Elise Testone

Elise Testone was born on July 29, 1983, to LuAnne and Victor Testone.She grew up in Kinnelon, New Jersey Elise attended Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, earning a bachelors degree in music in 2005.

Prior to Idol, Elise was a voice instructor in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and she performed regularly, either solo or with one of several bands, in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2011, Elise and her band, the Freeloaders, won the Funk/Soul/R&B Artist of the Year award in the Charleston City Paper’s Music issue. Elise received additional recognition from the Charleston City Paper in 2011, winning the staff pick for Best Tribute for Elise Testone’s James Brown Dance Party. Elise has performed as an opening act for various other artists, including Snoop Dogg, Nappy Roots, Seven Mary Three, and Modern West.

Elise auditioned for the 2012 season of American Idol in Savannah, Georgia.

In the semi-finals, Elise performed Adele's "One and Only" and was one of five female contestants to advance to the finals based on viewer votes.

In the first round of the finals, Elise performed Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and was the female contestant with the lowest number of votes. Between Elise and Jeremy Rosado, the male contestant with the lowest number of votes, the judges decided to eliminate Rosado. The following week, in the top eleven round, Elise performed "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green and received praise from the judges, with Randy Jackson proclaiming, "America, Elise is back!"Nonetheless, Elise was in the bottom three again. This was not well-received by the judges, as Jennifer Lopez explained, "I’m not happy. It's not fair. Great performances should be rewarded. She was one of the best last night."

In the top ten round, Elise sang "Vienna" by Billy Joel and received a standing ovation from the judges. After spending two weeks in the bottom three,Elise was declared "safe" when the voting results were announced.Elise received a second consecutive standing ovation for her performance of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" in the top nine round.