La'Porsha Renae: 5 things to know about singer

— -- It’s only been a year since the world was first introduced to singer La’Porsha Renae on the final season of "American Idol" but she’s quickly making strides as an artist.

Since finishing as runner-up on the series, Renae has been busy connecting with fans on the road, releasing hit singles like “Good Woman” and working on new music under her label Motown Records.

Now she’s back with her highly anticipated debut album “Already All Ready.”

Here are five things you need to know about the artist:

1. She counts Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Michael Jackson as some of her biggest influences: Though she's achieved mainstream success through "Idol," Renae started singing at 6 years old and grew up performing in front of clients at her mother’s beauty shop. She cites Houston, Dion, Jackson, Beyonce and Tina Turner among her biggest musical influences.

2. Her family and fans have been her biggest support system in her rise to fame: Renae feels blessed to have had such a strong support system during her time on "Idol." She says it was important to have a group of family and fans around her to keep her in check, especially as she started to gain a larger social media following through the show. Moving forward in what she calls an exciting year of “firsts,” she wants to make sure her fans are always alongside her. “My fans are so loving and encouraging. They’re with me on good days and bad days. I don’t want to come off as one of those artists that’s not down to earth and real. They helped me get here, so I want to take them on the journey with me,” Renae said.

3. She is a domestic violence survivor: As she first revealed on "Idol" before her emotional rendition of Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama,” Renae is a domestic violence survivor. She says her young daughter helped her overcome her time of hardship and has been her biggest source of strength. “To be honest, if it wasn’t for my daughter I don’t think I would have gotten out of the situation that I was in before ‘Idol’ because I am a domestic violence survivor," she said.

4. Her album is dedicated to her daughter: "I owe a lot to her, and she was with me all throughout ‘Idol.’ I feel like we came in this together. It wasn’t just me," Renae said about her child, Nayalee. To further honor Nayalee, Renae has dedicated her first album to her.

5. Her album cover art is meant to represent a message of empowerment: Renae says that her cover art for “Already All Ready,” which features both her and her daughter, represents everything that she thought would hinder her from chasing her dream, including her natural hair and figure. “I wanted to make other people who had the same insecurities as I did feel accepted, feel proud of who they are, what they are, and so that’s what I did on the cover,” she said. By choosing an image that fans can relate to, Renae said she hopes she can empower her fans and help them find the courage to move past their insecurities.

“Already All Ready” is available now on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and all other digital streaming platforms.