Vanessa Denae Olivarez (born April 7, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is the vocalist, songwriter, and autoharpist for the country bands Granville Automatic and Mama's Blue Dress, has written songs for the country duo Sugarland, and was in the Top 12 of the second season of the television series American Idol in 2003."Night After Night, June 18, 2010", by Ben Olivo, San Antonio Express-News, June 17, 2010. Profile, mysanantonio.com; accessed April 7, 2015.
Later that year, she released a single, "The One", which peaked at number nine on the Canadian charts. In 2004, she played Tracy Turnblad, the lead role in the Canadian version of Hairspray, for which she was nominated for a Dora Award.
American Idol Olivarez's friends talked her into auditioning in 2002 for the second season of American Idol. She performed Irene Cara's "Out Here On My Own" in the semi-finals."American Idol, The FORT Interview with Vanessa Olivarez", Lobeck, March 18, 2003, FORT. During a following round where contestants write their own numbers, Olivarez impressed the judges with her song "The Only Thing Special About You Is Me". She moved into the top 32 contestants of the season. “American Idol News”, February 4, 2008, American Idol When she reached the top judges she switched to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"."California Dreamin': You May Sing Like Celine Dion, but You Won't Make It Onto American Idol Without Survivor Stamina", May 1, 2003, People. They compared her to singer and actress Bette Midler. She was in the final twelve and she performed The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On".“Happy Birthday, Vanessa Olivarez!”, April 7, 2010, American Idol News"'American Idol' final twelve named", March 5, 2003, James Welch, Digital Spy. Soon after she was eliminated from American Idol, she lent her celebrity status to support animals' rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals."Anoop Desai to Become Spokesperson for PETA?", Desi Hits, Ranj Bath, April 27, 2009. She posed naked for their "I would rather go naked than wear fur" campaign."'Idol' Chatter: Ruben, Clay, Others Discuss Post-Show Plans", Corey Moss, May 23, 2003, MTV The ad was first unveiled in Herald Square in middle of Manhattan and also ran in Atlanta."Interview with Vanessa Olivarez from American Idol.", Scott Meenen, May13th 2003, Liberty Post News.(transcript ) She also did a benefit for Atlanta Humane Society and The Station nightclub fire.
Canada and first singles In 2003, Olivarez was contacted by Canadian songwriter and actor James Collins who brought her to Toronto, Canada, to write and record some new music. Her first single, "The One", co-written by Olivarez, James Collins and Dave Pickell, had "I'm In Love with My Best Friend's Ex" as a B-side, and reached number nine on Canada's single charts & Top Thirty on the Canadian BDS airplay chart. Another of her songs, "As Vain As You" (also co-written with Collins & Pickell), was on the compilation album Girls Night Out 3.
She played Tracy Turnblad in the Canadian version of the musical Hairspray.Well coiffed: Musical Hairspray Delivers Sky-high Fun", Glenn Sumi, May 13–20, 2004, Vol. 23, No. 37, Now Toronto. After Hairspray she returned to the United States and joined an Atlanta musical group Butterfly Stitch which released an EP and live album.
In May 2005 she appeared in an American Idol theme week on Family Feud."In Brief", Stephen M. Silverman, January 31, 2005, People.
Granville Automatic In 2009 she co-founded Granville Automatic, a country duo, with guitarist and songwriter Elizabeth Elkins who is a grand prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. They are named after a 19th-Century typewriter, and collaborate to write and perform songs about history. They recorded an eight-song set for an episode of PBS' Sun Studio Sessions (taped at Memphis' Sun Studio) and the digital-only EP Live from Sun Studio is available online. Their self-titled album, Granville Automatic, came out in 2012. Their second album, An Army Without Music, was released in 2015 and is a collection of songs inspired by Civil War battles.
Boys Club for Girls In 2019 she joined with Amie Miriello to form the Americana duo, Boys Club for Girls. On January 27, 2020, they released a video for the song "The Weatherman" off their album expected to release later in the year.
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryResult 2005Dora Mavor Moore AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role - Musical (As lead Tracy Turnblad in the Canadian production of Hairspray)
Discography
Albums Granville Automatic - "Granville Automatic" - Release date: May 1, 2012 Granville Automatic - "Live from Sun Studio" - Release date: January 31, 2012
Singles Music InformationThe One Released: 2003"Chart Beat", Fred Bronson, October 18, 2003, page 51, 'Billboard'. "Chart Beat", Fred Bronson, March 13, 2004, page 71, Billboard Charts: Number 9 Canada.
Music InformationThe One (The Remixes) Released: 2008
References
External links Granville Automatic