Blake Lewis

Blake Colin Lewis is an American musician and actor who gained national prominence as the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. Born on July 21, 1981, in Redmond, Washington, to parents Dallas and Dinah Lewis, he was raised as an only child of Welsh, Swiss, German, and Irish descent. His mother, a former rocker, still sings and plays guitar. Lewis attended Kenmore Junior High and later Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, Washington, where he participated in state competitions, musicals, and comedy and rap videos with friends, introducing an alter ego named Jimmie Walker Blue.

Lewis began beatboxing at age seventeen after being inspired by Matthew Selby of the a cappella group M-Pact. In addition to singing and beatboxing, Lewis plays guitar, keyboard, and drums, and crafts live arrangements using loop pedals and a Kaoss Pad. Following his 1999 high school graduation, he spent four years with the a cappella group Kickshaw, contributing to their album Put It in the Microphone. He left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career under the stage name Bshorty, performing drum and bass, hip hop, electronica, and singer-songwriter material across various Seattle music venues.

In 2007, Lewis auditioned for the sixth season of American Idol in Seattle. Throughout the competition, he became known for incorporating beatboxing, scat singing, and original song arrangements into his performances, notably on Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." His studio recordings released during the season achieved strong digital sales, with "You Give Love a Bad Name" becoming the season's highest-selling download on iTunes. Lewis advanced to the finale on May 16, 2007, becoming the first contestant from the Northwestern United States to reach the top two, ultimately finishing as the season's runner-up.

Following his television breakthrough, Lewis signed with 19 Recordings and Arista Records, releasing his debut studio album, A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream), on December 4, 2007. Preceded by the single "Break Anotha," the album debuted at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 97,500 copies sold in its first week and eventually surpassed 350,000 copies sold. After releasing his second single, "How Many Words," which reached number eight on the U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart, Lewis parted ways with Arista Records while remaining on the 19 Recordings roster.

Lewis subsequently signed with Tommy Boy Records and released his second studio album, Heartbreak on Vinyl, on October 6, 2009. The album was preceded by the single "Sad Song" and reached number 20 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart and number seven on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Transitioning to independent releases, Lewis put out his third album, Portrait of a Chameleon, on May 20, 2014, which featured the single "Your Touch." He later released his fourth studio album, Wanderlust Unknown, in February 2020.