Kimberley Dawn Locke was born on January 3, 1978, in Hartsville, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. Kimberley's parents, Christine and Donald, divorced when she was 7, and Kimberley went to live with her mother in nearby Gallatin, Tennessee.
Some of Kimberley's earliest memories were of singing along to tapes her mother had bought; she remembers one drive with her father where she didn't want the radio on so she could sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" after she had seen The Wizard of Oz.
When she was in the seventh grade, Kimberley and her friends formed an all-girl group called Shadz of U. They did a lot of gospel and a cappella material, performing at local churches. "On some Sundays," Kimberley later revealed, "we would perform at five different churches in one day." In high school, Kimberley joined the choir and was soon picked for the select group The Performers, which helped her develop her craft.
kimberley locke does american idol
After high school, Kimberley attended Belmont University in Nashville, majoring in business education. While she felt the university's school of music was too competitive, Kimberley
inued to perform with local Nashville bands such as Black Widow and The Imperials.
In 2000, Kimberley stopped performing, finished her undergraduate degree, and by 2002, she was working as an administrative assistant and had enrolled in law school.
But Kimberley's sister-in-law and other friends urged her to try out for American Idol, which was looking for contestants for its second series. Kimberley decided to give it a shot, and kept progressing through the early rounds of elimination.
Eventually, she made it to Los Angeles, where she faced a choice: the auditions for the final round were to take place a week after she was scheduled to begin law school, so if she wanted to be on Idol, she'd have to postpone her admission.
kimberley, clay aiken, ruben studdard
Of course, Kimberley decided to stick with American Idol, which proved to be the right choice. She kept making the cut, into the Top 32, the Top 10, and finally the Top 3, when she was voted off the show by a narrow, 2% margin.
Nevertheless, she has no animosity toward finalists Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, whom Kimberley had met and competed with early on in the competition. "I love Clay and Ruben, and I was happy for them," she said. She even got to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," her childhood favorite.
After Kimberley left the show, her American Idol experience made a positive impact on her future. She returned for An American Idol Christmas in late 2003, and was featured on TV specials like Motown 45 and 101 Most Starlicious Makeovers in 2004.
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Kimberley's high ranking on Idol also led to a recording contract with Curb Records. By spring 2004, she had released the single "8th World Wonder," which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 Sales Chart at No. 1, as well as "Wrong" and the acclaimed "You've Changed" from her debut album, One Love.
In October 2004, Kimberley kicked off her first solo tour, One Love Live, in Springfield,
nd Ruben, and I was happy for them," she said. She even got to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," her childhood favorite.
After Kimberley left the show, her American Idol experience made a positive impact on her future. She returned for An American Idol Christmas in late 2003, and was featured on TV specials like Motown 45 and 101 Most Starlicious Makeovers in 2004.
kimberley locke releases one love
Kimberley's high ranking on Idol also led to a recording contract with Curb Records. By spring 2004, she had released the single "8th World Wonder," which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 Sales Chart at No. 1, as well as "Wrong" and the acclaimed "You've Changed" from her debut album, One Love.
In October 2004, Kimberley kicked off her first solo tour, One Love Live, in Springfield,
