Kimberley Locke

Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer, television personality, and Broadway performer born on January 3, 1978, in Hartsville, Tennessee, to Donald and Christine Locke. The second of two children, she has an older brother named Ashley. She and her brother were raised primarily in Gallatin, Tennessee, where Locke began singing in church at age five. Her parents divorced when she was eight. As a teenager, she and childhood friends Chandra Boone, Selina Robb, and Nacole Rice formed a vocal quartet called Shadz of U, which performed at local churches. The group later contributed backup vocals to the track Everyday Angels on Locke's 2007 album Based on a True Story. She attended Gallatin High School, where she was among 16 students selected for the school's performing group, remaining a member throughout her high school years and earning selection to the All-Middle State Chorus on two occasions. After graduation, she worked as an administrative assistant for a company in Nashville. She subsequently attended Belmont University in Nashville, an alma mater she shares with 2007 American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle.

Locke rose to national prominence through her participation in the second season of American Idol. She auditioned in Nashville on October 30, 2002, advanced through subsequent rounds, and ultimately finished third behind winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken. She was later invited back to perform on the show during its third and seventh seasons. Following her Idol run, she signed with Curb Records on September 6, 2003. Her debut album, One Love, was released on May 4, 2004, and its lead single, "8th World Wonder," reached the top half of the Billboard Hot 100 and entered the UK charts. Additional singles from the album included "Wrong" and "I Could." Locke's recording of "Up on the House Top," released in autumn 2005, reached the top of the Adult Contemporary charts by year's end, and her version of "Jingle Bells" topped the same chart the following year. A digital-only Christmas album was released on November 6, 2007.

Her second studio album, Based on a True Story, arrived on May 1, 2007. Its singles included "Supawoman," co-written with producers Damon Sharpe and Mark J. Feist; "Change," released to radio on January 15, 2007; a cover of Freda Payne's "Band of Gold," which became her sixth solo Adult Contemporary Top 10 hit; and "Fall," co-written by Clay Mills and also recorded by country artist Clay Walker. All three singles from the album reached number one on the Billboard dance club chart. After parting ways with Curb Records in 2009, Locke became the first artist to sign with Randy Jackson's Dream Merchant 21 label, releasing the single "Strobelight" on April 6, 2010. In 2011, she launched her own entertainment company, I AM Entertainment, through which she released the dance-themed EP Four for the Floor on July 19, 2011, a cover of "Silver Bells" on November 1, 2011, and the single "Finally Free" in 2012. In 2013, she partnered with British production team Cahill to release "Feel the Love" on 3 Beat Records for the UK market, where it reached number one on both the Club and Pop charts and number 29 on Billboard's Global Dance chart. Subsequent releases included the single "Raise Your Hands" in 2018 and "Sleep Tight Baby Bright" in 2019. In 2021, she released two albums: the children's music collection You're My Baby in May and the Christmas album Christmas Is Here in September, the latter recorded with the band EMP3 and featuring a cover of a Donna Summer song as its lead single. In 2023, she released Best of Kimberley Locke, a 16-track compilation featuring singles, two previously unreleased songs, and two new recordings, including the single "Keep On (Falling in Love)," produced by Dave Audé.

Alongside her recording career, Locke built an extensive television presence. She guest-hosted Good Day Live in August 2004 and returned to co-host twice more. In 2005, she appeared as a contestant on Family Feud and hosted Word Slam!, a live game show on GSN. During MTV's fall 2006 lineup, she served as a judge and co-host on the reality competition Little Talent Show. In 2007, she participated in the fifth season of Celebrity Fit Club and guest co-hosted The View in March of that year. In April 2008, she appeared on Don't Forget the Lyrics!, becoming the first contestant in the show's history to attempt the million-dollar song; though unsuccessful, she was awarded $100,000. On June 24, 2009, she co-hosted Gospel Dream 2009 on the Gospel Music Channel, and on September 11, 2010, she appeared on Celebrity Ghost Stories. She has also hosted Windy City Live and The Better Show, and in 2013 served as an expert judge on Next Great Family Band. Beginning in fall 2019, Locke co-hosted the daytime talk show Dr. and the Diva alongside Dr. Steve Salvatore, a program covering health, food, fashion, and fitness.

In 2019, Locke appeared on Broadway in Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls, adding a Broadway credit to a career that has spanned recording, television, and live performance across multiple decades.