for the eighth seasonAmerican Idol (season 8)
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, in an episode that aired on January 21, 2009. She passed the audition into the Hollywood round. Pacitti's past accomplishments have stirred debate about whether American Idol contestants should be strictly amateur performers.
On the February 11 Idol broadcast, she was shown advancing into the Top 36. FOX issued a press release the next morning announcing that Pacitti was "ineligible to continue" and was removed from the competition. According to Star magazine, the reasoning behind this was that Pacitti has "very personal connections" to Michelle Young and Roger Widynowski, two executives that work at the Los Angeles office of American Idols 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
.
In addition to living in the same apartment complex as the 19 Entertainment executives for several years, Pacitti has also allegedly called Young her "manager" and "best friend," and credited Widynowski—a former RCA Records publicist—with "helping me get where I am today." She was replaced on the program by Felicia Barton.
Performances
| Week | Theme | Song(s) | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition Audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software... |
N/A | "We Belong We Belong "We Belong" is a 1984 single from Pat Benatar's sixth studio album Tropico. It matched the success of "Love Is a Battlefield" on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S., peaking at number five, and reaching number three on Billboard's Top Rock Tracks chart and the top 40 on its Adult... " |
Pat Benatar Pat Benatar Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States... |
Advanced |
| Hollywood | Night 1 round | Unaired | Unaired | Advanced |
| Hollywood | Group performance | "Some Kind of Wonderful Some Kind of Wonderful (Soul Brothers Six song) "Some Kind of Wonderful" is a song written by John Ellison. It was first recorded in 1967 by the American group Soul Brothers Six, peaking at number ninety-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100... " |
Soul Brothers Six Soul Brothers Six Soul Brothers Six were an American rhythm and blues band formed in Rochester, New York during the mid-1960s. They are best remembered for their song "Some Kind of Wonderful", which was later a big hit for Grand Funk Railroad.-History:... |
Advanced |
| Hollywood | N/A | "If I Ain't Got You If I Ain't Got You "If I Ain't Got You" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American recording artist Alicia Keys for her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Released in February 2004 as the album's second single, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Keys' second... " |
Alicia Keys Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano... |
Advanced, later disqualified |
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
|||
| 2006 | This Crazy Life This Crazy Life This Crazy Life is the debut studio album by American singer Joanna Pacitti, more commonly known as Joanna. The singles from this album are "Let It Slide" and "Screaming Infidelities". One of Pacitti's songs, "Ultraviolet" was featured on the Girl Next compilation album...
|
31 |
|
Soundtracks
- 2001 Legally BlondeLegally BlondeLegally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and produced by Marc E. Platt...
Soundtrack – "Watch Me Shine" - 2002 Cadet KellyCadet KellyCadet Kelly is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Hilary Duff. The film premiered with 7.8 million viewers. It was Duff's second film where she played the main character, her first being the film Casper Meets Wendy...
Soundtrack - "Watch Me Shine" - 2003 My SceneMy SceneMy Scene is an American series of fashion dolls created by Mattel in 2002. Mattel's Barbie character is one of the dolls in the My Scene line, and the My Scene dolls have slim bodies similar to earlier Barbie dolls, but with larger heads...
's Chelsea Mix – "Just When You're Leaving" (different version from the album version, Promotional Only Release) - 2004 First DaughterFirst DaughterFirst Daughter may refer to:*First Daughter , a television film starring Monica Keena and Mariel Hemingway*First Daughter , a feature film starring Katie Holmes...
Soundtrack - "Fall" - 2007 Nancy Drew Soundtrack - "Pretty Much Amazing"
- 2007 Bratz: Motion Picture SoundtrackBratz: Motion Picture SoundtrackBratz: Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the live-action theatrical film Bratz. It features songs from and inspired by the film by various artists, including the Bratz themselves. The "Bratz" are Janel Parrish , Skyler Shaye , Logan Browning and Nathalia Ramos...
- "Out From Under"