Carly Rose Sonenclar

Carly Rose Sonenclar, who performs professionally as Carly Rose, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress born on April 20, 1999, in Westchester, New York. She began singing at the age of two and trained extensively in singing, dancing, piano, and acting. A New York City talent agency signed her after being referred by one of her teachers, launching a professional career that began when she was still in elementary school.

Sonenclar's stage career commenced in 2006 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, where she played the lead role of Pearl in a stage adaptation of The Night of the Hunter. That same year, she made her Broadway debut in Les Misérables as Young Cosette. In 2009, she joined the national tour of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical, starring Melissa Gilbert, originating the principal role of Carrie. Her Broadway work continued in 2011 when she originated the role of Chloe, Alice's daughter, in the musical Wonderland, which had previously been developed in a Tampa workshop. She is a featured soloist on the Wonderland cast recording produced by Sony Masterworks and was named the 2011 Best Young Performer by broadwayworld.com. Also in October 2011, she originated the lead role of Parsley in The Big Bank, a musical that debuted at the New York Musical Theater Festival.

Sonenclar has appeared in two feature films, The Nanny Diaries and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, and made her television debut as Gilda Flip, a new Prankster in season three of The Electric Company on PBS, produced by Sesame Workshop. She later appeared in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Dissonant Voices," which aired during the show's fifteenth season in November 2013.

In 2012, Sonenclar auditioned for the second season of The X Factor USA, performing "Feeling Good," a song written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. Her audition earned a standing ovation from all four judges. She advanced through the Bootcamp stage, where she performed "Pumped Up Kicks" alongside Beatrice Miller, and was selected as one of six contestants in the Teens category to proceed to the Judges' Houses stage. There she performed "Brokenhearted" for category mentor Britney Spears and guest judge will.i.am, both of whom responded positively. Throughout the live shows, Sonenclar performed songs including "Good Feeling," "It Will Rain," "My Heart Will Go On," "Over the Rainbow," "Rolling in the Deep," and, in the finale, "Feeling Good," "How Do I Live" with LeAnn Rimes, and "Hallelujah." On December 20, 2012, she finished the competition as runner-up behind Tate Stevens.

Following The X Factor, Syco Music held a recording option on Sonenclar. In June 2013, she performed her debut original song "Unforgettable" as well as a song called "Fighters." The following month, she performed at the opening ceremony of the 19th Maccabiah Games at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, and in August 2013 she appeared at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square as part of the Stand Up for a Cure 2013 Concert Series. In 2014, she released an original music video for "Everybody's Watching" and gave a concert at Provident Bank Park in Pomona, New York, performing three original songs: "Aliens," "Weekend," and "Everybody's Watching." She has also performed on several occasions with Boyce Avenue. On June 19, 2019, she released her debut single "Birds & Bees," and has since released additional singles and a seven-song EP titled Wild. She collaborated with singer Goody Grace on the music video for "Wild." In 2022, she rerecorded her cover of Karmin's "Brokenhearted," a decade after first performing it at The X Factor's Judges' Houses stage.

Sonenclar graduated from Rye Neck High School in 2017 and earned a Bachelor of Science in music from the University of Southern California in the spring of 2021. She has an older brother, Russell, who graduated from the University of Delaware in 2015. Sonenclar is Jewish and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.