Kree Annette Harrison (born May 17, 1990) is an American country singer-songwriter originally from Woodville, Texas who finished as the Runner-up on season 12 of American Idol.
Background[]
Born in Port Arthur, Texas and raised in nearby Woodville, Kree started singing as a child, performing in church, at weddings, and at rodeos. When she was 10, she got a record deal with Lyric Street Records resulting in her family moving to Nashville but was dropped at age 12 due to creative differences. Kree began writing her own songs at 14 and got herself a publishing deal with Chysalis Records when she was 16 and performed in various showcases. However, she put her music career on hold after the death of her mother in a car accident in 2009. (Kree's father had died in a plane crash when she was 11)
Before trying out for the show, Kree was working as a demo singer in Nashville.
American Idol[]
At the suggestion of her sister Laci, Kree tried out for the show in Oklahoma City, where she wowed the judges with her
Kree at the Top 10 reveal party
lovely voice, earning four yeses from them. She progressed through Hollywood week which included an amazing rendition of "Stars" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in the solo round. She continued to shine in both the "sudden death" round and the semifinals to make it to the top 10. During the Top 10, Kree, nicknamed "Kreedom" by Nicki Minaj, performed "Crying" by Roy Orbison which was performed by Carrie Underwood during season 4. The result of her performing this song, which was well received by the judges, helped her make it to the Top 9. During the Top 9, Kree performed the Joe Cocker version of "With a Little Help from My Friends", which is from the Lennon-McCartney songbook. The result of her song, widely praised by the judges, helped her make it to the Top 8. Kree's rendition of "Don't Play That Song(You Lied)" by Aretha Franklin and her duet with fellow country singer Janelle Arthur of Madonna's "Like A Prayer" earned her a place in the top 7. Despite a pinched nerve, Kree made it to the top 6 with her take on the Janis Joplin classic "Piece of My Heart". She wowed the judges and made it to the top 5 with her take on "What The World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Kris Kristofferson. Despite being in the bottom 2 with Janelle, Kree made it to the top 4 with her renditions of "She Talks to Angels" by the Black Crowes and "Have You Ever Been in Love" by Celine Dion. For top 4 week, Kree sang "It Hurt So Bad" by Susan Tedeschi and "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum. Despite a mixed reaction from the judges, Kree was a part of the top 2 with Angie Miller, but since it was a non-elimination week, everyone was safe. For top 4 redux week, which was called "Now and Then", Kree sang "See You Again" by Carrie Underwood as her "now" song and "Stormy Weather" by Ethel Waters as her "then" song. She made it to the top 3. She made it to the finale with her renditions of "Perfect" by Pink(previously covered by season 11 contestant Hollie Cavanagh), "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts, and "Better Dig Two" by The Band Perry. During the finale performances, Kree performed "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" by Patty Griffin, and her finale single "All Cried Out". The results of the performances placed her as runner-up of Season 12.
Performances[]
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order # | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | Not aired | N/A | Advanced | |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | First Solo | Not aired | N/A | Advanced | |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Sin Wagon" | Dixie Chicks | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Solo | "Stars" | Grace Potter and the Nocturnals | N/A | Advanced |
| Las Vegas Round | Personal Choice | "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" | Patty Griffin | 7 | Advanced |
| Top 20 (10 Women) | Personal Choice | "Stronger" | Faith Hill | 8 | Advanced |
| Top 10 Reveal | Victory Song | "Evidence" | Susan Tedeschi | 10 | N/A |
| Top 10 | Music of the American Idols | "Crying" | Roy Orbison | 8 | Safe |
| Top 9 | The Beatles | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | The Beatles | 1 | Safe |
| Top 8 | Music of Motor City | Duet "Like a Prayer" with Janelle Arthur |
Madonna | 2 | Safe |
| Solo "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" | Ben E. King | 11 | |||
| Top 7 | Rock | Solo "Piece of My Heart" | Erma Franklin | 3 | Safe |
| Trio "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" with Janelle Arthur and Amber Holcomb |
Billy Joel | 7 | |||
| Top 6 | Burt Bacharach and Hal David | "What the World Needs Now Is Love" | Jackie DeShannon | 4 | Safe |
| Songs They Wish They'd Written | "Help Me Make It Through the Night" | Kris Kristofferson | 10 | ||
| Top 5 | Year They Were Born | "She Talks to Angels" | The Black Crowes | 3 | Bottom 2 |
| Divas | "Have You Ever Been in Love" | Celine Dion | 8 | ||
| Top 4 | Contestant's Choice | Solo "It Hurt So Bad" | Susan Tedeschi | 3 | Safe |
| Duet "Rumour Has It" with Amber Holcomb |
Adele | 5 | |||
| One-Hit Wonders | "A Whiter Shade of Pale" | Procol Harum | 9 | ||
| Top 4 | Songs from Now and Then | "See You Again" | Carrie Underwood | 4 | Safe |
| "Stormy Weather" | Ethel Waters | 8 | |||
| Quartet "Wings" with Candice Glover, Amber Holcomb, and Angie Miller |
Little Mix | 9 | |||
| Top 3 | Jimmy Iovine's Choice | "Perfect" | Pink | 1 | Safe |
| Judges' Choice | "Here Comes Goodbye" | Rascal Flatts | 4 | ||
| Producer | "Better Dig Two" | The Band Perry | 7 | ||
| Finale | Simon Fuller's Choice | "Angel" | Sarah McLachlan | 1 | Runner-up |
| Winner's Single | "All Cried Out" | Kree Harrison | 3 | ||
| Favorite Performance | "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" | Patty Griffin | 5 | ||
Post Idol[]
Kree was a part of the American Idols Live tour, which kicked off on July 19, 2013 in Kent, Washington and ended on August 31, 2013 in Nashville. Her single, "All Cried Out", was released on May 16, 2013 after the Idol finale. It debuted at number 34 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. She had recorded background vocals with Candice Glover and Angie Miller on a song for former Idol judge Mariah Carey's next album, but the song never made the official track listing.
Kree performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on June 4, 2013 along with Idol judge Keith Urban, who performed with her and Randy Jackson on the Idol finale, and season 5 alum Kellie Pickler. She also got to perform at the 2013 CMT Awards on June 5, 2013.
In July 2013, it was announced that Kree would not get a record deal within the Universal Music Group Nashville, a decision that left her fans baffled.
Kree premiered her new single, "Strong and Silent", which she co-wrote, on VEVO's Idol Insider on May 6, 2014. She released a new single called "This Old Thing" on March 31, 2016.
Official Account[]
- Kree Harrison Facebook
- Kree Harrison Twitter
- Kree Harrison Instagram
- Kree Harrison on Insstar.com
- Kree Harrison on Insstars.com
- Kree Harrison on Instagweb.com
- Kree Harrison on Buzzcent.com
Discography[]
Singles:
- "All Cried Out" (2013)
- "All These Memories" (2013) (duet with Slowjohn)
- "This Old Thing" (2016)
- "I Love the Lie" (2019)