Alexis Jordan was born in Columbia, South Carolina on April 7, 1992 to an African American mother, Native American and European descent and a Puerto Rican father. She rose to fame as a contestant on the first season of America's Got Talent in 2006. After being eliminated from the show, she began to upload cover songs to YouTube, which received millions of views. She was discovered on Youtube by Norwegian production team Stargate and American rapper Jay Z, who both went on to sign her to their label, StarRoc/Roc Nation.