Carly Smithson was born on September 12, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. Carly released her first album with MCA records titled Ultimate High, as Carly Hennessy in 2001. Despite the low record sales her album recieved, she later went on to win a Meteor Award in 2003 for Best Irish Female Singer. Carly first began her American Idol journey in 2005 when she auditioned in Las Vegas for season 5. She made it to Hollywood before being disqualified because her visa expired. She returned in 2007 when she auditioned for season 7 and made it into the Top 24. Carly was an instant favorite and easily made it into the Top 12. She faught all the way to the Top 6 position before she was eliminated. In the summer of 2008, Carly will be joining the rest of the season 7 top 10 on the American Idols Live Tour.