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.
In September 2010, Jordan released "Happiness", which peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs. It was her first number-one single. "Happiness" was certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 210,000 copies. Jordan released her debut album Alexis Jordan a few months later. Around this time, Jordan was appearing in two television series. She was nominated for "Best International Act" and "Best Push Act" and won "International Hit of the Year" for her single "Happiness".