Adanna Nueamaku Duru (born October 10, 1996) is an American singer from Diamond Bar, California who finished in 10th/11th place on season 14 of American Idol.
Background[]
Adanna was born to parents originally from Nigeria. She is the middle of three children, having an older and younger brother. She has said she started singing as soon as she could speak and spent much of her childhood writing music and performing throughout southern California. During high school she was a member of the volleyball and track teams. Adanna was an ambassador of Stylites, a non-profit organization that raises funds for victims of human sex trafficking in developing countries, and founded a chapter in her local high school. In 2013, she competed in the Miss California Teen USA pageant.
In 2012, she was a contestant in the third season of The Voice. She was picked by coach Adam Levine after performing Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory". She was later eliminated in the battle rounds, but Adanna was able to get a band and work on an album due to the exposure on the show.
In 2014, she had plans to release a debut album, but it was not completed. Two singles were made available on iTunes in October 2014: "CEO" and "Amplify", and a studio recording of Adanna's version of "The Edge of Glory" was also made available.
Adanna was a freshman at UCR in Riverside, California before trying out for American Idol.
American Idol[]
Adanna auditioned in San Francisco, singing "You and I" by Lady Gaga. Gaga happened to see Adanna's audition and tweeted about it. Although she had a shaky performance during Hollywood Week, she won the judges over at the House of Blues performance, singing "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" and making it to the Top 24. During the Top 12 Girls round, she performed "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit, and during the Top 8 Girls round she performed "Hello" by Lionel Richie. During the Top 12 showcase, it was revealed Adanna was not one of the 10 contestants voted in by America. However, she was chosen as the final wildcard pick by the judges and advanced into the Top 12. She performed "You and I" by Lady Gaga again. Adanna advanced into the Top 11, performing "Runaway Baby" by Bruno Mars. The following week, she was voted safe again and advanced, meaning she will be going on the Idol tour this summer. Most recently, she performed "Love You, I Do" from Dreamgirls. However after her performances, she was eliminated in a double elimination with fellow contestant Maddie Walker on March 25, 2015.
Performances[]
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "You and I" | Lady Gaga | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | A Capella | Not Aired | - | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "I Want You Back" | The Jackson 5 | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Solo | Not Aired | - | N/A | Advanced |
| Showcase Week | Personal Choice | "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" | James Brown | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 | Contestant's Choice | "Rather Be" | Clean Bandit | 4 | Advanced |
| Top 16 | Motown | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 12 | Advanced |
| Top 12 | Back to the Start | "You and I" | Lady Gaga | 12 | Safe |
| Top 11 (first week) | Get the Party Started | "Runaway Baby" | Bruno Mars | 7 | Safe |
| Top 11 (second week) | Songs from the Movies | "Love You, I Do" | Jennifer Hudson | 1 | Eliminated |
Post Idol[]
Since her time on the show, Adanna has kept her fans up-to-date via Twitter. She debuted a new song, "Transparent Soul", on SoundCloud on August 27, 2015.