Early life
Brooke Hogan was born in Tampa, Florida, the older child of Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea) and Linda Bollea. She has one younger brother, Nick Hogan (Nick Bollea).
In high school, she took dance classes, voice lessons, piano lessons, and gymnastics. She joined the cheerleading squad of her Clearwater, Florida school, Clearwater Central Catholic, in her freshman year. Hogan graduated from high school at the age of sixteen.
Career
2002–2005: Music beginnings and Hogan Knows Best
Hogan was signed to Trans Continental Records in 2002.[3] Some early music was produced with the help of Rich Cronin.[4] Her first song on the United States singles charts was "Everything to Me". Produced and written by Shep Goodman and Kenny Gioia as part of her album This Voice, the single was released in July 2004. It appeared at #97 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales,[5] but dropped off the chart in a few weeks. The album was planned for release September 21, 2004,[6] but this never happened. Hogan opened for Hilary Duff in support of her unreleased debut. She sang the national anthems before Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals on June 7, 2004. During this time manager Larry Rudolph helped her rise to fame as well as work on her debut album.
Hogan appeared with her father in an hour-long profile on VH1, (Inside) Out: Hulk Hogan, Stage Dad. The success of this special spawned an entire series. Hogan Knows Best debuted in July 2005 and was the highest-rated series premiere in VH1's network history. Hulk Hogan said the series, which helped Brooke become a household name,[7] was intended in part to promote Brooke's music career.[2]
Hogan Knows Best presented her father as strict with her dating. On the show, Hulk placed a GPS tracker on Brooke's vehicle that enabled him to track her whereabouts and shut down the engine of her car remotely. However, Brooke said in a later interview that her father loosened up after her eighteenth birthday.
2006–2008: Undiscovered and Brooke Knows Best
In 2006, Hogan changed record labels and became the first artist signed to Scott Storch's label, initially called Storchaveli Records,[9][10] but later named Storch Music Company. She also signed with SoBe Entertainment.
Hogan made a special appearance with her father on Saturday Night's Main Event on July 15, 2006, shortly before the release of her first album. On the program, her father was challenged to a match by Randy Orton at SummerSlam, who had previously mentioned Brooke in a sexual manner on WWE television.
Hogan's first single, "About Us", premiered on the season two finale of Hogan Knows Best. The album, Undiscovered, was released October 24, 2006. The album debuted at #28 on the Billboard 200, selling 30,000 copies in its first week.[11] The album went on to sell 127,000 copies. In 2006 Hogan won a Teen Choice Award for Best Choice Grill for the music video for "About Us".
Hogan appeared in the November 2006 edition of FHM,[12] becoming the first FHM Cover Model under 21 years old. As a result, the November issue had no liquor advertising: "In the very rare instance that you might have a cover star under the age of 21, they don't want to be in the position of seeming to market to anyone under age."[13]
In December 2006, Hogan began working on new material but stated that she was only doing it for fun. Then in January 2007, her label decided that they would re-release her debut album the next month. Hogan decided against it and opted to record her second album. By August 2007, Hogan confirmed that she would be departing from one of her labels, SMC, and soon confirmed that she had signed a dual contract with SoBe Entertainment and Fontana Records and was at work on her second album.
Hogan appeared as a panel judge in America's Prom Queen in early 2008. A spin-off series of Hogan Knows Best called Brooke Knows Best premiered July 13, 2008 on VH1.[14] Two seasons have aired.
2009–present: film debut and The Redemption
In 2009, Hogan made her film debut in the animated film Little Hercules in Disney Digital 3-D. In November 2009 Hogan was featured in Toni Braxton's music video for "Yesterday.
On March 31, 2009, she released the lead single from her second album, "Falling", featuring the rapper Stacks. She revealed during a visit to Power 96 in March that the name of her second album would be The Redemption. Hogan later stated the album was due for a June 30, 2009 release, and that the second single would be released on June 9 and would be "Hey Yo!". The second single was later released on June 30, 2009 instead and the album was announced for a July 21, 2009 release. The album debuted at #144 on the Billboard 200.
She was released from her four-year contract with SoBe Entertainment a year early after the promotion for the album concluded. She is now only signed to Fontana Records. To date, she is the only artist signed to the label.
On November 10, 2009, Brooke Hogan released a new song, "User Friendly", on her YouTube account, BrookeStarTV.[15]
In January 2010, Hogan appeared on TNA Impact! and at Final Resolution in support of her father, who was making his first appearances with the company. Hogan was in attendance on the Monday, March 8 edition of Impact! before her father faced Ric Flair and A.J. Styles.
