Katharine McPhee

Katharine Hope McPhee Foster (born March 25, 1984) is an American pop singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of *American Idol* in May 2006.

Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on January 30, 2007, and debuted at number two on the *Billboard* 200, selling 381,000 copies (as of December 2010). The album's first single, "Over It," was a *Billboard* Pop Top 30 hit and was certified gold in 2008. Her second album, *Unbroken*, was released on Verve Forecast Records on January 5, 2010, and debuted at No. 27 on the *Billboard* 200. The album featured the single "Had It All," which peaked at number 22 on the AC chart.

Her third album, the holiday-themed *Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You*, was released on October 12, 2010. The album debuted at number 11 on the *Billboard* Top Holiday Albums chart, while the single "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" peaked at number 16 on the *Billboard* AC chart. McPhee released her fourth album, *Hysteria*, on September 18, 2015. She released her fifth album, *I Fall in Love Too Easily*, composed of jazz standards, on November 17, 2017.

She has also established an acting career, co-starring in *The House Bunny*, *Shark Night 3D*, and *The Tiger Rising* (2022). She starred as Karen Cartwright on the NBC series *Smash*, as Paige Dineen on the CBS series *Scorpion*, and as Bailey on Netflix's *Country Comfort* (2021).

She made her Broadway debut in the musical *Waitress*, taking over the role of Jenna in 2018 and again in 2019–2020 and also starred in the role in London's West End in 2019.