Christopher Rene (previously René; born December 25, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and producer.

Gina is a singer featured on the Mean Girls and Step Up soundtracks, Gabriel is a record producer, and both are members of an electronica group called Soulstice.

[3] Prior to applying for The X Factor, Rene worked hauling trash in Santa Cruz, where he currently lives.

On September 21, 2011, Rene auditioned by singing one of his original songs, entitled "Young Homie", getting a standing ovation from the audience and four "yeses" from the judges.

L.A. Reid has confirmed that Rene has started recording music for a post-The X Factor album.

On January 17, 2012, it was confirmed that Rene had signed with a joint venture between Syco and Epic Records,[11] a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Rene re-recorded his original song "Young Homie", which was made available on iTunes on March 13, 2012.

[12] Rene shot the music video for the song on February 16, 2012 in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California, and it was released on YouTube and Vevo on March 20, 2012.

Rene is a drug addict and alcoholic,[14] who revealed he had just been out of rehab at Janus Rehabilitation Center of Santa Cruz, and had been clean for just ten weeks before taking part in The X Factor auditions.