Ryan Starr (born Tiffany Ryan Montgomery on November 21, 1982) is an American female singer and song writer. She ranked seventh on the season 1 of the talent search television series American Idol. Starr gained a fanbase based on her vocal talents and sexy image. She has appeared in numerous movies and both reality and scripted television programs. Although her music career has been held back; her iTunes exclusive single, My Religion, landed her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, and peaked at #1 on the US Billboard hot Digital Songs Chart selling 360,000 units.


Early life

Ryan was born into a Jewish middle-class family in Compton, Los Angeles, California. She is of French, Colombian, and Peruvian decent. She has three sisters. Ryan has been singing since the age of seven, and it was around the age of 19 when she developed a passion for rock n' roll. She went to Verdugo Hills High School, where she was prom queen and head cheerleader. She was a member of many school clubs, and played various sports such as track and surfing. "I did everything. People should really try and be a part of a lot of things. It keeps life fun and keeps you fit, too!" She also sang, whenever possible, at school events. She has been quoted as saying, "I fell in love with the raw emotions rock has to offer. Music is simply my life, I live through it." Once Ryan knew what kind of music she wanted to sing, she began to do anything and everything to sing and get on stage. Still only a teenager, she worked for free as a waitress at clubs to sing on stage afterwards. Music quickly took over her life, and she decided to put college on hold in order to pursue her dream of becoming a rock-star. She listened to all kinds of rock singers, from legends like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin to female artists like Pat Benatar and Janis Joplin. Upon realizing that today there are not many female rock-stars, she decided that she wanted to help fill that void.

American Idol

Ryan appeared on the first season of American Idol, displaying a sultry, throaty, and smooth voice while wearing her own unique fashion designs on stage. Ryan took a different approach when she sang on TV live for the first time. Instead of the usual pop hits that other contestants were singing, Ryan chose an unusual song, "The Frim Fram Sauce," in the first group of ten vying for spots in the Top Ten.

She was the second singer from that group to be voted into the Top Ten. The following week, Ryan was the first to perform on American Idol's first live show. She sang "If You Really Love Me" by Stevie Wonder, and received praise from the judges, including this quote from Simon Cowell, "Pure star performance, loved it." The famed 'Jaded Journalist,' an online reporter from American Idol's website said, "I want to see Kelly and Ryan battle it out in the final two!"

She faltered when she sang, "You Really Got Me," a Kinks classic and was panned by the judges. Simon Cowell called it "dreadful". However, the following week Ryan sang "Last Dance" by Donna Summer and received praise from the judges.

When eliminated in 7th place, Starr received encouraging words from the judges. "You're a star, it's in your name, you'll make it." - Randy Jackson. "I don't understand, you should not be leaving us tonight. Don't worry, things are going to turn out great for you." - Paula Abdul. "You know Ryan, I think you're different from all the rest, and I think you can get what you want. Give me a call anytime; because you're about to become a star, I'll give you any help you need." - Simon Cowell.

Ryan returned with the rest of the finalists during the shows' finale and sang "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'", and went on a nationwide 32-city tour with the other finalists.

RCA, in partnership with American Idol, signed Ryan along with fellow Season One contestants Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin, Christina Christian, and Tamyra Gray (with J Records).

After the tour wrapped up, FOX released a DVD which heavily featured Ryan, along with a select few idols from the first season. Ryan was also featured in the American Idol Season One official book released in mid 2003. She, along with her fellow top ten finalists, recorded an American Idol 'Greatest Hits' album which was successful on the charts.

[edit] American Idol performances

* "Lean on Me" (Bill Withers) (Auditions, Los Angeles, 2002)
* "Frim Fram Sauce" (semi-finals; June 18, 2002)
* "If You Really Love Me" (Stevie Wonder, 1971) (Motown week; July 16, 2002)
* "You Really Got Me" (The Kinks, 1964) (1960s week; July 23, 2002)
* "Last Dance" (Donna Summer, 1978 ) (1970s week; July 30, 2002) (Bottom 3; voted off)
* "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" Nancy Sinatra, (solo part in Group performance)

Post-American Idol


Starr has placed the blame for her stalled music career on a two-year restrictive recording contract with RCA. Under this contract, she refused to record an album claiming producers wanted to turn her into an Avril Lavigne type singer. After an intense three year legal battle she was released from contract in 2005.

Now free from her recording contract with RCA, Ryan is getting her music out there. Her iTunes Exclusive Single, "My Religion," exploded onto the US Billboard Hot Digital Songs Chart, peaking at #1. The song also fared very well on the American iTunes Top 100 songs peaking at #7, and also on iTunes Ireland, iTunes Russia, and iTunes UK. It also entered the top 20 on iTunes Italy, and into the top 50 in iTunes France. Original Source: USA Today

One of the highest selling exclusive singles ever, it sold an estimated 360,000 units worldwide according to MTV and USA Today. Although Ryan has yet to release an album, People Magazine muses one will be released in late 2007.

In the 2005 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, they noted Ryan Starr to have sold the most exclusive single downloads in iTunes's history. They also went on to detail the fact that My Religion was slated to be released to stores in early 2006, but iTunes refused to release Ryan Starr's single from contract.

Shortly after her run on American Idol, Starr made a guest appearance on the popular FOX network comedy That '70s Show, and had a guest role on an episode of the hit CBS drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2004, she starred in the third season of the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life.

In 2005, Popstar! Magazine listed Ryan as the third biggest name in reality television in the world, behind Bo Bice and Kelly Clarkson. (courtesy of Popstar! Magazine with source 'Rock-Starr')

Currently, she has decided to focus more on her music, and will not be appearing on any more reality shows. Not limited to reality shows and singing, Starr had the lead role in the Direct-To-Video movie, Ring of Darkness.

Ryan Starr has been working on a new 'rock-ish' swimsuit line, "Chained," which, according to InStyle Magazine, was signed on for a two-year production contract with Lord and Taylor.

Ryan is hitting the music road in 2006–2007. She will be touring North America, and possibly China with her band. City tour dates are still TBA, however New York, Atlanta, Memphis, and Los Angeles are all confirmed. The first pit stop on her tour is the Nascar Raceway in Memphis, Tennessee on July 15, 2006. Starr will headline the show that will be aired on all FOX networks in North America.

Reports were previously made that Ryan turned down a three-album deal with Sanctuary Records. The deal supposedly required Ryan to record two pop albums before being allowed to record her rock album. These reports were later confirmed to be false by Ryan herself.

Ryan Starr's Reality Show & New Album


In 2007, Ryan had a featured spread in US Weekly. In the article, Ryan revealed that she will be starring in her own reality television show. The show will center around Ryan Starr's personal life, her music, and her struggles to become a rock star in a pop-driven music industry. Ryan also detailed that several networks are currently bidding for the rights for the show, MTV, Fuse, Bravo, E!, and FOX Reality. Starr also stated that the show will also see her gain the recording contract she has been searching for since she quit RCA. As Ryan has been hitting the recording studio almost daily since late 2006, it has been said that the show will also feature snippets of her upcoming album.

In an interview given to the Today Show in early 2007, Starr revealed that iTunes had expressed interest in Ryan releasing another exclusive single to follow up the immense success of "My Religion." Starr claimed that she was reluctant to accept as she wished to release a full album, but hinted she had accepted the very lucrative offer put forth by iTunes. Rumours began to circulate that 'Stranded' would be the next exclusive single when images of a single cover were released on her MySpace.

In conjunction with her spread in US Weekly, Ryan released several news updates on her Myspace. Some of the news updates included the fact she will be returning to the runway sporting some of her own designs, and possibly some for Gucci. In her personal life, Ryan said that doing charity work has become a central part of her life. She has been working constantly with poor children, and helping to clean up Los Angeles.

In early April of 2007, CelebTV.com revealed that Ryan Starr was voted second sexiest American Idol in history; narrowly behind Katharine McPhee. CelebTV.com also listed Ryan as the second biggest 'rock star' to come from Idol, placed behind Chris Daughtry and infront of Bo Bice.

Starr revealed to MTV that she had formed a band called Aces. The music pure rock, and both she and the band members are very excited with the material.

Personal Life and Charity

Ryan has said numerous times in interviews that she comes from a troubled past. Although she has yet to comment on exactly what this means, she has made it clear that she has cut ties with most of her immediate family. Her love life has been kept fairly quiet; however People Magazine snapped a photo of Ryan flirting and exchanging phone numbers with Tobey Maguire[citation needed]. She was also seen dancing with Jake Gyllenhaal[citation needed]. In late 2004, Ryan purchased a house on the Santa Monica coastline with an estimated value of $3.4 million.

In June 2006, Ryan visited Aviva Foundation, a troubled and abused child home in northern Los Angeles. She spent the day getting to know the girls, playing various sports and games with them and also talking in-depth about their past. Ryan commented on her blog, "It was such an inspiring day to see these teens who have literally nothing, and yet they're still just like all of us; and they are fighting to make themselves better." While at the Aviva Foundation, Starr attracted media attention, and spoke out on the matter stating that something had to be done.