The runner-up to Kelly Clarkson on the first season of FOX’s popular variety competition “American Idol,” Justin Guarini is an enormously talented vocalist, and has released two terrific albums to date. After the windfall of attention lavished on Guarini due to his “Idol” success, he unfortunately missed a window of extraordinary opportunity due to the competition’s rules, which held that Guarini had to wait for a certain period to launch his post-“Idol” career in order to cement Clarkson’s success. Those rules have since been changed.
Guarini hails from Philadelphia, though he was born in Columbus, Georgia on October 28, 1978. Growing up, Guarini sang in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Boys Choir, and after graduating high school received extensive vocal and theatrical training at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia). During this time in college he headlined a popular local a capella group, Midnight Voices, and starred in several student drama productions. He then relocated to New York City, where he took courses at the School for Film and Television and tried his hand on Broadway.
“American Idol,” as the program is wont to do, made Guarini an overnight star after he became a standout on the show, making it to the top two of the competition and losing out to Clarkson. Due to the rules barring Guarini from taking professional recording or acting offers for a long grace period, the talented musician and actor was forced to turn down a variety of high-profile gigs, including a Tommy Hilfiger modeling campaign and the coveted ‘Emcee’ role in Broadway’s “Cabaret.” By the time his self-titled debut album was released in 2003, Guarini was out of the spotlight, and a lack of promotion led the album to failure, as it unfortunately coincided with the releases of the first post-“Idol” singles from second-season victors Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.
Regardless, the quality of Guarini’s work hasn’t been affected by the “Idol” disappointments, as both his debut album and its jazzy follow-up “Stranger Things Have Happened” have beautifully displayed his fabulous voice and expert musicianship. Guarini is currently working on a third album, and continues acting in independent feature films and working as an advocate for public music education.