Joanne Borgella
Encyclopedia
Joanne Borgella is an American singer, songwriter
, actress, jewelry designer
and she is signed to Wilhelmina Models
in New York City
, Miami and LA. The first winner of Mo'Nique's Fat Chance
pageant as "Miss F.A.T." in 2005 and a top 24 contestant on the seventh season
of American Idol
in 2008.
, Long Island
, New York
. At the age of 13 she attended Union School in Haiti where her father, Dr. Joel Borgella, ran for President in the 2006 presidential elections. Her father is the founder of Radio Tropicale, the first international Haitian radio station. Borgella went on to attend private school at the Academy of St. Joseph's in Long Island for her last two years of high school and graduated in 2000. Her mother's name is Paule Ford.
She began singing at 3 and performing at 13 working in Bugga Basements with Wyclef Jean
.
In 2008, she auditioned for the talent search reality television show American Idol
. After successfully completing "Hollywood week", she was chosen to be one of the top 12 girls and overall top 24 final contestant for the seventh season
. Her musical influences are Whitney Houston
, Celine Dion
, Barbra Streisand
, Alanis Morissette
and Andrea Bocelli
. She is currently modeling and working on music.
Borgella was eliminated on February 21, 2008, along with Colton Berry, Garrett Haley and Amy Davis.
She is "Miss F.A.T." 2005, and winner of Oxygen
network's number one show Mo'Nique's Fat Chance
season one. Borgella is represented by Wilhelmina Models
10/20 division in New York and Miami. She has been the face of Torrid, Ashley Stewart, Wal-Mart and Kohls department store and has ads featured in Seventeen
, Essence
and InStyle magazine to name a few. She is currently one of the faces of Procter & Gamble a new campaign that many are calling a "movement" directed at the African American woman, "My Black is Beautiful".
Borgella appeared as a coach on MTV's Made
in 2011.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, actress, jewelry designer
Jewelry designer
A jewellery designer or jewelry designer is a person who renders original jewellery creations and usually constructs them as well...
and she is signed to Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models is a modeling agency founded in 1967 by the model Wilhelmina Cooper and her husband Bruce Cooper in Manhattan Starting in 2010, Wilhelmina Models started a sub-brand called "Digital Empire Modeling" for new digital-era modeling talents....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Miami and LA. The first winner of Mo'Nique's Fat Chance
Mo'Nique's Fat Chance
Mo'Nique's Fat Chance is a reality TV miniseries. It features 10 plus-sized women competing in a beauty pageant to become "Miss F.A.T.," which is explained as "Fabulous and Thick." It is hosted by actress Mo'Nique and has aired since 2005 on the Oxygen network.-2005 edition:The winner of the 2005...
pageant as "Miss F.A.T." in 2005 and a top 24 contestant on the seventh season
American Idol (season 7)
The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
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 2008.
Biography
Borgella, of Haitian descent, is originally from Oyster Bay CoveOyster Bay Cove, New York
The Village of Oyster Bay Cove is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 2,197 at the 2010 census...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. At the age of 13 she attended Union School in Haiti where her father, Dr. Joel Borgella, ran for President in the 2006 presidential elections. Her father is the founder of Radio Tropicale, the first international Haitian radio station. Borgella went on to attend private school at the Academy of St. Joseph's in Long Island for her last two years of high school and graduated in 2000. Her mother's name is Paule Ford.
She began singing at 3 and performing at 13 working in Bugga Basements with Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
.
In 2008, she auditioned for the talent search reality television show 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...
. After successfully completing "Hollywood week", she was chosen to be one of the top 12 girls and overall top 24 final contestant for the seventh season
American Idol (season 7)
The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges...
. Her musical influences are Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
and Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
. She is currently modeling and working on music.
Borgella was eliminated on February 21, 2008, along with Colton Berry, Garrett Haley and Amy Davis.
She is "Miss F.A.T." 2005, and winner of Oxygen
Oxygen (TV channel)
Oxygen is an American cable television specialty channel with television programming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.- History :...
network's number one show Mo'Nique's Fat Chance
Mo'Nique's Fat Chance
Mo'Nique's Fat Chance is a reality TV miniseries. It features 10 plus-sized women competing in a beauty pageant to become "Miss F.A.T.," which is explained as "Fabulous and Thick." It is hosted by actress Mo'Nique and has aired since 2005 on the Oxygen network.-2005 edition:The winner of the 2005...
season one. Borgella is represented by Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models is a modeling agency founded in 1967 by the model Wilhelmina Cooper and her husband Bruce Cooper in Manhattan Starting in 2010, Wilhelmina Models started a sub-brand called "Digital Empire Modeling" for new digital-era modeling talents....
10/20 division in New York and Miami. She has been the face of Torrid, Ashley Stewart, Wal-Mart and Kohls department store and has ads featured in Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
, Essence
Essence (magazine)
Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
and InStyle magazine to name a few. She is currently one of the faces of Procter & Gamble a new campaign that many are calling a "movement" directed at the African American woman, "My Black is Beautiful".
Borgella appeared as a coach on MTV's Made
Made (TV series)
MTV's MADE is a self-improvement reality television series broadcast on MTV. The series follows teens who have a goal and want to be "made" into things like singers, athletes, dancers, skateboarders, etc. The teens are joined by a "Made Coach", an expert in their chosen field, who tries to help...
in 2011.
American Idol performances
| Week # | Theme | Song Choice | Original Artist | Order # | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 24 (12 Women) | 1960s | "I Say a Little Prayer I Say a Little Prayer "I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967.-Background:... " |
Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health.... |
2 | Eliminated |