Tiffany Montgomery (born November 21, 1982), known professionally as Ryan Starr, is a singer who finished seventh on the first season of American Idol. She went on to release a successful single on iTunes and participated in a handful of other television programs, modeling campaigns, and worldwide music tours. Early life Ryan Starr was born Tiffany Montgomery in the Sunland neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, a place where she once described as a "middle of nowhere town, up in the hills - like, horse country." Her elementary, middle, and high schools were all about "a block from one another" in her words, and growing up, Starr considered herself to be "a small-town tomboy". She has three sisters. On her mother's side, she is Peruvian and Bolivian. She also has French and Irish ancestry. Although Starr was named Homecoming Queen, she reminisced in a 2017 blog post that she was "dorky" and "definitely not one of the popular kids" for most of her time in school. She graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in 2000, where she ran track. Before attempting a music career, she worked as a waitress, lifeguard, swim team coach, and at a clothing store. Around the age of seven, Starr began learning how to sing. Her family was unable to afford formal vocal training, so as a child, Starr developed her voice by singing along to Disney films. Drawn to jazz and blues artists from a young age, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding were among Starr's first musical influences. As Starr got older, she found inspiration in rock musicians, such as Pat Benatar, Chris Cornell, Steve Perry, and Steven Tyler. Career American Idol After graduating from high school, Starr went on frequent bus excursions into Hollywood from her nearby hometown, and on one of these, she met a girl who suggested that the two of them audition for American Idol first season together. Starr's performance of "Lean on Me" (by Bill Withers) was the first successful audition ever shown on the series. In his 2003 autobiography, I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But..., Simon Cowell wrote that Starr was "cripplingly shy" at the audition, but that Paula Abdul "saw some potential for stardom in her, and decided to mentor her." Starr, who auditioned as Tiffany Montgomery, adopted her stage name by Hollywood Week. Placed into Group 1 for