Constantine Maroulis

Early years

Maroulis was born in Brooklyn, New York to Greek American parents, James Constantine and Constance P. Maroulis (born 1938). Both his maternal and his paternal grandparents emigrated to the United States from Greece in the 1920s. He was brought up in the Greek Orthodoxy and he can speak Greek. His older brother, Athan Maroulis (born 1964), is a record producer and his sister, Anastacia P. Maroulis (born 1968), is a school principal.

When Maroulis was five years old his family moved to Wyckoff, New Jersey, a suburb in Bergen County, NJ, where he grew up. At that time he developed an interest in music, following the lead of his older brother. By age eleven he was studying the trumpet at Eisenhower Middle School.

He later sang in high school garage bands, including Lady Rain and Milkbone. Maroulis graduated from Ramapo High School in 1993. He and received a B.F.A. in Music Theater from Boston Conservatory. He was in the cast recording of the 2000 musical, Suburban Dreams, which was produced by composer Stephen Thompson, Richard Kenner, and Jesse Merz. Some years before appearing on American Idol, Maroulis competed on the dating show Elimidate and was an extra in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and a voice-over artist on the Astro Boy.

He appeared in a number of off-Broadway roles from the Conservatory, along with a series of independent films. After graduating from the Conservatory, Maroulis trained as an acting apprentice at the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and performed as Roger Davis in the Broadway international touring company of Rent. His role as Roger was non-equity. Since he had no agent representing him at that time, he was allowed to appear on American Idol.

American Idol

In August 2004, acting upon his then-girlfriend's suggestion, Maroulis traveled to Washington DC to audition for fourth season of American Idol. For the 2005 season, Idol producers changed the age range of contestants from 16–24 to 16–28. Along with Bo Bice, Maroulis was one of the first contestants to benefit from this change. Maroulis and Bice are also notable for being among the first contestants to compete using the rock idiom.

On April 27, 2005, Maroulis was eliminated from American Idol after he performed Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" during the 2000s music round. Less than a week before his elimination, Maroulis's pre-Idol band, Pray for the Soul of Betty, announced the 10 May release of their self-titled debut on their label, Baby Julius.

Maroulis was featured on the American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers compilation with "My Funny Valentine". His rendition of the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" earned him the praise of judges. At the personal invitation of Queen's guitarist Brian May, Maroulis later recorded a studio version of the track for Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen, which was released on August 9, 2005 on Queen's label, Hollywood Records.

Betty frontman

Maroulis became the lead vocalist of Pray for the Soul of Betty in 2003, after winning over 150 auditioners. The band rose to national attention when Maroulis appeared on Idol. His audition clip showed him "quitting" the band amongst the displeasure of one of his bandmates, which they have claimed is an inaccurate portrayal.

On March 20, 2006, after three years with the band, Maroulis announced his departure due to creative and business differences.

Solo career

In November and December 2005, Maroulis performed solo shows in Manila, Philippines and New Jersey, USA. His set list included songs he had performed previously in his theatre roles, from Hedwig and the Angry Inch Rent, and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as from his stint on American Idol.

In August 2006, Constantine completed a solo tour of 13 cities, where he debuted material to be featured on his upcoming CD, including various self-penned compositions.

Maroulis created his own independent label, Sixth place Records, a branch of Sixth place Productions, which released his 2-years-in-the-making solo album, Constantine on August 7, 2007. Maroulis' self-titled CD consisted of 12 tracks, and debuted at number 75 on the Billboard charts.

Maroulis performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2013 Opening Day festivities for the New York Yankees. He has sung the Anthem at additional sporting events, including at the Reality All-Star Soccer Festival (organized by Survivor: Africa winner, Ethan Zohn) in April 2007, as well as before the start of a 49ers/Bengals football game at Monster Stadium, San Francisco in December 2007. The performance was hailed by commentator Bryant Gumbel as "a stirring performance." Maroulis has also performed the Anthem at Madison Square Garden in April 2009, and he performed God Bless America at the 2009 Men's U.S. Open.

On July 4, 2009, Maroulis sang the National Anthem at the official ceremonies to re-open the Statue of Liberty's crown to the public, for the first time since its closure after 9/11.

Maroulis (supported by Ben Phillips, guitarist/vocalist for the NYC-based bands Famous and The Pretty Reckless) embarked on another solo tour in February 2008, playing to sold-out venues in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, Annapolis, Maryland, and Los Angeles. On June 22 he performed at Mattison Park in Asbury Park, NJ as part of the 3rd Annual Wave Gathering featuring 175 Emerging Musical Artists.

On October 24, 2008 Maroulis appeared on an episode of Don't Forget the Lyrics! as a contestant. As a result of his appearance on the show, $25,000 was given to the charitable organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Acting career

In the fall of 2005, Maroulis was in negotiations to star in a television sitcom called Brooklyn that was to be loosely based on his upbringing as the youngest of three in a large Greek-American family of New York. ABC bought rights to the show, but passed on the project before it passed the script stage.

Maroulis joined the cast of the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer in the role of Sammy in September 2006. Along with the other cast members, he contributed a recording of the Adam Sandler "Hanukkah Song" to the 8th Carols for a Cure CD to help raise funds for the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS organization.

Beginning on January 9, 2007, Maroulis took over the role of "Young Soldier" in the Off-Broadway musical revue, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris where he performed through the end of February. That spring, Maroulis joined the lineup on Good Day New York, serving as the show's resident American Idol expert, while simultaneously taking on the same role as Idol commentator for Yahoo! Buzz. Later that year, Maroulis joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful for a limited run as Constantine Parros, a singer and record producer, a role created specially for him.

March 2008 saw Maroulis joining the cast of American Idol Extra as cohost, along with fellow Idol alum Gina Glocksen and J.D. Roberto. His next major role occurred that June, when Constantine starred as Judas Iscariot in the Premier Theatre Company's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Constantine had previously played the role of Jesus in an earlier production when he was much younger.

Maroulis achieved particular success starring as Drew in the hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages, featuring the music of 1980s rock legends including Journey, Bon Jovi, and Twisted Sister. The production began running Off-Broadway at the New World Stages in October 2008, moving to Broadway to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 7, 2009. Rolling Stone stated that the "play has found a perfect lead in American Idol rocker Constantine Maroulis," while Associated Press added that Maroulis "gives a touching performance and sings powerfully as Drew, the young wannabe rock singer." Maroulis' vocal performances were particularly praised, with The New York Times describing his voice as "soulful, pure, and intense,"

Awards

Maroulis was the recipient of the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund's Humanitarian Award for Artistic Achievement in 2007. These annual awards recognizing outstanding achievement in the Greek-American community are presented to "individuals who have proven that hard work and dedication lead to achievement, thereby setting a perfect example for the HTSF scholarship recipients to emulate." That same year, he was also honored with an award from New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. at the sixth annual Greek Heritage and Culture Celebration; honoring individuals recognized as leaders in the Greek Community.

For his performance in the role of Drew in Rock of Ages, Maroulis received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical; one of five total Tony nominations received by Rock of Ages. For this role he also received a Drama League Award Nomination for a Distinguished Performance Award.

Inside Broadway, the not-for-profit educational organization noted for its efforts in introducing musical theater to young audiences in the New York City area, presented Constantine with a Broadway Beacon Award on June 25, 2009. These awards are given to individuals in recognition of their support of theater and arts education for the inspiration of young people.

On July 1, 2009, after a matinee performance of Rock of Ages, Maroulis and the rest of the cast set a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Air Guitar Ensemble. A total of 810 participants, including audience members and fans, shattered the previous record of 440 people playing air guitar simultaneously.

Maroulis was selected as Broadway.com's "Broadway Star of the Year" for 2009, after receiving over 25,000 votes from Broadway fans and readers of the site.

In March 2010, Maroulis received the honor of being immortalized in a caricature at Sardi's, taking his place alongside other Broadway luminaries similarly honored at the legendary New York City establishment. A month later, the Rock of Ages star was immortalized in a second portrait; this time joining the ranks of the famous on the Broadway Wall of Fame at Tony's di Napoli, also in New York City. On April 26, 2010, Maroulis was honored by the New York City Council for his achievements, at a Council event celebrating the 189th year of Greek Independence.

Personal life

On December 23, 2010, Maroulis and his then girlfriend, former Rock of Ages chorus girl co-star Angel Reed, welcomed the arrival of their daughter, Malena James Reed-Maroulis. Maroulis and Reed met on the show in 2008. On August 12, 2015, Maroulis was arrested for domestic violence after an altercation with Reed. He was then arrested a second time on August 16, 2015 for violating a restraining order, by sending her an email. Maroulis was promptly released and alleged that he had acted in self-defense. On September 16, 2015, Reed asked that all charges be dropped and the court did so.

Discography

Singles

2005: "My Funny Valentine" on American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers

2005: "Bohemian Rhapsody" on Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen

2006: "Hanukkah Song" on Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols For A Cure Vol. 8

2009: "I'll Be Home for Christmas/Christmas in America" (duet with Orfeh) on New York City Christmas: A Benefit Album for ASTEP

2011: "Unchained Melody" (released as single)

2011: "25 or 6 to 4" (released as single)

2011: "You Really Got Me" (released as single)

2011: "Down Flew the Doves" (with Tim Prottey-Jones) on Surrounded by the Sounds

2015: "All I Ask" from Kittens in a Cage (video series)

2015: "Close My Eyes Forever" (with SYKA) on Stay Wild

2016: "Here I Come"

2016: "She's Just Rock 'n' Roll"

2017: "All About You"

2018: "All About You" (acoustic version)

2023: "Daydream"

2023: "Comeback"

Other releases

2007: Growing Up With Loukoumi as Gus The Bear

2009: Loukoumi's Good Deeds as Gus The Bear

2009: Rock of Ages: Original Broadway Cast Recording

2009: Loukoumi's Gift as Gus The Bear

2012: Rock of Ages: Motion Picture Soundtrack

2012: Jekyll and Hyde: 2012 Concept Recording

2013: Loukoumi and the Schoolyard Bully as Gus The Bear

2016: Welcome to Our Christmas Party (with Band of Merrymakers)