Katharine McPhee Debuts SMASH "Beautiful"

If you've been watching NBC lately, you may have noticed that as midseason approaches, they've been promoting their upcoming new musical drama series SMASH, an emotionally stirring drama, chronicling what it takes to get a new Broadway musical off the ground. NBC has released the first official music video from the series, featuring Katharine McPhee covering Christina Aguilera's cello-driven, classically-flavored ballad "Beautiful."
SMASH celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire - to be a 'Smash hit.' The series is set to premiere on February 6, 2012. The plot will follow an out-of-town tryout of a Broadway musical, and centers on a group of people putting together to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom and Julia.
The 27-year-old American Idol veteran, shows off her "Beautiful" voice, is headed to the Great White Way in NBC's upcoming Broadway-centric series. McPhee plays Karen Cartwright, a young girl from Iowa with a dream of making it on Broadway who lands a successful audition and becomes the favorite for the role of Marilyn and blows everyone away. On top of McPhee's shimmering rendition of the song, the video also includes sneak peeks of the series, which is a backstage look at a Broadway musical.
The new SMASH cast clip in what appears to be an audition scene, follows McPhee's character's journey as her parents send her off from her hometown to the bright lights of New York City. It has the full version of the song as sung extremely well by McPhee, and includes glimpses of the new series. The song that vaults Karen onto the producer's shortlist. At its core, SMASH is about two actor's drive to succeed: A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty Karen and stage veteran Ivy. They spend the bulk of the pilot singing their hearts out.

Katharine McPhee - "It's Not Christmas W/O You"

A Very Merry Katharine McPhee has released the official music video for her new co-penned Christmas song, "It's Not Christmas Without You," the only original song from her third studio album, and first holiday themed album "Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You" was premiered on Vevo on Friday morning. Waking up to a sad feeling that she won't be with her lover, the 'American Idol' graduate gets a surprise visit when trying to distract herself from the loneliness.
McPhee tells her loved one, "It's Not Christmas Without You," on a new song. Opening with elongated string chords and sleigh bell effects, the piano ballad with light percussion features the now darker-haired McPhee longing for her loved one to be next to her during the holidays. "Life on the road has made me realize how many people spend Christmas alone," McPhee explains when writing the song, "When visiting military hospitals or even meeting fellow travelers working during the holidays, it made me reflect on how hard it can be to celebrate anything when you're away from those you love."
The American Idol runner-up's first holiday album includes a slew of covers as well as the track that inspired this music video, which McPhee wrote herself. The video was directed by Judson Morgan and features actor Joel David Moore as McPhee's love interest. McPhee is forced to spend the holiday without her loved one in a music video for her single "It's Not Christmas Without You". Waking up to a call from her boyfriend saying he will be away at Christmas, she decides to make the day more cheerful by turning her room into a winter wonderland. As she finishes doing the decoration, her man surprises her by appearing at her door holding a beautiful mini Christmas tree.
With one of the most beautiful voices ever to grace the American Idol stage, McPhee battled all the way to the finals during season five in 2006. Ultimately finishing second to Taylor Hicks, McPhee has kept herself very busy in the last four years. "Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You" is her latest holiday project, a truly excellent collection of holiday music. McPhee and her producers have wisely chosen to keep the arrangements simple. Artists often shorten the shelf life of their Christmas-themed releases by layering on current production styles. Thankfully this isn't the case here, with a classic sense of style that will play equally well in years to come.
"Christmas really is my favorite time of year," she said. "It takes a little imagination to be recording right now but I don't need a ton of Christmas lights in the studio to inspire me. I know these songs so well. These are the songs I listened to growing up. Hopefully my versions will be unique but at the same time timeless; full and rich yet simple and intimate." McPhee's holiday tune fits right in. More often than not, "new" Christmas songs stick out like a sore thumb; an unfamiliar weak spot. Not so here, as McPhee and company have crafted a strong melody and backed it with unfussy instrumentation. Even if you haven't closely followed her post-Idol career, this is a perfect opportunity to become reacquainted.

Katharine McPhee "Say Goodbye" To Break Up

American Idol alum Katherine McPhee has just released a new music video for her beautiful and haunting track "Say Goodbye," which will be included on the soundtrack of the upcoming faith film "I Am." The movie will be directed by John Ward, and has garnered a lot of hype in recent weeks. McPhee has such a beautiful voice that is full of raw emotion which can really be felt in this heart-felt song. It's actually a really beautiful video, but it's heartbreaking as well.
McPhee has a cloudless voice and a warm, wide-eyed Alice in Wonderland quality that won her swarms of fans on American Idol's fifth season - if Simon Cowell had a ready antonym for "ghastly," there's little room for doubt about which contestant he would have applied it to. McPhee warmly laughs as she confesses she's been in "artistic hiding" for the last few years. "It took me a long time to figure out where I wanted to go and be as an artist," she says. "I needed time to learn who I was as a musician." Once she discovered the answer, however, her path was sure and swift. McPhee is an R&B-leaning pop disc that pulls the urgency and tenderness out of her voice and pins it smack in the center of each song. If there's a crisp, smartly maneuvered Christina Aguilera-meets-Beyoncé-and-Mariah sensibility at work in those songs, the ballads belong to McPhee alone.
"Say Goodbye" was the third single and one of six tracks co-written by McPhee lifted from her sophomore album "Unbroken," which was released in January. In an interview with AOL, she was asked how therapeutic she found the lyric-writing process to be. The American Idol runner-up replied: "It depends on the day and who I'm in the room with. A lot of times I was really stubborn going into some of the writing sessions because I didn't want to write that day or something. But at the end I was really excited about what we did, and obviously all of it doesn't make the record, but it's cool to hear the finished product and have that memory of what it takes to go from a blank piece of paper to a full song."
The devastating, string–laced ballad "Say Goodbye," received its premiere when McPhee appeared on CBS drama "CSI: New York." McPhee guest-starred as a singer and stalker victim turned murderer and sang a partial version of the song during the episode. Written about the pain that precedes an inevitable break up, "Say Goodbye," is "the slit your wrist song," McPhee says, "This record is definitely more personal to me." Listeners will discover a glorious side of McPhee's supple, clear voice, resonating with emotion and confidence, caresses each note on this collection of soon–to–be pop classics. Her vocals also display a new vulnerability and maturity that make unbroken compelling listening. And yet come through to the other side, as McPhee does, "Unbroken." McPhee is currently working on a Christmas album that will be released in time for the holidays.

Katharine McPhee & Zachary Levi Are 'Terrified'

Former 'American Idol' runner-up Katharine McPhee has released an accompanying music video for the new version of her single "Terrified" with a somewhat unlikely duet partner: "Chuck" star Zachary Levi. The video for their collaboration was released Friday on Vevo, and while it doesn't sound all that different from the song as it appears on her album "Unbroken" with Jason Reeves. What's impressive, though, is that Levi is not only the sweetest super-spy geek on TV, but apparently he is also a great budding singer!
"Terrified" really is a cracking tune! McPhee is now re-releasing the tune as a duet with the delectable Levi. The song, which is available on iTunes, was originally was composed by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi and singer-songwriter Jason Reeves. McPhee originally recorded it with Jason Reeves for her sophomore album "Unbroken" but decided on a collaboration with Levi when she discovered that he can sing as well as act and will be showcasing his vocal skills in Disney's upcoming animated film, "Tangled." The song was also covered by Idol finalist Didi Benami during Hollywood Week earlier this season.
This newly-premiered video is directed by Judson Pearce Morgan, and is intercepted with scenes featuring Kelly Overtone and Shane McRae as a couple who falls for one another. On working with Levi, McPhee told People, "He was such a blast; so funny and charming." The actor also has nothing but good words for her, stating "Working with Katharine was awesome. She's a multi-talented girl, with a great heart. I hope I get the chance to work with her again." While some industry folks and most fans are surprised by this singing revelation, it turns out Levi actually has a background in musical theater.The budding singer grew up performing in community plays and musicals near his childhood Ventura, Calif., home before he became Chuck the spy.

Katharine McPhee Premiered Video "Had It All"

Katharine McPhee just has unveiled a new music video yesterday for the lead single "Had it All" off her upcoming sophomore album, "Unbroken," set to be released in January, 5, 2010 from Verve Forecast Records. The new album will be American Idol season five runner-up's first studio project since she left RCA Records in 2008. The album is produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, Jason Mraz) and has McPhee contributing behind songwriting desk. When asked to describe the album, the 25-year-old American Idol alum has been quoted as saying that an "organic, edgy, and more adult" sound will be prominent on the album.
The song "Had It All" was first released to McPhee's myspace page and iTunes on August 25, and then to AC and Hot AC radio on September 21. The mid-tempo pop rock song was written by David Hodges, Mitch Allan, and American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. McPhee describes the song as being about "a girl that went out to look for a different love and thought that she could find something better and realized at the end 'Wow, I really had it all.'" She also says the song is very much upbeat and with a "positive vibe to it."
The song has been received with generally positive reviews. Katie Hasty from Hitfix described the song as "warm, percussive but not dancey, and a little bit more soulful than sultry," and commented on its country-crossover appeal, adding "If there was pedal steel and a twang in the back of her throat, this would be a modern country hit." Reviewers at Idol Live repeated the praises and commented on the "indie vibes the got from the song, saying that "her vocals glide seamlessly." They commented especially on the bridge, saying that she "harkens back to her days on 'Idol' with a building, billowing high note that carries through the song's remainder, and finally settles on a crisp, calm finale."
McPhee goes platinum blonde in the new music video "Had It All", which was filmed in Saugus, California on August 19 by Cyril Guyot. There were several different looks for McPhee during the filming for the music video. The American Idol alum is seen wandering through a desert-like area. One of the scenes has her wearing a tight black dress leaning against a white backdrop with her short blonde hair slicked back.

Katharine McPhee | "Over It" (Alt. Ending)

Katharine McPhee (born March 25, 1984 in LA) gained fame as a contestant on the American Idol season five (2006), and eventually finishing as the runner-up. "Over It" is the lead single on her self-titled debut album, and has sold 375,000 copies to date. The song's music video hit #1 on both TRL and VH1's Top 20 countdown. The song was reportedly described by McPhee as "the only real pop song on the record" and as being "a very sultry song about young love".

The video premiered on TRL today. The video starts with McPhee in front of a camera singing to her ex-boyfriend. The video with alternate ending is the same in the beginning, but in this version, when she reaches her ex-boyfriend she feigns to want to kiss him and removes the DVD from her pocket and makes to hand it to him, but at the last second she puts it back in her pocket and they are seen walking away smiling and holding hands. Thus, She's over it in that she's forgiving and forgetting about his past wrongdoing.

Find more info @ her Official Website, MySpace, and Fan Site.