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Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10,
1984) is an American pop singer and actress. She was born in Nashua, New
Hampshire to Don Moore (a pilot for American Airlines) and Stacy (a former
newspaper reporter); her maternal grandmother was English and a dancer in
the theater district in the West End of London, England, while her
maternal grandfather was Jewish. Moore has two brothers, Scott and Kyle;
she grew up in Seminole County, Florida, outside of Orlando, moving there
shortly after her birth. Moore was raised a Catholic, and attended Bishop
Moore Catholic High School, as well Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte
Springs.
Moore's interest in singing grew after seeing the musical Oklahoma!. She
subsequently sang the National Anthem at a few athletic events. She was
spotted and signed on to a record deal with Sony Records after recording a
demo at the age of 14. Throughout 1999, Moore toured with The Backstreet
Boys.
Moore, fifteen years-old at the time, released her first album, So Real,
on December 7, 1999. The album reached a peak of 31 on the US Billboard
200 album chart. At the time of her album's release, Moore was considered
only the latest in a quickly-growing series of heavily-marketed 'pop
princesses' akin to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica
Simpson. Moore was the last (and youngest) of the four to reach mainstream
radio, and was initially not as successful as her peers. Still, So Real
was certified platinum in the US by early 2000, while her debut single,
"Candy," peaked at 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold.
A follow-up single entitled "Walk Me Home" was later released, though it
failed to achieve much success.
Moore's vocal catergory is Soubrette. Her highest note is G5 and her
lowest note is A3. Her vocal range is approximately two octaves. Moore's
vocals aren't as high as those of her peers Jessica Simpson or Christina
Aguilera, but are higher than those of Britney Spears.
Moore released a re-worked version of her debut album entitled I Wanna Be
With You on May 9, 2000, only six months after So Real's release. The
album included several new songs, along with tracks from So Real, as well
as a couple of remixed songs. Technically, the first single from I Wanna
Be With You was So Real, since it was included in her first album and was
also featured on I Wanna Be With You. I Wanna Be With You reached a peak
of 21 on the Billboard 200 and was later certified Platinum in the US. The
title track was featured as the lead single, reaching a peak of 24 on the
Hot 100, Moore's highest peak to date. The song was also featured in the
film Center Stage (2000). I Wanna Be With was criticized because some saw
it as a remix album and not a new studio album, as well as because Moore's
appearance on the cover was deemed too sexual for her age. "I Wanna Be
With You" was the only single released from the album.
Between 2000 and 2001, Moore hosted a talk show, the Mandy Moore Show, on
MTV.
Moore released the self-titled album Mandy Moore on June 19, 2001. The
album received mixed reviews and debuted at a disappointing 35 on the
Billboard 200. It was later certified gold in the US by 2002. The album's
main producer was Tim Mitchell.
The lead single, "In My Pocket", was tinged with a Middle-Eastern sound,
along with a colorful video; it failed to make a dent in the charts,
however, missing the Hot 100 completely. The song was a popular dance
success not only in the States but also a commercial hit in Australia,
Thailand, and other countries. Moore performed "In My Pocket" live many
times, including once at the 2001 Fox network television special,
"Teenapalooza".
The follow-up single, "Crush", also failed to chart, although the music
video received considerable airtime on MTV. It went on to be Moore's first
number one video on TRL, where she also performed the song live. The final
single, "Cry", was released in early 2002 and tied-in with the film A Walk
to Remember, which was Moore's debut as a lead actress. It also failed to
perform well on the charts. The album sold well in Eastern Asia, however,
and the songs "17" and "Saturate Me" were both released as singles
overseas.
In March 2002, Moore was featured in Elton John's video for "Original
Sin". That year, Moore was ranked 67 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest
Women In The World".
On October 21, 2003, Moore released her fourth album, Coverage. The record
consisted entirely of cover songs from the 1970s and '80s that Moore was
influenced by as a child, as well as songs that she had recently
discovered. The album peaked at 14 on the Billboard 200 (her highest
ranking to date), though "Have a Little Faith in Me" (the only released
single) failed to perform well on the charts.
The album had only gained "Gold" status. A video was made for the song
"Drop the Pilot", though it was not released as a single in the US. Her
cover of "I Feel The Earth Move" also appeared on Love Rocks, a
compilation CD of songs from gay rights supporters.
In early 2004, after Moore was dropped from Sony's Epic Records, she
signed with Warner Brothers Records.
Sony released The Best of Mandy Moore on November 16, 2004, which included
all of Moore's biggest hits from
the past five years. However, due to little promotion, the album peaked at
a noticably low 148 on the Billboard 200.
Another compilation album, Candy was released around the time Moore began
working on her 2006 album. It was released with no promotion and never
appeared on the charts. This was the final release of Moore's music from
Epic Records. To date, Moore has sold more than 6 million albums
worldwide.
A new studio album from Moore will be released in the spring of 2006
through her new record label, Sire Records; the title of the album is
Slummin' In Paradise. The album was co-written by singers Michelle Branch,
Rachael Yamagata, and Lori McKenna. Moore will also collaborate with Adam
Duritz, Chantal Kreviazuk, and James Renald who wrote Hey! and her single
"Cry". "Instyle Magazine" UK (2/06) has reported that Moore's fifth album
and first album for Sire Records is entitled Slummin' in Paradise. The
first single has yet to be released however the only song that was
released via the internet was a demo "Hey!".
Moore began her acting career with an appearance in the straight-to-video
children's movie Magic Al and the Mind Factory, a voiceover role in Dr.
Dolittle 2, and a small part in the Good Charlotte music video, "Little
Things". Later in 2001, Moore appeared in a small part as the mean and
popular cheerleader Lana Thomas opposite actresses Anne Hathaway and Julie
Andrews in the film The Princess Diaries. In the movie, Moore's character
performs a song from the film's soundtrack, "Stupid Cupid".
In 2002, Moore had her first starring role in a major feature film, A Walk
to Remember, opposite actor Shane West. The movie, based on the novel by
Nicholas Sparks, revolves around the developing romance between a
Protestant minister's daughter (played by Moore) and an unruly teenager.
The film was considered a moderate success, bringing in $41 million and
establishing Moore's status as a lead actress.
The soundtrack for the film featured four songs by Moore ("Cry", "Someday
We'll Know", "It's Gonna Be Love" and "Only Hope"). Moore won an award for
Breakthrough Female Performance at that summer's MTV Movie Awards, as well
as Choice Female Breakout Performance and Choice Chemistry (with Shane
West) at the Teen Choice Awards. That same year, she voiced Final Fantasy
VII character Aerith Gainsborough in the Square Enix-Disney crossover
video game Kingdom Hearts. She will not, however, reprise the role for
Kingdom Hearts 2; the character will now be voiced by actress Mena Suvari.
In 2003, Moore starred in the romantic comedy film How to Deal. The movie
failed to draw in the teenage crowds in the US, and grossed a total of $14
million.
Moore's next film was 2004's Chasing Liberty, a romantic comedy which only
grossed $12 million. Later that summer, she appeared in a supporting role
in the low-budget satire on religion, Saved!, playing Hilary Faye, a
popular "good girl" at a Christian school. Although the film never
received a widespread release, it was critically successful and Moore
received positive reviews for her role.
In 2005, Moore lent her voice to the movie Racing Stripes. Her upcoming
films include Bobby, Romance & Cigarettes and American Dreamz, all
currently slated for a release in 2006.
Moore has also appeared on the television series, Entourage, and
guest-starred in two episodes of boyfriend Zach Braff's comedy Scrubs in
2006. She will also be lending her voice to The Simpsons, playing a
dominatrix named "Tabitha Vixx." The airdate of the episode has yet to be
confirmed.
Moore was a Neutrogena spokesperson, appearing in commercials as well as
print ads for the product. She has also modelled for Coach handbags in
Japan and for the clothing brand, Penshoppe, in the Philippines.
Moore dated actor Wilmer Valderrama for 18 months between 2000 and 2002.
Soon after, she started dating tennis star Andy Roddick. The couple were
together for 16 months, hardly spending time together due to Moore's film
schedule; Roddick ended the relationship in March of 2004. She also dated
Philippines-born singer/actor Billy Crawford for a "few months" when she
was younger.
In 2004, Moore began dating Scrubs actor Zach Braff. The two met at a
fundraising event for the Democratic Party around the time of the November
2004 election. In early 2006, unnamed sources told In Touch magazine that
the couple were engaged. Braff called this a "total internet rumor" and
Moore's representative denied the engagement. |
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"I like older boys, but they
think, 'She's under age.' I'd love to have somebody in mind when I
sing."
"When people come up to me and say, 'You made it,' I think, 'But I'm
not done yet. Not everyone's heard my music.' I want to be a
household name."
"I'm not comfortable doing that. You shouldn't send that message
out, that tight clothes are what get you the attention. If it works
for them, fine. But, it's not for me." - about the prospect of her
dressing in revealing outfits similar to those of Britney Spears and
Christina Aguilera
I think it's flattering when people say I'm a role model, but I
don't think I am. It depends on your outlook on the word 'role
model.' I'm not perfect or anything. I just consider it a great
compliment."
People tend to see you in one light, and don't think you can play
people who are unlike who you are.
"I'm a spiritual person and a religious person. But for me, it's all
a personal thing. I'm not someone who'll say, 'This is what I
believe, and you should too!' It's more of an internal, quiet,
grounded, fulfilling thing for me."
"I'm not an advocate for having sex or not having sex. It's a
personal decision. Whenever you feel ready, you're ready."
[On gay rights] "When two people - regardless of gender - long to
care for each other, to protect each other, to treasure each other,
we should do everything we can to foster that."
"I want to learn about a different religion. I grew up Catholic, but
my grandfather was Jewish. Knowledge about other religions can help
you understand your own better. I think it's kind of hypocritical to
believe one thing and don't know about any others. A friend once
told me it made her sad to think that if we were to pass away, I
would go to heaven but our Jewish friend wouldn't because she
doesn't believe in Jesus. That totally sent me over the edge! I'm
happy with what I believe, but I'm open to the fact that there are
people with different faiths, and they might be as passionate about
theirs as I am about mine."
"A smile is so sexy, yet so warm. When someone genuinely smiles at
you, it's the greatest feeling in the world." quoted in Woman's
World (12-6-2005) |
