Katharine McFee’s mother is a caberet singer and voice coach who Kat would imitate as a child. All that early practice paid off big time when Kat sang God Bless the Child at the San Francisco American Idol audition and landed a spot on the show that would make her a household name. Never one to keep her enthusiasm to herself, Katherine kissed all three judges on the lips when she made it into the final 24. 

Find out more about Katharine!Katharine McPhee was born on March 25, 1984, in was raised in Sherman Oaks, a Los Angeles neighborhood. McPhee has been singing since the age of two. Her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee (stage name Peisha Arten), a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer, recognized a talent for music in her daughter and decided to train her. Her father, Daniel McPhee, is a television producer and her older sister, Adriana Burch McPhee (born June 30, 1982) is an aspiring producer as well. McPhee also has two dogs named Lilly and Nena.

McPhee graduated in 2002 from Notre Dame High School. At Notre Dame, McPhee was a student body vice president, a varsity swimmer, a dancer, and a thespian. She performed in school plays with her elder sister Adriana; both sisters were voted homecoming prom queen in their senior year.

Afterward, McPhee attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. McPhee left the college due to her manager’s suggestion that she try out for television pilots in Los Angeles. In a People news article it was reported that she was rejected in “only 195 out of 200 auditions.” She was eventually casted as “Paramount Girl” in the 2006 musical film about the life of Hank Garland, Crazy. Other early acting endeavors included lead actress in local professional productions of Annie Get Your Gun and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. She was nominated in 2005 for the Theatre L.A. Ovation Award for her lead role in Annie Get Your Gun. McPhee was also part of a failed mall-based MTV soap opera entitled You Are Here, playing the older sister of a more popular younger sister.

American Idol

McPhee was persuaded by a significant other to try out for American Idol. She auditioned in San Francisco, and sang “God Bless the Child,” originally performed by Billie Holiday. Paula Abdul said that McPhee looked beautiful, Randy Jackson hailed her audition as potentially the best so far that season, and Simon Cowell complimented her for being “current” in terms of her appearance. Cowell also noted that McPhee was not the wannabe that he’d presumed she was after learning that her mother was a singer.

In the final cut-down show for the Top 24, McPhee was one of the first to be put through and, in excitement, kissed all three judges on the lips. McPhee listed Whitney Houston and Brian McKnight as her favorite artists in the American Idol interview of the top 24 semi-finalists.

During the week leading to the third round of the semi-finals, she was rumored to be quitting due to pregnancy. However, during the performance show on March 7, 2006, she denied this accusation, attributing it to a poor choice of clothing. Host Ryan Seacrest, with tongue-in-cheek, later asked about her and fellow Idol contestant Kevin Covais; McPhee playfully denied any relationship.

During the week preceding the top three show, McPhee visited her former high school for her hometown celebration. McPhee’s run on American Idol led to the popular use of the term “McPheever”, coined by Ralph Garman of Los Angeles radio station KROQ’s morning show Kevin and Bean. During the competition, McPhee roomed with fellow contestant Kellie Pickler, and when Pickler was eliminated, she roomed with Paris Bennett.