Christina Cewe

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Christina Cewe
Born
Christina Christian

(1981-06-21) June 21, 1981 (age 42)
New York City, United States
Known forAmerican Idol (season 1) finalist
SpouseNicholas Cewe[1]

Christina Christian Cewe (born June 21, 1981[2]) is an American singer and author notable for being a finalist on the first season of American Idol, and for being hospitalized immediately prior to her elimination.[3][4]

Background[edit]

Cewe was born Christina Christian in Brooklyn, New York.[5][6] and grew up in North Miami and south Miami-Dade County.[7] She is of Trinidadian descent.[8] At the time of American Idol, Cewe was an undergraduate at the University of Florida majoring in sociology.[9][10][11]

American Idol[edit]

Cewe (as Christina Christian) successfully auditioned for the first season of American Idol in Miami with the Stevie Wonder song "Isn't She Lovely?"[12][13] and subsequently advanced through Hollywood Week and the Top 30, Top 10, Top 8 and Top 7 rounds. Her performance of "Ain't No Sunshine" in the Top 7 round was acclaimed by judge Simon Cowell, who compared her to the band Sade and admitted having a small crush on her.[14]

On August 7, 2002, the day after her Top 6 performance of "The Glory of Love", Cewe suffered a collapse backstage as she was preparing for the results show and was hospitalized.[3][4] The collapse was reported as being due to stress by American Idol co-executive producer Nigel Lythgoe,[3] though Cewe denied this in a subsequent interview, stating she had just had a bad headache and felt weak.[10] Cewe was eliminated the night of her hospitalization, receiving the fewest votes of the remaining contestants, and placed sixth.[3][15] She made a full recovery.[10] Cewe's elimination prompted conspiracy theories among some fans who believed she had not in fact received the lowest number of votes and had been eliminated by producers.[3][16] Journalist Richard Rushfield, in his book American Idol: The Untold Story, called her exit the series' "very first flurry of conspiracy talk".[17]

Performances[edit]

Episode Theme Song choice Result
Audition Contestant's Choice "Isn't She Lovely" Advanced
Top 30 Contestant's Choice "At Last" Advanced
Top 10 Motown "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Safe
Top 8 1960s "When a Man Loves a Woman" Safe
Top 7 1970s "Ain't No Sunshine" Safe
Top 6 Big Band "The Glory of Love" Eliminated

Later life[edit]

After American Idol, Cewe received offers from several major record labels, as well as some television opportunities.[11] She was signed to 19 Entertainment alongside the other top 10 finishers and participated with them in the American Idols Live! Tour 2002,[7] as well as the American Idol: Greatest Moments CD.[18] In 2003, she was a presenter for TV Guide covering the second season of American Idol[19] and contributed to the American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics compilation album.[20] In 2004, it was reported by the Associated Press that Cewe would release an album in Europe that summer.[21] Cewe returned that year to the third season of American Idol to give a guest performance of her new single, "Forever or Never."[22]

A 2005 article in The Miami Herald noted Cewe as hoping to produce an album of songs that she had written, but that she was also aiming to finish her sociology degree and go to law school, and that she had appeared on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.[7] She ultimately put singing professionally on hold, and as of 2012 had become an account manager for an IT company.[1]

In 2022, Cewe released a children's book titled I Believe in Me: Do You Believe in You?.[8][23]

Cewe was the first of the American Idol first season finalists to get married, which was in 2004 to Nicholas Cewe,[24] her fiancée at the time of the show.[9] The pair have three children together.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "'American Idol' Finalists: From Sanjaya to Taylor Hicks, Where Are They Now? [PHOTOS]". The Daily Beast. May 21, 2012. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Christina Christian: Biofilmografía". Amazon.com (in Spanish). January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Maynard, John (August 9, 2002). "Christina's Bad-News Night". Washington Post. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Susman, Gary (August 8, 2002). "What really happened to Idol's Christina?". EW.com. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "Finalists: Christina Christian". fox.com. November 6, 2002. Archived from the original on November 6, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Drake, Barbara (December 5, 2020). "Escape to Reality". University of Florida Advancement. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Gehrke-White, Donna (May 5, 2005). "Christina Christian, after 'Idol'". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on January 27, 2006. Retrieved January 19, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ a b "Our Lives: American Idol top 10 winner writes children's book". News 12 – Connecticut. December 11, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "'Idol' family: 'We feel pretty confident'". CNN.com. July 31, 2002. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Spivey, Erich (August 10, 2002). "UF 'Idol' contestant in good spirits despite loss". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Valdes, Jennifer (September 9, 2002). "UF 'American Idol' reflects on experience, moves on". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Adams, Benny (October 6, 2022). "American Idol Season 1: Where Are They Now?". ScreenRant. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Guerra, Joey (January 17, 2012). "Delete these tunes from 'Idol' play list". Chron. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  14. ^ Kim, Ellen (May 18, 2005). "Some 'Idol' performances still reverberate today". TODAY.com. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  15. ^ Tanasychuk, John (August 10, 2002). "Not an Idol, but Pines Woman Maintains Winning Attitude". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  16. ^ Shaw, Jessica (July 4, 2003). "Shocker! Christina Christian gets booted off Idol". EW.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  17. ^ Rushfield, R. (2011). American Idol: The Untold Story. Hachette Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-4013-9652-7. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Cohen, Howard (November 16, 2002). "South Florida's Hot Shots". Billboard. p. 59. Retrieved February 3, 2024 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ Cohn, Angel (January 21, 2003). "Christina Christian's Idol Chatter". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics by American Idol". Genius. October 14, 2003. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Daniels, Karu F. (May 11, 2004). "Many 'American Idol' losers are winning big". Associated Press/Ocala StarBanner. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Wilkes, Neil (April 11, 2004). "Tarantino to guest on 'American Idol'". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  23. ^ "Christina Christian Cewe joins us!". CBS News. December 20, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  24. ^ Smolowe, Jill; Lipton, Mike; Helling, Steve; Rizzo, Monica; Atlas, Darla (January 17, 2005). "Life After Idol". People. Vol. 63, no. 2. EBSCOhost 15587688. Christina Christian. Age: 23. Hometown: Gainesville, Fla. After doing a post-Idol tour through Europe, Christian became the first in her class to get hitched when she wed Nicholas Cewe, 24, her boyfriend of six years, last January. Christian appeared on Idol twice last season and covered the prior season for the TV Guide Channel. These days, she's writing songs, working on an album and dodging recognition. "I'm not a big fan of fame," she says.
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