Jena Irene Asciutto ( ; born July 13, 1996), also known mononymously as Jena Irene, is an American singer-songwriter who first came to prominence in 2014 as the runner-up on the thirteenth season of American Idol. Asciutto became the first female Wild Card contestant of the series to qualify into the finale and became the second Wild Card contestant, after Clay Aiken in the second season, to make it into the finale. In April 2015, she signed a long-term recording deal with the independent Detroit label Original 1265 Recordings. Asciutto released her debut EP, Innocence, on April 22, 2016, which was followed by her debut album, Cold Fame, on June 2, 2017.
Early life Jena Irene Asciutto was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on July 13, 1996, to Julie () and George Asciutto. She graduated from North Farmington High School on June 8, 2014. She participated in North Farmington's annual "Coffee House" talent show, and from ages 12–16 was a member of a band called Infinity Hour, before it disbanded in February 2013, prior to her American Idol audition.
Career 2014-present: American Idol, Innocence, and Cold Fame While on American Idol, she performed under the shortened name of Jena Irene. For her American Idol audition, Asciutto sang "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele. During the audition process, production continually called her "Jena Irene", possibly due to a mistake she made when writing down her name, as "Irene" is not her surname, but rather her middle name. Although she initially made attempts to correct her name, she eventually decided to keep the name professionally.
During the group round, she sang "Too Close" by Alex Clare, alongside Sikenya Thomson, Allie Odom, and Mufarid Zaidi. She made it into the third part of Hollywood week by singing an original song called "Unbreakable Me," which has since been released on iTunes. Asciutto performed the song again during her hometown visit after making it to the top 3. She was announced as the runner-up on May 21, 2014.
Performances on American Idol EpisodeThemeSong choiceOriginal artistOrderResultAuditionAuditioner's Choice"Rolling in the Deep"AdeleN/AAdvancedHollywood Round, Part 1A Capella"Video Games"Lana Del ReyN/AAdvancedHollywood Round, Part 2Group Performance"Too Close"with Sikenya Thompson, Allie Odom, and Munfarid ZaidiAlex ClareN/AAdvancedHollywood Round, Part 3Solo"Unbreakable Me" (original composition)Jena IreneN/AAdvancedTop 31 (10 Women)Personal Choice"Paint It, Black"The Rolling Stones4Wild CardWild CardHollywood Solo"Unbreakable Me" (original composition)Jena Irene2AdvancedTop 13This Is Me "The Scientist"Coldplay8SafeTop 12Home "Suddenly I See"KT Tunstall1Bottom 3Top 11Songs from the Cinema"Decode"Paramore10SafeTop 10Billboard Top 10"Clarity"Zedd feat. Foxes3SafeTop 9I'm with the Band!"Bring Me to Life"Evanescence feat. Paul McCoy9SafeTop 8Back to the StartDuet "Just Give Me a Reason"with Alex PrestonPink feat. Nate Ruess3SafeSolo "Rolling in the Deep"Adele9Top 8Songs from the 1980sSolo "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"Arrows1SafeDuet "It's Only Love"with Caleb JohnsonBryan Adams & Tina Turner5Top 7Competitors' ChoiceDuet "Gimme Shelter"with Caleb JohnsonThe Rolling Stones6SafeSolo "Creep"Radiohead10Top 6Rock 'n' Roll"Barracuda"Heart1SafeCountry"So Small"Carrie Underwood10Top 5America's RequestsTrio "Best Day of My Life"with Alex Preston & Sam WoolfAmerican Authors3SafeSolo "My Body"Young the Giant6Solo "Valerie"Amy Winehouse9Top 4Love Songs"Heartbreaker"Pat Benatar4Safe"Bad Romance"Lady Gaga7"Can't Help Falling in Love"Elvis Presley11Top 3Randy Jackson's Choice"Titanium"David Guetta feat. Sia3SafeJudges' Choice"Heart Attack"Demi Lovato6Hometown's Choice"Creep"Radiohead9FinaleSimon Fuller's Choice"Dog Days Are Over"Florence + the Machine1Runner-up Reprisal Song"Can't Help Falling in Love"Elvis Presley3Winner's Single"We Are One"Jena Irene5
Asciutto took part in the American Idols Live! Tour 2014 from June 24 through August 24, 2014. She began work on her debut album immediately after the show as well.
In April 2015, Asciutto signed a record deal with Detroit-based label Original 1265 Records. In October 2015, the music video for "Unbreakable" was released. The single would later be on both debut EP, Innocence, which was released on April 22, 2016, and her album, Cold Fame, was released in late 2016. The music video for the second single, "Innocence", was released on April 20, 2016. On April 22, 2016, "You Gotta Help Me", was featured in the Billboard.com Editors' Picks.
Discography Extended plays + List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peakchartpositions USHeat InnocenceReleased: April 22, 2016 Label: Original 1265 Format: CD, Digital download 18 Cold Fame Released: June 2, 2017 Label:Original 1265 Format:CD, Digital download
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album US "We Are One" 2014 — "Unbreakable"2016—Innocence and Cold Fame"Innocence"—Innocence"You Gotta Help Me"—
Releases from "American Idol" "Clarity" "Bring Me to Life" "Rolling in the Deep" "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" "Creep" "Barracuda" "My Body" "Heartbreaker"
Music videos TitleYear"Unbreakable"2015"Innocence"2016"Floating Down the River"2017"So I Get High"2017
References
External links
Irena Jena Irena on American Idol