Rayvon Owen (born June 27, 1991) is an American singer and musician. He is notable for appearing on the fourteenth season of American Idol, where he finished in fourth place.[1] Owen served as the host for the reality competition series The Sims Spark'd.
Rayvon Owen | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 27, 1991 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, pop |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Website | rayvonowen |
Early life
editRayvon Owen was born in Richmond, Virginia on June 27, 1991. He graduated from Henrico High School and Belmont University and worked as a singer and vocal coach.
Music career
edit2014: Early career
editRayvon has his own music video, "Sweatshirt" which premiered in November 2014. He also has a debut EP Cycles.
2015: American Idol
editHe auditioned for the fourteenth season of American Idol with "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry and was chosen for Top 24 and eventually Top 12. After being in the bottom three in the top 11 (which guaranteed two people would be eliminated), Owen was deemed safe. Owen was in the bottom two for five consecutive weeks, but emerged victorious, thanks to the Idol Twitter Fan Save, where the bottom two perform and fans vote on Twitter for who should advance. Owen was the only recipient of the fan save in the entire season earning him the nicknames "Twitter King" and "Comeback Kid".[citation needed] Owen finished in fourth place and was included on the Idols Live Tour.
Performances and results
edit| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Wide Awake" | Katy Perry | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | First Solo | "Ordinary People" | John Legend | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Since U Been Gone" | Kelly Clarkson | N/A | Advanced |
| House of Blues (Top 48) | Second Solo | "Lay Me Down" | Sam Smith | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 (12 Men) | Personal Choice | "Jealous" | Nick Jonas | 12 | Advanced |
| Top 16 | Motown | "My Girl" | The Temptations | 7 | Safe |
| Top 12 | Personal Choice | "Wide Awake" | Katy Perry | 8 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Party Songs | "Burn" | Ellie Goulding | 6 | Safe |
| Movie Night | "Staying Alive" | Bee Gees | 11 | Bottom 31 | |
| Top 9 | Songs from the 1980s | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Tears for Fears | 8 | Bottom 22 |
| Top 8 | Evening with Kelly Clarkson | "Since U Been Gone" | Kelly Clarkson | 6 | Bottom 23 |
| Top 7 | Billboard Hot 100 | "Set Fire to the Rain" | Adele | 7 | Bottom 24 |
| Top 6 | American Classics | "Long Train Runnin'" | The Doobie Brothers | 6 | Bottom 25 |
| "Always on My Mind" | Gwen McCrae and Brenda Lee | 12 | |||
| Top 5 | Arena Anthems | "I'm Not the Only One" | Sam Smith | 5 | Bottom 26 |
| "Go Your Own Way" | Fleetwood Mac | 10 | |||
| Top 4 | Judges Hometown | "Need You Now" | Lady A | 4 | Eliminated |
| Soul | "Believe" | Justin Bieber | 7 |
- ^Note 1 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in the particular night, Owen was in the bottom 3, but was the only contestant declared safe as both Adanna Duru and Maddie Walker were eliminated.
- ^Note 2 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Owen was in the bottom 2, but was declared safe by Twitter vote as Daniel Seavey was eliminated.
- ^Note 3 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Owen was in the bottom 2, but was declared safe by Twitter vote as Qaasim Middleton was eliminated.
- ^Note 4 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Owen was in the bottom 2, but was declared safe by Twitter vote as Joey Cook was eliminated.
- ^Note 5 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Owen was in the bottom 2, but was declared safe by Twitter vote as Quentin Alexander was eliminated.
- ^Note 6 When Ryan Seacrest announced the results for this particular night, Owen was in the bottom 2, but was declared safe as Tyanna Jones was eliminated.
2016-present: New music
editOn the Valentine's Day weekend of 2016, Owen debuted a new single, "Can't Fight It" written with Mylen, Nate Merchant, and Isaiah Tejada. The accompanying music video acts as his official "coming out" as gay, sharing a kiss at the end with LGBT activist Shane Bitney Crone.[2][3] Owen told Billboard: "You'd be surprised at the amount of times I tried to pray the gay away from me or tried to tell God to take this away from me. No kid should have to do what I did and pray to not be who they are. That's why I think it's important even in 2016 to say this."[4]
In January 2018, Owen was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month. He was featured on the Today where he performed his single "Gold."[citation needed]
Personal life
editOn February 14, 2016, Owen premiered a music video for his song "Can't Fight It", at the end of which he kisses a man.[5] That same day, Owen's interview with Billboard was published in which he came out as gay.[6] One day later, Shane Bitney Crone, who is featured as the romantic lead in the music video, announced that he and Owen are a couple.[7] On March 3, 2018, they announced they would be getting married, after Crone proposed to Owen on stage at a Demi Lovato concert.[8]
Discography
editEPs
edit| Album | Details | Track listing |
|---|---|---|
| Cycles[9] |
|
|
Singles
edit- 2016: "Can't Fight It"
- 2018: "Gold"
- 2020: "Space Between" (with Blair St. Clair)
- Digital singles
| Year | Song |
|---|---|
| 2015 | "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" |
| "Since U Been Gone" | |
| "Set Fire to the Rain |
References
edit- ^ Mink, Casey. "American Idol Top 8 Perform". HollywoodLife. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ YouTube: Music video for "Can't Fight It" by Rayvon Owen
- ^ Out.com: How American Idol Brought These Two Lovers Together
- ^ "'American Idol' Alum Rayvon Owen Opens Up About His Sexuality in New Video, 'Can't Fight It' | Billboard". Billboard. February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ Owen, Rayvon (February 14, 2016). "Rayvon Owen – Can't Fight It (OFFICIAL VIDEO)". YouTube.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (February 14, 2016). "'American Idol' Alum Rayvon Owen Opens Up About His Sexuality in New Video, 'Can't Fight It': Exclusive". Billboard Magazine.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/ShaneBitneyCroneOfficial/posts/951697144911104 [user-generated source]
- ^ Owen, Rayvon [@rayvonowen] (March 3, 2018). "I SAID YES!!! i'm still in tears. last night was hands down the happiest night of my life. i am beyond excited and honored to spend the rest of my life with you, @ShaneBitney. thank you @ddlovato for giving us this extremely special moment. #tellmeyoulovemetourpic.twitter.com/P3Kow9jdgZ" (Tweet). Retrieved March 4, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ Owen, Rayvon (August 24, 2014). "Cycles EP-Rayvon Owen". Itunes.
- ^ Bridgeman, Ross. "Albums – Ross Bridgeman".
- ^ Jones, Seth. "Credits – Seth Jones".