Alexis Jordan (born April 7, 1992) is an American singer and actress. Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina, as the last child of a mixed race mother and a Puerto Rican father. Her musical career started when she performed the opening act for American singer Smokey Robinson at a Stevie Wonder tribute concert. In 2006, she auditioned for the first season of "America's Got Talent" and sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing". She was later eliminated from the show and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with her family. Jordan uploaded videos of her cover versions on her official YouTube account. She was discovered by Stargate, which flew Jordan to New York to record a few songs. She met American rapper Jay-Z and signed a recording contract with his new record company, StarRoc/Roc Nation.