Julia Megan DeMato (born March 7, 1979 in Brookfield, Connecticut) is an American professional cosmetologist and singer who made it to tenth place on the second season on the television show American Idol.
Background[]
DeMato is the youngest of one sister and five brothers. Her mother, Joan, is a realtor at RE/MAX in her home town and her father, Peter, owns Chase Equipment in New Milford. She is a 1997 graduate of Brookfield High School.
American Idol[]
The buxom DeMato was heavily featured in coverage of the early rounds of American Idol, including the showing of drama with fellow singer Kimberly Caldwell during the "Hollywood" phase. She sang Dusty Springfield's hit "Son of a Preacher Man" in the semi-finals. In the finals, she sang "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Where Did Our Love Go", before being voted off in 10th place on March 26, 2003 after a rendition of Faith Hill's "Breathe".
Post Idol[]
After the show, she had some success on the American Idol concert tour, singing "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera. She also recorded a cover of "At Last" by Etta James on the American Idol 2 Love Songs CD. DeMato's versions of these songs were well-regarded by fans and reviewers.
However, her brief musical career peaked with the CD and the concert tour, and further success eluded her. Later in 2003, she had a short stint as a judge for the Oxygen Network's show Meow TV.
She was unable to secure a recording contract with an established company, but did record one song, "Let It Rain", with a company called Somme Music - an Internet storefront marketing that one song. Reaction to this song was mixed: some liked the vocals and also the music, while others had a problem with the composition and the negative tone of some of the lyrics (written by the head of Somme Music). No further songs were recorded.
Other appearences[]
Living in her home town of Brookfield, and working once more as a cosmetologist, she has given occasional concerts in that area of Connecticut. Between July 22 and August 2, 2008, she and fellow Idol alumai Trenyce, RJ Helton, Frenchie Davis (who would later find success on The Voice in 2011), and Rickey Smith performed at the Razz Room in San Francisco.
On June 18, 2009, DeMato hosted a 12-week "Summer Idol" karaoke event at Rowley's Tavern in nearby Norfolk, Connecticut. On April 15, 2010 she joined RJ Helton, Ace Young, Diana DeGarmo, and Jorge Nunez lend a helping hand to hungry New Yorkers by delievering food with the charity City Harvest.
Personal Life[]
On July 6, 2005, she and her fiancé, electrician Jim Polches, became parents when she gave birth to their son, James Peter, in Danbury, Connecticut. She and Polches planned to wed the following year but never did.
Arrest[]
In December, 2005, she made a brief return to the news when she was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine, as well as driving while intoxicated after failing a field sobriety test. At first, DeMato claimed it had all been a misunderstanding. While Connecticut has severe penalties against drunk driving, she was able to avoid a jail term and a criminal record by negotiating, through her lawyer, an alternative sentence involving community service and a program of drug and alcohol education.