Artist
Kree Harrison > G

Kree Annette Harrison (born May 17, 1990) is an American singer and musician, who was the runner-up on the twelfth season of American Idol. Kree was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Port Arthur, Texas. The family moved to Woodville, Texas in a home that was given to them by their grandmother. At three, Harrison asked her pastor if she could sing during church. The request was accepted and after she sang, her pastor commented, "I was expecting Jesus ... Loves Me, but she belted out El Shaddai by Amy Grant. I knew then this child had a special gift." Over the next several years, Harrison sang for churches, rodeos, weddings and competitions. At eight, she was the opening act for R&B performer Percy Sledge. At nine, she won "Artist of the Year" from Kirbyville Playhouse, and at ten, she sang on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and was invited back on three other occasions. She sang in country playhouses all over the area, as a special guest at a Warren Talent Show, and she was second place winner in the New York Apollo competition held in Houston. On October 11, 2001, Harrison's father died after the plane he was on crashed off the coast of Spain. After sixth grade, her family moved to Nashville to pursue her singing career. She attended seventh grade there, and was home schooled afterwards in order to devote more time to her music. On September 22, 2009, Harrison's mother was killed in a head on traffic collision. Harrison scored a development deal with Lyric Street Records at ten, which resulted in her family moving from Woodville to Nashville. The deal ended two years later without any recordings released due in part to some creative differences. Harrison began writing her own songs at the age of fourteen and often found herself in writing sessions with songwriters such as Trey Bruce and artist Rebecca Lynn Howard. She performed across local venues in Nashville such as the Bluebird Cafe. Harrison signed a publishing deal with Chrysalis Records at sixteen. She was working on an album when her mother died. She would later meet with an executive travel and event coordinator at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and made affiliations with the company. She would go on to perform at BMI showcases in Florida, such as the Key West Songwriters Festival and the San Destin Music Festival. She also sang backup vocals on Kacey Musgraves' album, Same Trailer Different Park, and Eli Young Band's album, Life at Best. Harrison was friends with country singer Mindy McCready. McCready invited Harrison up to sing her song "Guys Do It All the Time" with her at a 2011 Country Music Association performance in Nashville. See more [+]