Jim Verraros

James Conrad Verraros (born February 8, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, who placed ninth on the first season of American Idol. Raised by deaf parents, he is fluent in American Sign Language and gained notoriety on American Idol for signing the lyrics to his audition song. After competing on the series, he released three pop rock, dance albums with music producer and songwriter Gabe Lopez. Verraros was also featured on the 2002 compilation album American Idol: Greatest Moments, covering "Easy" by the Commodores – this album reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart.

While participating in the 2002 American Idols LIVE! tour, Verraros came out as gay. He was the first American Idol finalist to come out, and he remained the series' only publicly gay finalist for over three years. Several organizations subsequently honored Verraros as an influential figure within the gay community (such as Out magazine, which named him to its "Most Intriguing People" list twice, first in 2002 and again in 2006). Throughout his music career, Verraros performed at numerous pride events. He also toured at gay clubs.

Verraros released his official debut album, Rollercoaster, through independent label Koch Records in 2005. It was accompanied by two singles and received generally positive reviews. Some of the songs from Rollercoaster had previously been featured on a demo album, Unsaid and Understood, which Verraros had self-released through mp3.com around 2003. The lead single from Rollercoaster, "You Turn It On", peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart.

In addition to music, Verraros pursued an acting career. He had a starring role in the first two installments of the gay comedy film franchise Eating Out, and he had a cameo in Another Gay Movie. He also stayed involved with American Idol-related projects for several years. In 2003, he joined with various finalists from the first two seasons of the series for a promotional tour of select shopping malls throughout the United States, and later, he co-hosted a video recap series of American Idol s seventh season for AfterElton.com.

In 2007, Verraros released a non-album single about his then-to-be husband, Bill Brennan; the song, "You Make It Better", was featured in the second Eating Out film. Verraros and Brennan married in 2009. The same year as his wedding, Verraros self-released three new singles, although the accompanying second album, Do Not Disturb, was not released until 2011. Following Do Not Disturb, Verraros announced his intention to retire from music. He subsequently served as executive vice president of Brennan's organization, Bridal Expo Chicago and Bridal Expo Milwaukee. Verraros and Brennan have since separated.

Early life Verraros was born on February 8, 1983, in Mount Prospect, Illinois. He grew up in nearby Crystal Lake. His father, Nicholas, both lost their hearing after contracting German measles as infants. Verraros was raised to be fluent in American Sign Language. The responsibility of interpreting for his parents as a child led him to relate with people older than himself, more than he did with others his own age. Reflecting on his childhood, Verraros once said, "I had to do things like hold phone conversations and discuss things with doctors and even real estate agents. I had to become well-versed not only with sign language but with people skills as well...I didn't have time for bullshit." He also sought help from the school psychologist during those years. High school marked a more significant improvement for him – he became active in theater and went on to attend Monmouth College on a theater scholarship. and attended the auditions in Chicago – even though his primary interest was acting. Verraros later said that he had only tried out "for fun" and without any expectations.

Attempting to stand out, Verraros chose to sing "When I Fall in Love" by Nat King Cole at his audition, rather than a pop song. He was nineteen at the time. While singing, he also signed the lyrics to his song. American Idol heavily focused on his parents' disabilities, and several publications speculated that Verraros may have been helped in the competition by sympathy votes.

quote=Jim Verraros...he's a nice kid...this was the first show that they were recording, and I kinda heard 'em, like, 'yeah, we're gonna nail Jim'. I'm like, 'what are you gonna nail Jim for? [What] do you mean, you're gonna nail Jim?' So [Verraros] sings...he comes over, he's got tears in his eyes...I'm like, 'Hey, Paula Abdul said she liked you, what else matters?'...[Nigel Lythgoe] rips me off stage, takes me around back, and starts screaming at me...and I said, '[Wait] a minute, just so I understand you, if these kids come back here feeling like shit, I'm supposed to make sure they continue to feel like shit?' — Brian Dunkleman recounting his American Idol semi-finals experience. he chose to reprise "When I Fall in Love". Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul both called this the best performance that Verraros had given on the series up to that point, and declared, "I think if you win this competition, we would have failed." Jessica Shaw of Entertainment Weekly called this the harshest critique that Cowell had given to any contestant on the series up to that point. First season co-host Brian Dunkleman recalled in a 2014 podcast overhearing the judges say that they were going to "nail Jim" on the night of the semi-finals. After the performance, Dunkleman offered Verraros reassurance, but during a commercial break, the series' executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe, purportedly took Dunkleman backstage and raged against him for not further demoralizing Verraros. Dunkleman recounted this as a partial explanation for why he quit the series after its first season. Originally, Verraros was going to be cut anyway. In his 2011 tell-all book, American Idol: The Untold Story, Richard Rushfield revealed that a "judge's cut" was going to be introduced as a twist to the semi-finals. After the Group 1 results episode went off air, Cowell went to the three contestants who had been voted through to the finals (The three contestants voted through to the finals from Group 1 were Verraros, Gray, and Ryan Starr.)

His place in the top ten secure, Verraros planned to sing "Get Ready" by The Temptations for the first round of finals. The week's theme was Motown. Verraros won a coin toss against Kelly Clarkson, who also wanted to sing "Get Ready", but he switched course upon considering how much of the song is in falsetto. With a limited selection of Motown songs available for him to choose from, Verraros settled on "Easy" by The Commodores, even though he was unfamiliar with it. Two contestants were voted off that week, and Verraros was the second eliminated, following EJay Day.

Performances

Public response When Verraros advanced into the top ten for American Idol s first season, Shaw (of Entertainment Weekly) wrote of the contestant, "I can't decide whether I love him or loathe him." She likened Verraros to a forgettable boy-band member, but also wrote that she had appreciated Verraros' decision to use sign language during his audition. Jim Derogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times was more favorable. After watching all of the top ten finalists perform on their nationwide tour, he suggested that Verraros should have placed seventh and commended him for "doing as well as anyone could" with poor singing-material (referring to "Easy"). Another positive review of Verraros came from Rick Shefchik of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, who wrote that Verraros sang a "tender version" of "When I Fall in Love" during the competition. Most critics, however, voiced negative opinions. Amy Amatangelo of the Boston Herald wrote that Verraros "lacked stage presence" and Eric Deggans of St. Petersburg Times called Verraros "obviously overmatched" among the other first season finalists. In his review of American Idol: Greatest Moments, Chuck Campbell of The Herald News was critical of Verraros' track on the album, writing "Verraros takes it too easy on his slack interpretation of Lionel Richie's Easy."

Post-Idol life and career 2002–2003: American Idol tour and related projects About a month after being voted out of the top ten on American Idol'''s first season, Verraros joined thirteen other former contestants from the series to perform at various events in Northwest Indiana. (This group was initiated by Mark Scott, an American Idol semi-finalist from the area, for the main purpose of performing at "Let's Go to the Hoop", a 3-on-3 children's basketball tournament in Gary, Indiana.) and a few weeks later, he reunited with all of the series' top thirty contestants for the American Idol in Las Vegas TV special. Verraros then participated through October and November in the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2002, along with his fellow top ten finalists. For each stop of the tour, he reprised his performance of "Easy" from the series.

Prior to competing on American Idol, Verraros had been open about his sexual orientation through an online journal. The Advocate, an American LGBT-interest magazine, discovered this journal while Verraros was on the series and contacted Fox with an interview request for the contestant. One day later, the journal was deleted. Verraros later explained to The Advocate that his journal had been removed because Fox did not want it to give him an unfair advantage in the competition. Verraros was open about his sexuality with the other American Idol finalists, whom he described as being very supportive. He also came out to his father at this time. Around that time, Verraros said, "I just thought it was time to come out. I really hate the segregation and only being able to hold hands in gay bars. We have to start breaking down the barriers. I want to be a gay advocate and let teens know that being gay is just a small part of who you are. And if people don't like it, it's their problem, not yours." and in May, he participated in Boston's Youth Pride march.

The American Idol: Greatest Moments album, released October 1, 2002, features a recorded version of Verraros singing "Easy". The album reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. Asked during his run on American Idol what he might call his debut album, Verraros suggested "So You Say". Verraros moved to Los Angeles after the American Idol tour and was turned down by several agencies. While in LA, he lived for two years with Natalie Burge and Christopher Aaron, both of whom were in the Top 30 with him on American Idol s first season. (Burge had a small role in Eating Out and performed as a dancer in at least one of Verraros' shows.)

2003–2005: Unsaid and Understood, Eating Out, and Rollercoaster Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and music producer Gabe Lopez reached out to Verraros, after hearing American Idol: Greatest Moments. The two began a collaboration based out of Lopez's home studio. While recording the album, he worked at a tanning salon and at a phone bank. Another track on the album, "I Want You", was included on Bi the People, a 2003 compilation album of "bisexual artists and friends", which was released to raise money for the Bisexual Foundation. Multiple tracks from Unsaid and Understood topped the Rock and Pop charts on mp3.com, and the album won the 2004 Out Music Award for Outstanding New Recording – Debut Male. A tour of gay clubs was undertaken to promote the album.

Around the same time that Verraros was recording Unsaid and Understood, Q. Allan Brocka, an American Idol fan, cast Verraros as Kyle in his 2004 gay-themed comedy Eating Out. Filming lasted ten days. Although intended as a straight-to-DVD release, it secured limited theatrical distribution in 2005, Writing again for The Advocate, Vary (along with Dennis Hensley) placed Eating Out among a group of films released in the mid-2000s that he and Hensley felt constituted a "New New Queer Cinema", after the initial "New Queer Cinema" movement faded in the 1990s. although Verraros was praised for his performance by Dana Stevens in a review for The New York Times, who wrote that Verraros "has a scrappy energy that sets him apart from the bland and vulgar proceedings" of the film.

Rollercoaster

According to ChicagoPride.com, Verraros pitched Unsaid and Understood to "every major label in the U.S. two or three times" without success. Verraros then pursued a record deal in the United Kingdom, hoping that British labels would be more willing to work with an openly gay artist, although nothing materialized from this. Unsaid and Understood was then revamped and released through Koch Records as Rollercoaster on April 26, 2005. This was marketed as Verraros' official debut.

'Idol' sort of cranks out these performers and then they become sort of forgettable, so I knew I had to find a way to stand out. I decided to do the whole rock star thing with makeup and mascara and sexed up my image a bit. I needed to grow up and change – and change is good. — —Jim Verraros on his image change after American Idol. Verraros himself assessed his look on American Idol as having been "[very] Midwestern" – he said that he was wanting to distance himself from associations with the series

People assume that once you make it to the top ten, [you're] given these amazing opportunities…But we were the guinea pigs. Then it [American Idol] blew up and became this huge phenomenon. Now, as a solo artist, I would kill for that kind of exposure again. — —Jim Verraros in November 2005. peaking in early June at number twenty-one.

"You're Getting Crazy (Estas Enloqueciendo)" was released in October as the album's second single. Billboard wrote that it "treads in similar territory [as "You Turn It On"] stirring the beats into a simmering frenzy." Billboard suggested that the song could become a hit, if Verraros released an accompanying music video,

Shortly after releasing Rollercoaster, Verraros moved back to Crystal Lake, where he lived with his family for a time. attended a pride ceremony held by the New York City Council, The ceremony was held in honor of Laurel Holloman, Mathilde Krim, Christopher Sieber, Joyce Hunter (a founding member of the Hetrick-Martin Institute and the Harvey Milk School), Luis Freddy Molano (who founded the Community Healthcare Network's Bronx Health Center Transgender Program), and Miriam Yeung (who served as director of public policy & government relations at the LGBT Community Services Center). Verraros attended the ceremony as a guest. He participated in several local events around Chicago during this time and Chicago Pride parades. A club tour was considered to promote Rollercoaster. The New York Post noted in 2006 that Verraros had "gained a cult following" due to his role in Eating Out. In 2009, PopCrush claimed that "almost immediately" after appearing on American Idol, Verraros had become "a huge symbol within the LGBT community", and that same year, the Washington Examiner wrote that Verraros "has been a fixture in the gay world...practically becoming a gay sex-symbol through the years." Verraros remained the only American Idol finalist to be publicly out until 2006, when his fellow first season finalist R.J. Helton came out. Helton had confided in Verraros about his sexual orientation on the night of the first-season finale, shortly before the group went on tour and before Helton had come out to any of the other first season finalists. and screened in several film festivals, Brocka returned as co-writer, The film features a song written by Verraros and Lopez, called "You Make It Better", which was released as a single on July 17, 2007.

In June 2006, the Windy City Times included Verraros in its "30 Under 30" list of young figures who had made positive contributions to the LGBTQ community. Throughout that year, Verraros continued performing at local events around Chicago; he was also featured on American Idol Rewind, filmed a guest appearance for the pilot of a cooking show called The Astrological Kitchen, and released a duet called "Sweat" with indie artist Jamie O'Brien. Once again, Verraros was named to Out magazine's "Most Intriguing People" list for that year.

In November 2006, it was reported that Verraros was living in East Dundee, Illinois, with his long-time boyfriend. It was also reported at this time that Verraros' second album would be released in 2007. Verraros had also told Atlantaboy.com that he was "heading more toward the film thing" and that if he ever released a music video, he would hope to co-direct it. another, referred to by the title Copacabana: Of Love and Shadows, was described as a Rio de Janeiro-based musical, in which Verraros would play both male and female roles; and the third, referred to by the title Pizza on Sunset, was described as a gay LA-based romantic comedy. By July 2007, Verraros still had not released his second album. Verraros appeared at multiple book signings in Illinois during January 2008 with Poseman and American Idol sixth season finalist Gina Glocksen. If 'You Make it Better', a single released in 2007, says anything it says Verraros is a talented singer that can do more than just make club music for the crowd he keeps on catering to. Maybe it's time to pull the shirt back down and expand his horizon with credible and relatable lyrics and music. — —Samuel Lora, writing for the Washington Examiner in August 2009, after the release of "Touch (Don't U Want 2)" and "Electric Love" as singles. and co-hosted video recaps of that season with Penny Frulla for AfterElton.com. He was also featured on Usmagazine.com as a guest recapper for that season's Top 12 episode. In January 2008, the Chicago Free Press named Verraros "Best LGBT Musician of 2007" in its "Pressie Awards". In a subsequent Myspace post expressing his gratitude for the award, Verraros announced that his second album, which still had not been released, would be called Do Not Disturb (AfterElton.com had previously reported that the album would be called Chapter Two). Verraros accepted the Pressie award in March, around which time he said that Do Not Disturb would be "coming out in the next couple of months." That same year, the electronica album Ear Therapy was released by DJ Russ Harris, which features Verraros on the track "Another Lifetime", and the following year, Verraros released three new singles on iTunes – "Touch (Don't U Want 2)" on January 20; "Electric Love" on May 26; and "Do Not Disturb" on November 9. All three songs were written and produced by Gabe Lopez, whose official website announced that the accompanying album's release date had been pushed back to late 2010. Samuel Lora of the Washington Examiner gave "Touch (Don't U Want 2)" a negative review, calling it "simple and vapid". Entertainment Weekly reported in March 2010 that Verraros was looking for "an indie label to release [Do Not Disturb]." out of dozens that were written and recorded throughout the development process. The couple first met through MySpace in 2005, at which point they decided to meet in person, after realizing that they only lived about twenty minutes away from each other. The marriage was later legalized in Iowa. In 2006, Verraros signed an endorsement deal to serve as spokesman for the business; he eventually became executive vice president. Kelly Clarkson and Verraros maintained a friendship after competing on American Idol together, and Verraros helped design the headpiece that Clarkson wore for her 2013 wedding.

By 2019, Verraros and Brennan had separated. Verraros is currently engaged. On November 20, 2021, Verraros married Sean Michael Buck.

Filmography American Idol Season 1 (2002) – Himself Eating Out (2004) – Kyle Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds (2006) – Kyle Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! (2008) – Priest

Discography Studio albums

Rollercoaster (2005)

Others

Unsaid and Understood'' (Unreleased demo album) (2003)

Compilations appearances Year Title Peak chart positions Details US 2002 American Idol: Greatest Moments 4Credited on the following tracks: "Easy" (Solo performance) "California Dreamin'" (Group performance)

Singles Year Song Peak chart positions AlbumRef. USDanceClub 2005 "You Turn It On" 21 — Rollercoaster 2009 "Touch (Don't U Want 2)" — — Do Not Disturb "Electric Love" — — "Do Not Disturb" — — 2024"Pyramid"——

As featured artist Year Track AlbumRef. 2008 "Another Lifetime"(DJ Russ Harris featuring Jim Verraros) Ear Therapy

Footnotes