American singer, songwriter and actress who rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series’ history. Her self-titled debut studio album, released later that year, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over two million copies worldwide.
The album spawned the Billboard Hot 100top-ten singles “Tattoo” and “No Air”; the latter, a collaboration with Chris Brown, is currently the third highest-selling single by any American Idol contestant, selling over three million digital copies in the United States. The song earned Sparks her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Sparks’s second studio album, Battlefield (2009), debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. Its title single reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Sparks the only American Idol contestant to have her first five singles reach the top 20 in the United States. The second single, “S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)”, became Sparks’s first number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Following the release of Battlefield, Sparks ventured into acting, pursuing television and Broadway. She made her stage debut as Nina Rosario in the musical In The Heights (2010), and her feature film debut as the titular character in Sparkle (2012). Sparks has also released several perfumes, including Because of You… in 2010 as well as Fascinate and Ambition in 2012. After a five-year absence from music, she released a mixtape, #ByeFelicia (2014), under a new record deal with Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels, a joint deal with Sony Music Entertainment.
Sparks’ R&B-focused third studio album and most recent to date, Right Here Right Now (2015), saw smaller commercial success but received positive reviews from music critics.
Sparks is the daughter of Jodi (née Wiedmann) Jackson and former professional American football player Phillippi Sparks. She has a younger brother, Phillippi “PJ” Sparks, Jr., who plays football at Arizona Christian University. Her father is African-American with French and Cherokee roots and her mother has German, English, Scottish, and Norwegian ancestry. She grew up in the suburbs of Ridgewood, New Jersey, while her father played as a defensive back for the New York Giants.
Sparks is an evangelical Christian. On her American Idol biography, she thanks her parents, grandparents, and God for her win.
In April 2008, Sparks suffered acute vocal cord hemorrhaging due to overusing her vocal cords. Doctors ordered vocal rest, forcing Sparks to cancel appearances, including scheduled cameos on Alicia Keys’s tour. Doctors cleared Sparks a month later, letting her rejoin the tour.
Sparks and Jason Derulo dated for three years and ended their relationship in 2014.
On 17 July 2017, Sparks married Dana Isaiah (born Dana Isaiah Thomas), a fitness model in Hawaii. On 2 May 2018, Sparks gave birth to their son, Dana Isaiah Thomas Jr.
Link to Wikipedia biography