Age: 24

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Musical Favorites: Bono (of course!), Celine Dion, Ann Wilson

Idol Pursuits: Changing her last name from Hennessy to Smithson.

Audition song: I'm Every Woman

Redemption Song?: A visa problem ended her run in Season 5, but controversy over whether a past recording contract should have kept her off the show was the big story in the early rounds.

Early Success: At six years old, Carly acted in a film called Fools of Fortune with Julie Christie and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. At ten she made a holiday record, Carly's Christmas Album.

Dreams: Carly first moved to L.A. aged 15 with her father, Luke Hennessy, to follow her dream of become a pop star.

Big Break: She was discovered shortly after moving to L.A. by the composer Steve Dorff, the actor Stephen Dorff's dad.

Ink Inc.: Carly and her husband, Todd, have owned a tattoo parlor called Nothing Sacred for about one year. Mr Smithson has designs covering his whole face. Todd has tattooed a "wedding ring" onto one of her fingers.

Romance: Carly met Todd when a friend sent her to pick him up from Los Angeles International Airport. They married about three years ago.

The Day Job: For almost three years before she went on Idol Carly waited tables five days a week then worked behind the bars at an Irish pub, The Field, in San Diego, Ca..

Secret Talent: Her colleagues didn't know Carly could sing until she got on stage on New Year's Eve on 31 December 2006. From then on she sang there after work every Saturday night.

Namesake: Carly was named after the singer Carly Simon.

Meaty-oric Rise to Fame: Carly did some modelling work as a teen in Ireland. She was even the "face" of a brand of sausages!

Ms. Miz: When she was nine, Carly was chosen from 2000 girls to play Little Cosette in Les Miserables.

Award: In 2003, Carly won the Meteor Awards -- the Irish equivilent of a Grammy -- for Best Irish Female Singer.

 

SONGS:

Semifinals Week 1: "Shadow of Your Smile" (Tony Bennett)
Semifinals Week 2: "Crazy on You" (Heart)

Semifinals Week 3: "I Drove All Night" (Cyndi Lauper)

Finals Week 1: "Come Together" (The Beatles)

Finals Week 2: "Blackbird" (The Beatles)

Finals Week 3: "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonny Tyler)

Finals Week 4: "Here You Come Again" (Dolly Parton)

Finals Week 5: "The Show Must Go On" (Queen)

Finals Week 6: "Without You" (Mariah Carey)

Finals Week 7: "Jesus Christ Superstar' (Andrew Lloyd Webber)