Carmen Rasmusen Herbert (born March 25, 1985) is a Canadian-American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

artist who ranked sixth on the second season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to A ...

'' in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar.

Early life

Rasmusen was born on March 25, 1985 in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

and is of Norwegian heritage. She is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

. The second of four children, Rasmusen has been performing in public since the age of five: singing, dancing (including cheerleading, tap, ballet and hip-hop dance), and playing the piano. She graduated from Woods Cross High School in Northern Utah in 2003, and is an alumna of

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

''American Idol''

Rasmusen auditioned initially in Los Angeles and was put through to Hollywood. She was originally eliminated by the judges during the Top 100 stage. In a surprise move, Rasmusen and three other young female singers were brought back to compete in the Wild Card show. No clear reason was made public, but speculation at the time centered on the show's producers wanting to provide a greater demographic diversity in the Final 12. Rasmusen performed "

Can't Fight the Moonlight "Can't Fight the Moonlight" is a song written by Diane Warren and performed by American singer LeAnn Rimes. It is the theme song of the film '' Coyote Ugly''. Released as a single on August 22, 2000, the song reached the top 10 in 19 European co ...

" by

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...

for her Wild Card performance. Although the judges, including

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and '' Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

, opined that it was not a good enough performance to advance, the next night Cowell chose her as his "judge's choice" to move into the Top 12. Carmen survived for seven weeks in the finals, earning generally mixed reviews from the judges throughout her stay. Her performances of "

You Can't Hurry Love "You Can't Hurry Love" is a 1966 song originally recorded by the Supremes on the Motown label. It was released on July 25 of 1966 as the second single from their studio album ''The Supremes A' Go-Go'' (1966). Written and produced by Motown p ...

" and "

Turn the Beat Around "Turn the Beat Around" is a disco song written by Gerald Jackson and Peter Jackson, and performed by American actress and singer Vicki Sue Robinson in 1976 (see 1976 in music), originally appearing on her debut album, '' Never Gonna Let You Go' ...

" received relatively high marks from both judges and viewers, while her rendition of Blondie's " Call Me" during Billboard Number One Hits Night drew brickbats. Judge

Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...

was often one of her harshest critics. Rasmusen was praised by her fans as having a wholesome, girlish appeal and for refusing to wear outfits she thought were inappropriate for her. Fans also cited her on-stage energy and strong

vocal projection Voice projection is the strength of speaking or singing whereby the human voice is used powerfully and clearly. It is a technique employed to command respect and attention, as when a teacher talks to a class, or simply to be heard clearly, as used ...

. Detractors pointed to her recurring difficulty in controlling her natural

vibrato Vibrato (Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms o ...

and her tendency to

yodel Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from th ...

when changing registers. She was also one of the most outspoken defenders of the show among the second season finalists in the wake of the

scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

involving

Corey Clark Corey Delaney Clark (born July 13, 1980) is an American singer. He is known for his highly publicized disqualification from the second season of ''American Idol'' and later allegations of a sexual relationship with then-''Idol'' judge Paula Abd ...

's allegations regarding

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograp ...

. As the only contestant in the second season under the age of eighteen, she had to spend three hours a day with an on-set tutor. Her mother had to accompany her with the other contestants to the special ''American Idol'' house, where they all lived during the competition. She also became close friends with season 2 runner-up

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...

. After her elimination, she went on to appear in numerous shows promoting ''American Idol'' and she appeared on the last episode of the second season singing with the other finalists. Rasmusen also appeared on the American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs singing "

How Do I Live "How Do I Live" is a song written by Diane Warren. It was performed by American singer, songwriter and actress LeAnn Rimes and the extended version of the song was later featured on her second studio album, '' You Light Up My Life: Inspirationa ...

" by LeAnn Rimes. In June 2008, Rasmusen starred as one of the headliners for a live music show in

Branson, MO Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postmast ...

, called ''America's Favorite Finalists''. The show featured six top 12 American Idol Finalists performing their own music, cover songs and group numbers. The show ran at the Grand Palace.

Performances

*Wildcards - "

" by

*Top 12 (Motown) - "

" by

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

*Top 11 (Movies) - " Hopelessly Devoted to You" by

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

*Top 10 (Country Rock) - " Wild Angels" by

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relo ...

*Top 8 (Disco) - "

" by

Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson (May 31, 1954 – April 27, 2000) was an American theatre and film actress, and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around". Early life Bor ...

(Bottom 2) *Top 8 (Billboard Number One Hits) - " Call Me" by Blondie *Top 7 (

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the " Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

's Music) - "

And So It Goes "And So It Goes" is a song written by Billy Joel in 1983, though it was not released until six years later. It appeared as the tenth and final track of his 1989 studio album '' Storm Front''. The original 1983 demo was released on the 2005 box se ...

" (Bottom 2) *Top 6 (

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has received several awards including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and an Honorary Academy Award. War ...

's Music) - "

Love Will Lead You Back "Love Will Lead You Back" is a song recorded by American singer Taylor Dayne for her second studio album, ''Can't Fight Fate'' (1989). Written by Diane Warren and produced by Ric Wake, the song was released on January 20, 1990, by Arista Records ...

" by

Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including " Love Wil ...

(Eliminated) * Due to

's disqualification, the Top 9 performances became Top 8 when no one was eliminated.

Music career

Carmen

Her first EP, ''Carmen'', was self-released and included her first single, ''Photograph''.

''Nothin' Like the Summer''

Rasmusen is signed with

Lofton Creek Records Lofton Creek Records was an American independent country music record label. The label is notable for releasing "I Loved Her First", a number-one single for the band Heartland. History Harold Shafer and his wife Vicky founded Lofton Creek Records ...

. Her debut album, ''

Nothin' Like the Summer ''Nothin' Like the Summer'' is the debut album of country music artist Carmen Rasmusen . It was released on iTunes on August 14, 2007, and was physically released on August 28, 2007 on Lofton Creek Records. The first single, "Nothin' Like the S ...

'' was released on August 28, 2007, and the first single, "Nothin' Like the Summer", debuted in the United States on April 24, 2007 and also debuted in Shanghai, Australia and United Kingdom. The song was written by Rasmusen, Victoria Shaw and

Jason Deere Jason Todd Deere (born December 19, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and music executive. He has written memorable songs for acts like Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Simpson, Cory Marks, Jim Brick ...

, who also produced both the song and her album. Rasmusen did a radio tour in support of the album; she participated in shows at 30 radio stations and 10 television shows including Fox, MSNBC, ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'', and Geraldo. She also opened concerts for

Tracy Byrd Tracy Lynn Byrd (born December 17, 1966) is an American country music artist. Signed to MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single "Holdin' Heaven", which reached Number One on '' ...

and

Jason Michael Carroll Jason Michael Carroll (born June 13, 1978) is an American country music artist. After being discovered at a local talent competition in 2004, Carroll was signed to the Arista Nashville label in 2006, releasing his debut album ''Waitin' in the C ...

. As part of her tour, she started a new program called "Hitching a Ride" where fans can hitch a ride and hang on her tour bus.

Acting career

Rasmusen made her acting debut in 2003 in the feature film '' Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy'' as Charlotte Lucas. In 2004, Carmen released an EP by R3 Records, ''Carmen''. Rasmusen also appeared in a three episode series of NBC's ''

Fear Factor ''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now ...

'', aired on June 13, 2006 - June 27, 2006. In the first episode, she was teamed with

Anthony Fedorov Anatoliy Vladimirovich "Anthony" Fedorov (russian: link=no, Анатолий Владимирович Фёдоров; born May 4, 1985) is an American singer and actor who is former lead singer for the Chicago band 7th Heaven. He rose to fame as ...

, and won the first challenge involving a

demolition derby Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their veh ...

, ultimately winning a trip to Africa. She finished in second place. In June 2006, Carmen played a news reporter in commercials for Maverik, a convenience store in the western USA.

Other projects

In the fall of 2007, Carmen's first book was released. ''Staying in Tune'' discusses how she's been able to uphold her values while involved with the entertainment industry.

Personal life

On December 15, 2005, Carmen married Bradley Herbert, the son of former Utah Governor

Gary R. Herbert Gary Richard Herbert (born May 7, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle. Herbert w ...

Bountiful, Utah Bountiful is Davis city. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301. The city grew rapidly during the suburb growth of the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and was Davis County's ...

. In December 2008, she gave birth to a son named Boston. Her second son, Beckham, was born on October 26, 2010. Carmen currently writes an entertainment column for the ''

Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

''.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Music videos

Filmography

*'' Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy'' (2003), as Charlotte Lucas *''

Down and Derby ''Down and Derby'' (released as ''Racing Ace'' outside of North America) is a 2005 American comedy film written and directed by Eric Hendershot and starring Greg Germann, Lauren Holly, Adam Hicks, and Pat Morita. The movie was filmed outside St ...

'' (2005), as Marilyn

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Lofton Creek Records
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmusen, Carmen 1985 births Living people Canadian people of Norwegian descent Canadian Latter Day Saints Canadian emigrants to the United States Brigham Young University alumni Deseret News people Actresses from Edmonton American Idol participants Canadian television actresses Canadian child singers Canadian country singer-songwriters Musicians from Edmonton Lofton Creek Records artists 21st-century Canadian actresses American columnists American women columnists 21st-century Canadian women singers 21st-century American women