Trenyce

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Lashundra Trenyce Cobbins (born March 31, 1980) is an American singer and actress best known as a finalist on the second season of American Idol and for her work in musical theatre.

Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Trenyce won one of the categories of the NAACP ACT-SO as a teenager, and attended the University of Memphis on a music scholarship. In 2004, Trenyce began to focus on theatre, playing roles in the plays Not a Day Goes By, The Vagina Monologues, Soul Kittens Cabaret and Mama's Sweet Potato Pie.

In 2006, she played the lead role of Deena Jones in an Indianapolis production of the musical Dreamgirls.

She made her film debut in 2008 and became the first American Idol contestant to headline a show in Las Vegas.

She originated the role of Portia in David E.

Talbert's play Love in the Nick of Tyme.

Trenyce performed in a 2009 North American tour of the musical Ain't Misbehavin'. From 2010 to 2013, she was the leading female vocalist in the revue Thriller – Live during a European tour and its West End run.

She appeared in the 2013 comedy film Kick-Ass 2.

In 2015, Trenyce hosted the Franco Dragone-produced cabaret show Taboo at the casino City of Dreams in Macau, China.

She then returned to London for an extended reprise of her role in Thriller – Live.

In 2017, she starred in the cabaret production Heart & Soul: Music of Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick & Diana Ross, in California.

In the same year, she played Diana Ross in a North American tour of Motown: The Musical.

Early life and education

Lashundra Trenyce Cobbins was born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 31, 1980. Her father, Jesse Cobbins, worked for St. Joe Company, and her mother, Linda Ruth Cobbins, worked at FedEx. She has an older and a younger sister. As a child, she decided to be known by her middle name, feeling that it better suited her ambitions as a performer. Trenyce has written that her interest in music started after performing a solo in a musical production celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. She grew up in North Memphis, where she attended Central High School and performed in various talent shows and pageants. In 1996, she won first place in a singing competition at the national NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics in Atlanta.

At the age of nineteen, Trenyce was arrested for theft at work. A Shelby County, Tennessee, court permitted her to participate in a pre-trial diversion program that expunged the felony charges from her record. She has denied the theft and claimed that it was a co-worker who stole the items from her workplace. Trenyce attended the University of Memphis on a full music scholarship. While in college, she joined the University Singers ensemble choir and its band Sound Fuzion, which toured throughout Tennessee. After completing three years of the school's nursing program, Trenyce left the University of Memphis to pursue music full-time, performing in such venues as Rhythms Night Club, Precious Cargo and Isaac Hayes' Restaurant.

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Career

Trenyce auditioned for the second season of the reality television series American Idol in October 2002. She was one of 32 semi-finalists. She was disqualified in the top 30 rounds, but judge Paula Abdul selected her as a "wildcard pick" for one of the twelve finalists. During a live appearance, Trenyce's deposition was revealed to the public, but she was not barred from the show, as had happened with other former contestants. Producer Nigel Lythgoe confirmed that Trenyce notified the designers of her criminal history from the start. Trenyce finished fifth in the season's finals. MTV News' Jim Cantiello attributed Trenyce's mug shot and felony treason conviction to her expulsion from the program by public vote. Entertainment Weekly found that the reports relating to her criminal record also damaged her chances among voters. Multiple media commentators speculated that bigotry played a part in Trenyce's deposition, as she was one of only two dark-skinned finalists this season (the other was champion Ruben Studdard).

Entertainment Weekly discovered her to be one of the show's most underrated contestants, and dubbed her a "polished performer with enough sass to eschew her surname." Senator Tim Cuprisin of Milwaukee slammed Trenyce's use of her mononomous stage name as "a bit too slick even for a slick competition." In a 2005 book, Jan Jagodzinski argued that the name was a bid to secure "an American appeal" since her mother name Lashundra Cobbin is "an impossible 'pop' signifier. Judge Simon Cowell said he "never really warmed" to Trenyce, because she "fought really hard at her image – which was too difficult."

Trenyce's rendition of "I Have Nothing" in Billboard's list of the Top American Idol live performances included Trenyce's rendition of "I Have Nothing" in 2016. Maura Johnston of Vulture.com chastised Trenyce for being "[a] little yell-y, a little pitch-y, and a little cautious," but she praised her voice and song choices and said she had "a precedent for the divas who followed" in later American Idol seasons. "Let's Stay Together" by Trenyce was included on the compilation album American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs (2003). Heather Phares said Trenyce was one of the show's best performers, but she chastised her cover version for her "indistinct quality." Trenyce said in an interview that she had been given a record contract after appearing on American Idol, but she and her mother (who was her boss) refused to accept it because the terms were unsatisfactory.

Trenyce appeared on television shows, including Live with Regis and Kelly, Extra, Fox and Friends, The Early Show, The Wayne Brady Show, Inside Edition, Good Day Live, and TRL. She appeared in various Memphis periodicals, including as one of Memphis' Most Beautiful People in Elite Magazine's June 2003 issue, and alongside the other American Idol finalists, "God Bless the USA." Trenyce performed "Proud Mary" and "I Have Nothing" on a three-month concert tour with the other finalists in season 2. Robin Givhan of The Washington Post was critical of Trenyce's on tour, claiming she displayed the "earsplitting finesse of a sledgehammer." "A female drag queen with a diva's frightening presence," Arion Berger of the same journal characterized her as "an female drag queen with a diva's threatening presence."

Trenyce's theatre career has mainly concentrated on "various entertainment aspects of African-American interest." She appeared in Yancey's debut in a North American tour of Not a Day Goes By, a play with songs based on E. Lynn Harris' 2000 book of the same name. The tour ran from January to May 2004. Trenyce "breathes life and voice into Yancey," Jet magazine wrote, describing her as one of the show's "strong vocal talents." Trenyce's character was perceived as a "theatrical interpretation of a myth," the Chicago Defender wrote. She appeared in the play The Vain Monologues shortly after. She appeared in two Nicci Gillbert stage performances: Soul Kittens Cabaret and Mama's Sweet Potato Pie in 2005, during the latter's visit to the United States. Call and Post's Chris Bournea praised Trenyce's role as the wife in Mama's Sweet Potato Pie. She made a cameo appearance in the comedy film Beauty Shop and appeared on the BET reality television series College Hill in the same year.

Trenyce appeared in Deena Jones' leading role in an Indianapolis production of the musical Dreamgirls, which ran from June to July 2006. Trenyce's "smooth voice created" a sound for The Dreams that could have pushed the company to the top of the charts, according to one from the newspaper NUVO. Trenyce brought "star power" to the project, according to David Lindquist of The Indianapolis Star. With V: The Ultimate Variety Show and Late Night Idol at the Sahara Hotel and Casino, she became the first American Idol contestant to headline a show in Las Vegas, Nevada. She ran it for nine months.

In 2007, Trenyce appeared in David E. Talbert's play Love in the Nick of Tyme. It toured in North America, from seventeen cities, beginning in New York's Beacon Theatre in January. In 2010, a film version of the play was released on DVD, but the play's soundtrack was released separately. The film was also shown on Black Entertainment Television (BET). Trenyce appeared at the Razz Room in San Francisco from July 22 to August 2, 2008. She made her film debut in Friends & Lovers: The Ski Trip 2 in the same year. She appeared on the soundtrack for the film Truth Hall a year later. After Ruben Studdard's suggestion, Trenyce was instrumental in the 30th anniversary revival tour of Ain't Misbehavin'. The actors used their own names for their characters, as is customary on the show. At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, the cast album was nominated for the Best Musical Theater Album.

Trenyce performed with a Twist in 2010 during Louis Van Amstel's Ballroom interludes and dance performances. Trenyce's performance in Whitney Houston's concerts made her "an exceptionally gifted singer who did more than justice to many tunes," according to Daryn Saemann of Madison.com.

Trenyce performed in Thriller, the Michael Jackson tribute concert revue, in 2010. She reprised her role in London's West End when the show appeared at the Lyric Theatre. She appeared in the concert for three years, from 2010 to 2013, presenting excerpts from various times in Jackson's career. Trenyce said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the audience was initially concerned to hear a woman interpret Jackson's music. Geoff Billingsley of Theatreworld applauded Trenyce's appearance, noting that her voice sounded very similar to Jackson's and that she could be a step forward over Cleo Higgins, the previous female lead.

Trenyce also hosted The Box variety show in London while in London. She sang of a group of friends in London's short film Afterglow, which was released in 2012. She appeared in Kick-Ass 2 as the Hit-Girl's cheerleading coach. "Fever," "In the End (Alright)" and "Where Does They Go" were three songs released by her in December 2013. On iTunes, there is a website on iTunes that helps people. She coproduced "Brazil You're Ready (Synethetic)" with producer DJ Guy Scheiman for his debut in 2015, the following year.

Trenyce hosted Taboo, a cabaret show designed by Franco Dragone, in Macau, China, in 2015. The performance was staged in the casino City of Dreams; Trenyce was given creative freedom over the selection of musical genres and songs as long as they fit the cabaret's overall style. Trenyce's stage appearance and "the strength of her voice and stature" were praised on Macau.com. Trenyce performed with DJ Guy Scheiman on his album "This Time" in 2016. Trenyce appeared in the Thriller – Live broadcast in the West End from 2015 to 2017. Hannah Kerin praised Trenyce's 1987 film "The Way You Make Me Feel" as "show stopping" and claiming that it "stood out" amid dozens of spectacular interpretations of the hits and less well known information.

Trenyce appeared in "the Chris Isaacson Presents lineup of spring cabaret fare" in 2017. As one of "three sultry starlets," she appears on "The Night of the Souls. She appeared on the show during its stints at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood and Martinis Above Fourth in San Diego, California. She spent the year in Karamu House, greeting young people and participating in the "Save Our Daughters Cinderellas on Broadway" campaign; she was named "Celebrity Godparent" for her work. Trenyce appeared on a North American tour of Motown: The Musical later this year. Her work received accolades. Eloise Marie Valdez of Northwest Indiana praised her vocals, while Chicago Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss praised her ability to connect with the audience as a highlight.

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