Jim Verraros Biography:
James Conrad “Jim” Verraros was born on February 8, 1983. He grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois and having been brought up by hearing-impaired parents, Jim is fluent in American Sign Language. His father is Greek, while his mother is part-German, part-Irish, part-French and part-English. In the hopes of making his dreams come true, Jim auditioned for season 1 of American Idol. His other aim was to encourage other people to go after what their hearts have been wanting. He is very close to his family and friends. He likes listening to the music of Janet Jackson and the Smashing Pumpkins. An avid sports fan, Jim’s favorite teams are the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls.
Jim had to leave his residence in Chicago, Illinois in order to audition for season 1 of American Idol. Being an openly gay singer, he encountered some trouble with FOX when the broadcasting company asked him to take out gay-friendly remarks from his website. His talent for singing, however, was undeniable and Jim was successful enough to make it to the Finals, where he sang “Easy.” Sadly, his performance was not well-loved by the viewers and he became one of the two who were voted off in the first finals week of season 1.
The controversy that erupted from the content of his website was what allowed for his popularity among the gay community. In 2005, Jim came out with his first album, Rollercoaster. It was released internationally, and three of the dance tracks from the album, namely “You Turn It On, “I Want You,” and “You’re Getting Crazy,” entered a couple of music charts, with the first one on the Top 25 Billboard Hot Club/Dance Hit Chart and the latter two on the Top 30 of the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In 2004, he appeared in the comedy Eating Out and in 2006 returned for the film’s sequel, Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds.