Suzie McNeil

Suzie McNeil (born October 15, 1976 in Mississauga, Ontario) is a Toronto-based rock / soul vocalist.

In 2005 Suzie McNeil was a contestant on the CBS reality show , a televised competition to find a new lead singer for the band INXS. Suzie made it to the final four of the competition and was the last female singer to be eliminated.

During the course of the competition, Suzie gained a great deal of respect from the INXS band members as well as the fans. She was nicknamed 'Sweet Suzie McNeil' by show host Dave Navarro. The band INXS was impressed by her talent as well as her tenacity. Despite her rave reviews, Suzie faced the Bottom Three a total of six times throughout the competition, prompting her to create a hat which read "Queen of the Bottom Three." In the Bottom Three, contestants sang INXS songs. Suzie excelled at singing INXS songs, likely explaining her survival of so many eliminations. Some standout performances throughout the show (excluding her INXS songs) were the The Rolling Stones', "Start Me Up", R.E.M.'s hit "Losing My Religion" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." During the competition, McNeil performed an original song called "Soul Life" which she co-wrote with fellow Rock Star: INXS contestant Ty Taylor. Suzie met her elimination in the Final Four, where there was much speculation that INXS had finally agreed upon a male lead singer. On September 24, 2005, Suzie performed a sold-out show at the Revival Club in Toronto.

Suzie is featured on a few tracks on INXS' album "Switch". Examples are "Us" and "God's Top Ten."

Post: Rock Star: INXS

In January 2006, Suzie moved to Los Angeles, California where she is developing her music career. On January 26, 2006 she announced plans to record her first CD with Executive Producer John Kalodner and Producer Marti Frederiksen. In the summer of 2006, Suzie performed as a backup singer for Pink on Pink's North American tour. She has just joined "King Ben's Injection of Perfection" on a radio station in Sydney, Australia, as King Ben's Rockstar Correspondent.

Suzie's first single, "Believe", is available to download on iTunes. It has been featured on NBC's promo for "The Biggest Loser" reality weight-loss show as well as throughout season 4 of Beauty and the Geek. The song was exclusively debuted by "King Ben's Injection of Perfection" in Sydney on the September 9, 2006, to positive reaction. The single was also used to raise funds for Own the Podium, an organization working to make sure that Canada, through its athletes, wins the most Olympic medals for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Suzie appears on Matt Nathanson's last album Some Mad Hope. She sings background vocals on the songs "Sooner Surrender" and "Bulletproof Weeks." She also appears on Clay Aiken's album "A Thousand Different Ways" as a guest vocalist on "I Want to Know What Love Is", a cover of the Foreigner song.

Suzie's single "Hung Up" has gained a lot of radio airplay, especially in Canada, and it is also available on iTunes. The music video was released to MuchMoreMusic on the week of February 19, 2007 and was uploaded to Youtube on February 10, 2007.

Suzie appeared as the character Oz in the Canadian production of "We Will Rock You" at the Canon Theatre in Toronto until August 1, 2007.

In March 2008, MTV Cribs in Canada featured a segment on the house Suzie shares with friend and fellow Rock Star: INXS contestant Tara Slone.

In May 2008, Suzie released her third music video, "Lonely (Are You Coming Home?)".

Suzie reappeared in the Canadian production of "We Will Rock You" at the Canon Theatre in Toronto, not as a cast member, but as an audience member.

Suzie held a contest for all of her fans across Canada to sing her hit single "Believe" and post it on her website and viewers would vote for who shall win.

Suzie was one of the judges on the first season of the children's Canadian reality TV show, The Next Star, on YTV, which premiered on July 18, 2008. She also recorded the theme song for the show, "Let's Go", and performed it on the show's season finale at Canada's Wonderland in Toronto on September 28, 2008.

Suzie announced nationally her recent engagement to We Will Rock You cast mate, Scott Walters, July 3, 2008 on ET Canada. They were engaged July 1, 2008.

Discography

Albums

*"Broken & Beautiful" (2007)
*"Rock-n-Roller" (2008)

ingles

*Believe (Reached #61 on the Canadian Hot 100)
*Hung Up (Reached #95 on the Canadian Hot 100)
*Broken & Beautiful
*It's Christmas Time
*Lonely (Are You Coming Home?)
*Let's Go

Music Videos

*Hung Up
*Believe
*Lonely (Are You Coming Home?)

Rock Star: INXS Performances

"Remedy" - In the first performance, Suzie missed her cue and then switched the first and second verses. Despite this, her vocal performance was praised - and she narrowly escaped elimination.

"Call Me" - Suzie's rendition of Blondie's "Call Me" was considered "a ballsy choice," and INXS thought she "nailed it." Still she was in the Bottom Three.

"Roxanne" - Again, the judges felt Suzie "nailed it" - and her performance was finally enough to garner the votes to evade the Bottom Three.

"Superstition" - Stevie Wonder's hit was met with positive reviews - she began with a harmonica riff.

"Get Back" - The first Beatles song in the competition, Suzie expressed an honor in performing it. INXS felt that her dropping back while band members did instrumentals was "a joy to watch."

"Losing My Religion" - Going into this week, Suzie originally planned to go into the song a capella. Her actual performance followed the advice of J.D. Fortune with a steady rock beat in the background. This was called "a brilliant move" by INXS - as it highlighted Suzie's voice. Shockingly, she landed in the Bottom Three.

"Bring it On Home to Me" - After surprisingly landing in the Bottom Three the previous week, Suzie hoped to escape it this week. Having never heard the song before, she was unsure of how to approach it. Her final product was called "fantastic," prompting a band member to tell Suzie her voice was "one of the best in the competition." Despite her effort, she was again placed in the Bottom Three.

"Start Me Up" - Suzie truly hoped to nail this performance, as she no longer wanted to be in the Bottom Three. Her performance had high energy, ending with a mosh pit. Her comments from INXS were especially encouraging. "I am in total shock that you've ever been in the bottom three," host Dave Navarro said. A band member agreed, "Tonight was exceptional." A second added "Looked like you meant business, and you sounded like you meant business." Not only did she escape the Bottom Three, but it was revealed that she was the ONLY contestant not to be in the bottom three at any moment in the voting process. She won her first encore performance.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" - Considered by some to be the pinnacle performance of Suzie's in the competition, the Queen classic proved to be quite a success for Suzie. INXS continued to give shining feedback. “That was one of the most spectacular things I think I’ve ever seen...That was a show!" ... ”That’s gotta be the best performance I’ve seen through the whole show -- ever.” ... “I’m so proud that you want to be part of our band.” This comment, in particular, caused Suzie to "faint" in joy. She again evaded the Bottom Three AND won the encore performance.

"I Can't Make You Love Me" and "Soul Life" - INXS claimed the first song was a test of her power. Immediately following her performance, they claimed that she "sold it." The second part of her performance - "Soul Life" - was an original song of Suzie's - and it met with good reviews, but some minor questions. One member of the band was unsure of whether the song could ever be played by INXS - another argued that, with some tweaking, it could. For whatever reason, Suzie was - once again - in the bottom three, but was not eliminated.

"Interstate Love Song" and "What's Up?" - Suzie's performance of the two songs were back-to-back, and both met with positive reviews. INXS stated that Suzie had "the best voice in the competition." They called the performance "fantastic." Fans were not so positive, however; the Interstate Love Song was called "less than stellar" and "What's Up?" included a vocal glitch, particularly on the word "revolution." Suzie was in the Bottom Three for the final time this week - eliminated.

Awards and Nominations

* Juno Award nomination (2008): New Artist of the Year
* Independent Music Award (2008): Favourite Pop Artist/Group or Duo
* Canadian Radio Music Award nomination (2008): Hot AC - "Hung Up", AC - "Believe"

External links

* [http://www.cbs.com/primetime/rock_star/performers/suzie/ Suzie's CBS Biography]
* [http://rockstar.msn.com/rockers/suzie Suzie's MSN Biography]
* [http://www.suziemcneil.ca Suzie's Official Website]
* [http://rockbandlounge.com/rock-star-inxs/suzie-mcneil.asp Suzie McNeil bio on ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM]
* [http://myspace.com/suziemcneilmusic Suzie's MySpace]
* [http://www.icebergradio.com/suziemcneil Audio Interview] recorded April 2007 in Toronto, Canada
* [http://www.suzie-mcneil.net Suzie McNeil Unofficial Fan Site]