Mikalah Gordon Biography: Mikalah Analise Gordon was born on January 14, 1988 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is of Italian descent and studied at St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic School for 5 years. Her father, Rocky Gordon, is an accomplished jazz musician, and Mikalah spent most of her childhood performing with him. Before she joined season 4 of American Idol, she trained under the Helen Joy Young Entertainers for eight years and even got the chance to perform for former President Bill Clinton. Her other interests are dancing, cheerleading and theater and she enjoys listening to the music of Alicia Keys. She considers her mother as her American Idol. Because of her heavy accent and spunky attitude, Mikalah has often been likened to comedic actress Fran Drescher. Mikalah didn't have to leave her hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada in order to audition for season 4 of American Idol. Her unique voice and bouncy personality won the hearts of the judges and earned her a golden ticket to Hollywood. During the semifinals, Mikalah Gordon wowed the audience with her renditions of "Young Hearts Run Free," and "Somewhere," ultimately placing her in the Top 12. Her performances during the finals were not as impressive, having fallen into the bottom three on the first week. Her rendition of "Love Will Lead You Back" on the second week did not keep her off the Bottom 3 and when the results were announced, it was revealed that Mikalah was the second finalist eliminated from the show. After American Idol, Mikalah went on to appear on several television shows, which include sitcom Living With Fran, The Tyra Banks Show and American Idol Extra. She has also come out publicly in order to denounce the rumors that she is no longer a virgin and to admit that she had been a victim of severe depression while appearing on American Idol. Mikalah had a traumatic experience in Las Vegas when, in 2006, she was held up at gunpoint at the wee hours of the morning.