Karen Lee Batten | |
---|---|
Also known as | Karen-Lee Batten (incorrect) |
Origin | Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada |
Genres | Country, folk |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Years active | 2003–present |
Labels | KLB Records Inc./Fontana North |
Website | KarenLeeBatten.com |
Karen Lee Batten - "Life Worth Living" (Official Video) (June 2014) |
Karen Lee Batten is a country music singer from British Columbia. In 2003 she reached the Top 11 Finals in season one of Canadian Idol, and her performance of "Come Away With Me" was featured on the Canadian Idol Greatest Moments album, which went Gold in Canada in 2004. She released her debut album, Every Moment, in late 2005. On May 27, 2014, she released her second album Cause a Scene on Fontana North, which led to her winning Female Vocalist of the Year for the fourth time at the British Columbia Country Music Association Awards.
Batten competed on the 2003 first season of Canadian Idol, which premiered on June 9, 2003. As part the third group in the top 32 semifinals, she performed "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones. She then progressed to the Top 11, with the Final 11 contestants performing for various themed weeks. She performed "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles as their "Canadian hits" theme, and was one of three contestants eliminated that round. The judges had randomly allowed a "wildcard" into the final ten, bringing it to a Final 11. Batten's elimination led which led to some controversy because of the voting system: had it merely been a top 10, she would have survived another week.
Her performance of "Come Away With Me" was later featured on the first Canadian Idol Greatest Moments compilation album, which went Gold in Canada in 2004.
She won the BCCMA's "Female Vocalist of the Year" award in 2004, and went on to win the same award in 2005 and 2006.
She released her debut album, Every Moment, in December 2005. The album's cover of Deryl Dodd's song "A Bitter End" has received a significant amount of radio airplay on Canadian country music radio stations. In February 2006, she was an opening act for Emerson Drive. Karen-Lee's first music video, "Hearts on the Run," began airing on CMT Canada in April 2008.