Katharine McPhee Bio
Katharine Hope McPhee, born on March 25, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, is an American singer and actress who first captured national attention as the runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol in 2006. Her self-titled debut album, released in 2007, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, and she has since built a steady recording career that spans pop, holiday music, and jazz standards. Beyond music, McPhee has carved out a notable presence on television and on stage, including lead roles in the NBC series Smash and the CBS drama Scorpion, along with a Broadway debut in Waitress.
Early Life and Background
Katharine Hope McPhee was born in Los Angeles to Daniel McPhee, a television producer, and Peisha McPhee (née Burch), who later became a vocal coach on American Idol. The family relocated to the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles when she was twelve years old. Peisha recognized her daughter’s early musical talent and took an active role in training her, while Katharine’s older sister, Adriana, also went on to work as a vocal coach on American Idol. McPhee is of English, Irish, Scottish, and German descent.
She attended Notre Dame High School in the Los Angeles area, where her vocal abilities continued to develop under her mother’s guidance. McPhee then enrolled at the Boston Conservatory, where she majored in musical theatre for three semesters. Although she left college before graduating on the advice of her manager, the training she received there laid a strong foundation for both her singing and acting careers. During her youth, she also struggled with eating disorders, an experience she has spoken about publicly as part of her personal story.
Path to Singing
Before her television breakthrough, McPhee built her stage experience through local productions. In March 2005, she starred as Annie Oakley in a Cabrillo Music Theater production of the musical Annie Get Your Gun, earning a nomination for a Los Angeles Stage Ovation Award in the category of Lead Actress in a Musical. She also landed a small role as the Paramount Girl in the 2007 musical film Crazy, which she had filmed in early 2005.
Encouraged by her family and by her then-boyfriend Nick Cokas, McPhee auditioned for the fifth season of American Idol in 2005. She advanced through Hollywood week with performances that included Billie Holiday’s God Bless the Child and a cappella version of My Funny Valentine, ultimately finishing as the runner-up to Taylor Hicks in May 2006. The exposure from Idol introduced her to producers and performers, including David Foster and Andrea Bocelli, who served as guest mentors during her run and later collaborated with her on multiple music projects.
Katharine McPhee Career
Early Career (2006–2008)
Following her American Idol finale, McPhee signed with Simon Fuller’s 19 Recordings and Sony BMG’s RCA Records. Her Idol single Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny was released in June 2006, and her self-titled debut album Katharine McPhee followed on January 30, 2007, selling 116,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number two on the Billboard 200. The first single, Over It, peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified gold in 2008.
She balanced music with early acting work during this period, making a cameo on Ugly Betty in February 2007, appearing in the web series lonelygirl15, and releasing the holiday single A Gift to You/O Come All Ye Faithful. In August 2008, McPhee made her film debut in The House Bunny as a member of a misfit sorority, and she also joined producer David Foster and Andrea Bocelli for live concert and recording projects that expanded her visibility beyond Idol.
Breakthrough (2009–2013)
McPhee released her second studio album, Unbroken, on January 5, 2010, under Verve Forecast Records. The album debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200 and featured the single Had It All, which peaked at number 22 on the Adult Contemporary chart. She rounded out 2010 with the holiday release Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You, and continued building her film résumé with roles in You May Not Kiss the Bride and Shark Night 3D.
In February 2011, she was cast as a lead in the NBC musical drama Smash, where she portrayed Broadway hopeful Karen Cartwright alongside Debra Messing, Megan Hilty, and Anjelica Huston. NBC picked up the series in May 2011, and McPhee signed a separate record deal with Columbia Records to handle the show’s music. Smash premiered in February 2012 to generally favorable reviews, ran for two seasons, and helped establish her as a leading television actress. She was named to Forbes’ list of top-earning American Idol alumni in 2011, 2013, and 2014, earning approximately $1 million to $1.1 million for combined music and acting work during those periods.
She also released her fourth studio album, Hysteria, in September 2015, after recording had been delayed by her Scorpion commitment. The album featured songwriting collaborations with Ryan Tedder and Sia, and included singles such as Lick My Lips and Stranger than Fiction. McPhee continued to make public appearances, including a performance at the Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert in December 2015 and a return to American Idol in 2016.
Breakthrough (2017–2021)
In November 2017, McPhee released I Fall in Love Too Easily, a collection of jazz standards on BMG, and starred in the Lifetime TV movie The Lost Wife of Robert Durst. She made her Broadway debut on April 10, 2018, taking over the lead role of Jenna in Waitress, and she returned to the production several times, including a London West End run in 2019 and a final Broadway engagement from November 2019 to January 5, 2020.
On television, she played Bailey in the Netflix series Country Comfort in 2021. That same year, McPhee and her husband David Foster competed as the duo Banana Split on the sixth season of The Masked Singer, with McPhee performing as the singing half of the act.
Notable Works and Milestones
Her signature works include the self-titled debut album Katharine McPhee, the singles Over It and Had It All, the holiday collection Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You, and the standards album I Fall in Love Too Easily. Key acting milestones include her Broadway debut in Waitress, the role of Karen Cartwright in Smash, and her four-season run as Paige Dineen on Scorpion, which became one of her most recognized television performances.
Katharine McPhee Family
Katharine McPhee was raised in Los Angeles by her father, Daniel McPhee, a television producer, and her mother, Peisha McPhee (née Burch), a vocal coach who has worked on American Idol. Her older sister, Adriana, has also served as a vocal coach on the same show, and both parents have been credited with encouraging McPhee’s early pursuit of a music career.
Personal Life
McPhee married Nick Cokas on February 2, 2008, at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church. The couple separated in 2013, and their divorce was finalized on February 8, 2016. She later dated her Scorpion co-star Elyes Gabel for nearly two years before they split in 2016. McPhee became engaged to record producer David Foster in June 2018, and the two married on June 28, 2019, at the St. Yeghiche Armenian Apostolic Church in Kensington, London. The couple welcomed a son on February 22, 2021. McPhee is also known by her married name, Katharine Foster.