Chris René
| Chris Rene | |
|---|---|
Rene in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher René |
| Born |
December 25, 1982 Santa Cruz, California, United States |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop, pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar, bass, drums |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Syco, Epic |
| Associated acts | Avril Lavigne, The X Factor U.S. 2011 finalists |
| Website |
www www |
Christopher "Chris" Rene (previously René; born December 25, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He had been in a band called Diversion and also had a solo career, including the album Soul'd Out. Chris auditioned for the first season of The X Factor USA with one of his original compositions "Young Homie" and was one of the finalists during season one, with L.A. Reid as his mentor. He finished third overall in the competition, behind winner Melanie Amaro and runner-up Josh Krajcik. He is most popular in New Zealand, with his single "Young Homie" reaching number one in the New Zealand charts.
Christopher Rene was born to Joan René (née Sampson) and Rafael Leon "Googie" René. His father was a songwriter and jazz pianist in the 1950s and 1960s, and he has two brothers, Mike and Gabriel, and a sister, Gina. Gina is a singer featured on the Mean Girls and Step Up soundtracks, Gabriel is a record producer, and both are members of an electronica group called Soulstice. Chris' ethnicity is Creole, German, African-American, Native-American, and Swiss.
Prior to applying for The X Factor, Rene worked hauling trash in Santa Cruz, where he currently lives. A heavily tattooed man, he has a tattoo that reads "Believe" on his arm, and the tattoos "Love" and "Life" on his fingers. Rene says, "I've been influenced by every kind of music you can think of, from Mozart to Led Zeppelin to Outkast. I love Al Green, I love punk rock--just anything that's got that crazy passion."
Diversion was Rene's first musical alliance; an alternative pop band based in Soquel, California (1994–2002) composed of Tas Szemeredi (vox/bass), Chris Rene (guitar/vox), and Mike Rene (drums). They were only 12 or 13 years old when they formed the band, but still managed to perform at well known venues such as the Red Room. Diversion was one of the young alternative pop bands in Santa Cruz.
Diversion released a self-titled CD, Diversion, in 2000. The band recorded some more tracks for a second album, but they broke up in early 2005 without being able to finish it.
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