With a vocal style that landed somewhere between a jazzy croon and a throaty, soulful belt, Haley Reinhart became an American Idol finalist in 2011. She began singing as an eight-year-old, eventually earning a spot in her parents' cover band while attending high school in Wheeling, Illinois. After graduating in 2009, Reinhart began studying jazz at nearby Harper College. Her first audition for American Idol arrived the following year, but it wasn't until the summer of 2010, when Reinhart returned to auditions for a second time, that she advanced to the semifinals. Pitted against rock singers and country crooners, she became one of the more unique performers during the show's tenth season, performing a mix of old classics ("Bennie and the Jets," "Steppin' Out with My Baby") and contemporary hits (Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"). She finished third, earning a contract with Interscope Records in the process. In 2012, Reinhart released her debut album, Listen Up!, featuring the single "Free." Heavy promotion of her debut followed throughout 2013 and 2014, during which time Reinhart took her show overseas. Much of 2015 was spent with Postmodern Jukebox. Reinhart covered classics by Radiohead, the Cardigans, Britney Spears, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes, while also putting her spin on contemporary tracks by Tove Lo and Meghan Trainor. But it was her cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" that became a viral hit and put Reinhart on the Billboard charts. Riding that momentum, she released the LP Better in 2016, followed in 2017 by the covers album What's That Sound? In 2018, Reinhart issued the single "Last Kiss Goodbye," a breezy original composition that incorporated elements of jazz, bossa nova, and pop. ~ Andrew Leahey & Neil Z. Yeung