Carly Hennessy is a singer and songwriter and was a Top 9 finalist in the seventh season of American Idol.

Because Hennessy had a hidden career and was not an undiscovered talent, when she auditioned for American Idol, she is being likened to Joanna Pacitti, a singer on American Idol Season 8, who debuted This Crazy Life album, by Geffen Records, in 2006.

Carly Smithson, who qualified during the San Diego American Idol auditions, is in fact Carly Hennessy, a singer who sold fewer than 400 CDs for a major label. She was signed to a six-record deal with MCA, who spent more than a million dollars to promote her music.

Regarding the album Ultimate High: "It was not rejected by the public, we just never made it to the public."Matt Goyer's Blog: Pop Singer Fails... (April 11, 2005)

"If we can't find any market in the world that validates our view that she is a talent, then we have to question whether or not we move forward."Matt Goyer's Blog: Pop Singer Fails... (April 11, 2005)