Rayvon Owen Explained

Rayvon Owen
Birth Date:27 June 1991
Birth Place:Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Instrument:Vocals
Genre:R&B, pop
Occupation:Singer
Years Active:2015–present

Rayvon Owen (born June 27, 1991) is an American singer and musician. He is notable for appearing on the fourteenth season of American Idol, where he finished in fourth place.[1] Owen served as the host for the reality competition series The Sims Spark'd.

Early life

Rayvon Owen was born in Richmond, Virginia on June 27, 1991. He graduated from Henrico High School and Belmont University and worked as a singer and vocal coach.

Music career

2014: Early career

Rayvon has his own music video, "Sweatshirt" which premiered in November 2014. He also has a debut EP Cycles.

2015: American Idol

He auditioned for the fourteenth season of American Idol with "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry and was chosen for Top 24 and eventually Top 12. After being in the bottom three in the top 11, (which guaranteed two people would be eliminated), Owen was deemed safe. Owen was in the bottom two for five consecutive weeks, but emerged victorious, thanks to the Idol Twitter Fan Save, where the bottom two perform and fans vote on Twitter for who should advance. Owen was the only recipient of the fan save in the entire season earning him the nicknames "Twitter King" and "Comeback Kid". Owen finished in fourth place and was included on the Idols Live Tour.

Performances and results

EpisodeThemeSong choiceOriginal artistOrderResult
AuditionAuditioner's Choice"Wide Awake"Katy PerryN/AAdvanced
Hollywood Round, Part 1First Solo"Ordinary People"John LegendN/AAdvanced
Hollywood Round, Part 2Group Performance"Since U Been Gone"Kelly ClarksonN/AAdvanced
House of Blues (Top 48)Second Solo"Lay Me Down"Sam SmithN/AAdvanced
Top 24 (12 Men)Personal Choice"Jealous"Nick Jonas12Advanced
Top 16Motown"My Girl"The Temptations7Safe
Top 12Personal Choice"Wide Awake"Katy Perry8Safe
Top 11Party Songs"Burn"Ellie Goulding6Safe
Movie Night"Staying Alive"Bee Gees11Bottom 3
Top 9Songs from the 1980s"Everybody Wants to Rule the World"Tears for Fears8Bottom 2
Top 8Evening with Kelly Clarkson"Since U Been Gone"Kelly Clarkson6Bottom 2
Top 7Billboard Hot 100"Set Fire to the Rain"Adele7Bottom 2
Top 6American Classics"Long Train Runnin'"The Doobie Brothers6Bottom 2
"Always on My Mind"Gwen McCrae and Brenda Lee12
Top 5Arena Anthems"I'm Not the Only One"Sam Smith5Bottom 2
"Go Your Own Way"Fleetwood Mac10
Top 4Judges Hometown"Need You Now"Lady A4Eliminated
Soul"Believe"Justin Bieber7

2016-present: New music

On the Valentine's Day weekend of 2016, Owen debuted a new single, "Can't Fight It" written with Mylen, Nate Merchant, and Isaiah Tejada. The accompanying music video acts as his official "coming out" as gay, sharing a kiss at the end with LGBT activist Shane Bitney Crone.[2] [3] Owen told Billboard: "You'd be surprised at the amount of times I tried to pray the gay away from me or tried to tell God to take this away from me. No kid should have to do what I did and pray to not be who they are. That's why I think it's important even in 2016 to say this."[4]

In January 2018, Owen was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month. He was featured on the Today where he performed his single "Gold."

Personal life

On February 14, 2016, Owen premiered a music video for his song "Can't Fight It", at the end of which he kisses a man.[5] That same day, Owen's interview with Billboard was published in which he came out as gay.[6] One day later, Shane Bitney Crone, who is featured as the romantic lead in the music video, announced that he and Owen are a couple.[7] On March 3, 2018, they announced they would be getting married, after Crone proposed to Owen on stage at a Demi Lovato concert.[8]

Discography

Singles

Digital singles
YearSong
2015"Everybody Wants To Rule The World"
"Since U Been Gone"
"Set Fire to the Rain

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mink. Casey. American Idol Top 8 Perform. HollywoodLife. April 9, 2015. May 12, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150512125119/http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/04/08/american-idol-top-8-apr-8-recap/. dead.
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r-ROsuWd8Y YouTube: Music video for "Can't Fight It" by Rayvon Owen
  3. http://www.out.com/entertainment/2016/2/18/how-american-idol-brought-these-two-lovers-together Out.com: How American Idol Brought These Two Lovers Together
  4. 'American Idol' Alum Rayvon Owen Opens Up About His Sexuality in New Video, 'Can't Fight It' Billboard. Billboard. February 14, 2016. 2016-02-15.
  5. Web site: Owen. Rayvon. Rayvon Owen – Can't Fight It (OFFICIAL VIDEO). YouTube.
  6. Web site: Bronson. Fred. 'American Idol' Alum Rayvon Owen Opens Up About His Sexuality in New Video, 'Can't Fight It': Exclusive. February 14, 2016. Billboard Magazine.
  7. https://www.facebook.com/ShaneBitneyCroneOfficial/posts/951697144911104
  8. 970127042992775168 . rayvonowen . I SAID YES!!! i'm still in tears. last night was hands down the happiest night of my life. i am beyond excited and honored to spend the rest of my life with you, @ShaneBitney. thank you @ddlovato for giving us this extremely special moment. #tellmeyoulovemetourpic.twitter.com/P3Kow9jdgZ . Owen, Rayvon . 2018-03-03 . 2018-03-04.
  9. Web site: Owen. Rayvon. Cycles EP-Rayvon Owen. August 24, 2014. Itunes.
  10. Web site: Bridgeman. Ross. Albums – Ross Bridgeman.
  11. Web site: Jones. Seth. Credits – Seth Jones.