Quick Facts
Biography
Rayvon Owen (born June 27, 1991) is an American musician from Richmond, Virginia and a finalist in season 14 of American Idol finishing 4th overall. He released his EP Cycles August 26, 2014 prior to the contest, and his official single "Can't Fight It" in February 2016.
Early life
Rayvon Owen was born in Richmond, Virginia living with his single mother and one sister. He graduated from the Henrico High School Center for the Arts and Belmont University and worked as a singer and vocal coach.
Music career
2014: Early career
Rayvon has his own music video, "Sweatshirt" which premiered in November 2014. He also has a debut EP Cycles.
2015: American Idol
He auditioned to series 14 of American Idol with "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry and was chosen for Top 24 and eventually Top 12. After being in the bottom 3 in the top 11, (which guaranteed 2 people would be eliminated), Rayvon was deemed safe. Rayvon was in the bottom 2 for five consecutive weeks, but emerged victorious, thanks to Season 14's Idol Twitter Fan Save, where the bottom 2 perform and AI fans vote on the spot via Twitter for who should advance. Rayvon was the only recipient of the fan save in the entire season earning him the nicknames "Twitter King" and "Comeback Kid". Rayvon finished 4th place on Season 14 of American Idol and was included on the Idols Live Tour. He was in the Bottom 2 or 3 more times than any contestant in Idol history.
Performances and results
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Wide Awake" | Katy Perry | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | First Solo | "Ordinary People" | John Legend | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Since U Been Gone" | Kelly Clarkson | N/A | Advanced |
| House of Blues (Top 48) | Second Solo | "Lay Me Down" | Sam Smith | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 24 (12 Men) | Personal Choice | "Jealous" | Nick Jonas | 12 | Advanced |
| Top 16 | Motown | "My Girl" | The Temptations | 7 | Safe |
| Top 12 | Personal Choice | "Wide Awake" | Katy Perry | 8 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Party Songs | "Burn" | Ellie Goulding | 6 | Safe |
| Movie Night | "Staying Alive" | Bee Gees | 11 | Bottom 3 | |
| Top 9 | Songs from the 1980s | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Tears for Fears | 8 | Bottom 2 |
| Top 8 | Evening with Kelly Clarkson | "Since U Been Gone" | Kelly Clarkson | 6 | Bottom 2 |
| Top 7 | Billboard Hot 100 | "Set Fire to the Rain" | Adele | 7 | Bottom 2 |
| Top 6 | American Classics | "Long Train Runnin'" | The Doobie Brothers | 6 | Bottom 2 |
| "Always on My Mind" | Gwen McCrae and Brenda Lee | 12 | |||
| Top 5 | Arena Anthems | "I'm Not the Only One" | Sam Smith | 5 | Bottom 2 |
| "Go Your Own Way" | Fleetwood Mac | 10 | |||
| Top 4 | Judges Hometown | "Need You Now" | Lady Antebellum | 4 | Eliminated |
| Soul | "Believe" | Justin Bieber | 7 |
2016-present: New music
On the Valentine's Day weekend of 2016, Rayvon debuted a new single, "Can't Fight It" written with Mylen, Nate Merchant, and Isaiah Tejada. The accompanying music video acts as his official "coming out" as gay, sharing a kiss at the end with LGBT activist Shane Bitney Crone. Rayvon told Billboard: "You’d be surprised at the amount of times I tried to pray the gay away from me or tried to tell God to take this away from me. No kid should have to do what I did and pray to not be who they are. That’s why I think it’s important even in 2016 to say this."
In January 2018, Owen was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month. He was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Hoda Kotb and Meghan Trainor, the co-host for that episode broadcast nationally where Owen performed live his single "Gold".
Personal life
On February 14, 2016, Owen premiered a music video for his song "Can't Fight It", at the end of which he kisses a man. That same day, Owen's interview with Billboard was published in which he came out as gay. One day later Shane Bitney Crone, who is featured as the romantic lead in the music video, announced that he and Owen are a couple. On March 3, 2018, they announcedthey would be getting married, after Crone proposed to Owen on stage at a Demi Lovato concert.
Discography
EPs
| Album | Details | Track listing |
|---|---|---|
| Cycles |
|
|
Singles
- 2016: "Can't Fight It"
- 2018: "Gold"
- 2020: "Space Between" (with Blair St. Clair)
- Digital singles
| Year | Song |
|---|---|
| 2015 | "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" |
| "Since U Been Gone" | |
| "Set Fire to the Rain |