Biography

Call 1.800.966.1380 to contact Kris Allen booking agent, publicist, manager, pr firm, representative and management company for booking Kris Allen speaker appearances, autograph signing, endorsement deals or hiring Kris Allen as a keynote speaker for your next event. Find Kris Allen official website information, speaker fees, booking fees, costs and schedule. Kris Allen was the winner of the 8th season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, he self-released a 2007 album entitled Brand New Shoes.

Allen auditioned for the 8th season of American Idol in Louisville, Kentucky with his brother Daniel, who did not make it to Hollywood. Throughout the competition, Allen received many compliments for his folk-inspired interpretations of modern pop songs. He played several instruments during his performances, including the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar, the keyboard and the piano. His performance of "To Make You Feel My Love" as part of the Top 11 earned praise from the judges, with Simon Cowell commenting, "I am genuinely beginning to think you have a shot of doing well in this competition.” On the Top 9 show, he performed his own arrangement on keyboard of "Ain't No Sunshine", which earned praise from the judges. Cowell lauded it as Allen's "best performance so far."

On the first Top 7 night, Allen chose to sing the Oscar-winning song from the indie film Once, which Kara DioGuardi declared it "one of your best moments ever.” On the second Top 7 show, Allen brought back the guitar for the fourth time and performed an original acoustic version of "She Works Hard for the Money", complete with bongo drums and a band. This earned praise from all four judges. For his second Top 3 performance, Allen impressed the judges with an acoustic arrangement of Kanye West's "Heartless", prompting Randy Jackson to state that he preferred it to West's original.

After being voted into the Top 3, Kris Allen returned home to Arkansas and his hometown to film the material for the next two American Idol episodes. Allen was greeted by a crowd estimated to be greater than 20,000. Allen performed concerts in Little Rock and Conway, playing many of his popular songs during the competition.

After Allen's victory, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Access Hollywood, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He was also a guest on Larry King Live along with runner-up Adam Lambert, Paula Abdul, and the rest of the top ten finalists. His debut single, "No Boundaries", was released on May 20, 2009 on iTunes with Lambert's version. Allen's version of the song debuted at #27 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart for the week of May 29, 2009.

Kris Allen was born in Jacksonville, Arkansas. He was a worship leader at New Life Church in both Conway and Little Rock and has done missionary work around the world, including in Burma, Mozambique, South Africa, Spain and Thailand.

Allen's interest in music began early. He began playing the viola in elementary school and went on to play the instrument in the Mills University Studies High School orchestra, eventually winning a spot in the Arkansas all-state orchestra. Additionally, he also plays the guitar, piano and ukulele.

After high school, Allen moved to Conway, Arkansas to attend the University of Central Arkansas. Unsatisfied with school, he took several years off to pursue music professionally, an endeavor that Allen said "didn't work so well.”

PFP Sports & Celebrity Talent PFP is a speakers bureau and booking agency providing Kris Allen speaker, personal appearance and endorsement information. Booking Kris Allen for appearances, as a motivational speaker, keynote speaker, for a fundraising event, grand opening, television or radio commercial, PR campaign or trade show is easy through our agency. For more info, contact Kris Allen through PFP Sports & Celebrity Talent at 1.800.966.1380.