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Jena Irene Asciutto
Asciutto in 2014
Background information
Also known as	Jena Irene
Born	(1996-07-13) July 13, 1996 (age 28) Farmington Hills, Michigan, United States
Genres	Alternative rock pop rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	2014–present
Labels	Original 1265 Recordings
Website	www.jenamusic.com

Jena Irene Asciutto (/əˈʃuːtoʊ/ ə-SHOO-toh; 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 (née Loiselle) 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

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

Singles

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

References

1. ^ "'Idol' finalist Jena Irene signs record deal with Detroit label". Freep.com. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
2. Sue White (February 22, 2014). "'American Idol' finalist Jena Irene Asciutto has strong Bay City ties". MLive.com.
3. Shari (May 21, 2014). "American Idol Jena Irene Sings 'Ain't It Fun' with Paramour 5/21/14 – #Idolfinale". Have U Heard. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
4. "Who Is Jena Irene Asciutto? American Idol 2014 Contestant Background Info". Wetpaint.com. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
5. Perlman, Jake. "'Idol' Exit Interview: Runner-up Jena Irene on her name change, why she won't perform at prom – VIDEO". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
6. "Jena Irene looks forward to a debut album | Idol Chatter & Voice Views". Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
7. "Blog". Jena Irene. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
8. "Jena Irene Asciutto (@JenaAsciutto1) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
9. "See what 'American Idol' runner-up Jena Irene Asciutto is up to now". MLive.com. February 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.

External links

• Irena Jena Irena on American Idol
• Jena Irena at IMDb

• American Idol participants
• Living people
• 1996 births
• American pop rock singers
• American alternative rock singers
• Singer-songwriters from Michigan
• American women singer-songwriters
• People from Oakland County, Michigan
• 21st-century American women singers
• 21st-century American singer-songwriters
• North Farmington High School alumni
• American people of Italian descent