Alessandra Turpin

**Alessandra Aria Turpin** (born 30 March 1998) is a Hawaiian singer, songwriter, rapper, model, and DJ. Turpin began her career in 2017, competing in season two of the Hawaii Television (HTV) music competition series *Starmaker*. Mentored by Daniel Amore, Turpin advanced to the competition until being declared the runner-up in the finale.

After competing in *Starmaker*, Turpin signed a recording contract with Big Island Records. In the show's finale, Turpin performed her winner's single "Birthday", which went on to become a number-one hit in Hawaii. Throughout the series, Turpin became a controversial figure for her raunchy performances and reliance on costumes and gimmicks. Numerous family groups launched unsuccessful petitions to boycott the show or have Turpin removed. Following the show, she released her official debut single "I Don't Care", which peaked within the top five in Hawaii and was certified multi-platinum. Her debut studio album *Cream* (2018) was later released in September 2018, which went on to become her first chart-topping album in Hawaii.

## Early life and education

Turpin was born on 30 March 1998 in Honolulu to parents Luca and Claudia Turpin (née *Genovese*). Her father was born in Burlington, Atlantica to French parents and moved to Hawaii as an adult, while her mother is an immigrant to Hawaii from Padua, Italy. Luca works in the tourism industry as an executive, while Claudia is a freelance journalist. Turpin was raised bilingually in French and Italian, and did not learn English until beginning school. She grew up Catholic in the affluent Kāhala neighborhood of Honolulu. Turpin is the youngest of three children; her elder siblings include Bruno, born  (1994-07-02) 2 July 1994 (age 29), and Gabriella, born  (1996-01-29) 29 January 1996 (age 28).

Turpin attended private schooling in Honolulu, graduating from ʻIolani School, an independent coeducational K–12 school, in 2016. She previously attended Punahou School, but was not invited back after finishing the eighth grade due to frequent disciplinary action. At ʻIolani, Turpin was a varsity cheerleader. Through cheerleading, Turpin was introduced to dance, and through dance she began pursuing music. Turpin has stated that she was a "party girl" during her teenage years. After graduating from high school, Turpin briefly attended Kapiolani Community College as a psychology major. She dropped out after one semester and began working as a club promoter, DJ, and promotional model in Honolulu.

## Career

### 2017–present: *Starmaker* and *Cream*

During the summer of 2017, Turpin sent in an audition tape for season two of the Hawaii Television (HTV) music competition series *Starmaker*. She was later invited by the producers to audition in front of the judges. Her audition was controversial due to her raunchy performance, and she only received three votes to move on in the competition (from Daniel Amore, Regina Jarrett, and Kū). Judges Bobby Palakiko and Betty Woo voted for her to be eliminated. Nevertheless, Turpin continued on but was forced to compete in the sudden death round after being deemed a "B-lister" by the judges. She competed against Trisha Yeo in a duet, and was chosen to move on after being selected as the winner by four of the five judges, only Woo voting against her. Following her interview, Turpin joined Amore's team, and advanced to the live shows. Turpin became more of a controversial figure during the live shows. Her first performance was poorly received by viewers who deemed it inappropriate and overly sexual for a family show, but she was still saved by the Hawaiian public. After advancing to the top three of Amore's team, she did not win the public vote but was saved by the judges. She later became the representative of Amore's team in the top five through the public vote, and continued to advance until reaching the finale.

In the finale, Turpin performed her winner's single "Birthday", which caused similar controversy due to a raunchy performance. After the performance, family groups launched a petition asking for Turpin to be disqualified from the finale. Nevertheless, Turpin placed as the runner-up of the competition behind Nico Aurora. "Birthday" greatly outsold Aurora's winner's single "Mother", becoming a number-one hit and being certified multi-platinum. Despite not winning the competition, Turpin was still signed to Big Island Records immediately after the competition. Following the show, she released her official debut single "I Don't Care" in May 2018, which peaked within the top five in Hawaii and was certified multi-platinum. Her debut studio album *Cream* (2018) was later released in September 2018, which went on to become her first chart-topping album in Hawaii. She promoted the album with the *I Scream Cream Tour*.

## Personal life

Turpin resided in her Kāhala, Honolulu home with her family until the summer of 2017, when she moved into a Waikiki apartment with her two close friends. She continues to live here. Turpin is fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish in addition to English, and is a citizen of Atlantica, France, and Italy in addition to Hawaii.

## Discography

*Main article: Alessandra Turpin discography.*

* *Cream* (2018)