WClayton Holmes Aiken is an American singer, television personality, actor, political candidate, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of American Idol in 2003, and his debut album, Measure of a Man, went multi-platinum. He released four more albums on the RCA label, Merry Christmas with Love (2004), A Thousand Different Ways (2006), the Christmas EP All is Well (2006), and On My Way Here (2008). Since then he has released two more albums, both with Decca Records: Tried and True (2010) and Steadfast (2012). Aiken has also had eleven tours in support of his albums. In all, he has sold over 5 million albums, and is the fourth-highest-selling American Idol alumnus.
WLauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth is an American singer, songwriter, and actress from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 27, 2017. Alaina later achieved her first No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart with the album's title track. Her second No. 1 came later that year when she simultaneously topped five Billboard charts with her friend and former classmate Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". She was on Dancing with the Stars and placed 4th alongside her partner Gleb Savchenko.
WKristopher Neil Allen is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol.
WDavid James Archuleta is an American singer-songwriter and actor. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, Archuleta became the Junior Vocal Champion on the second season of Star Search known as "Star Search 2". In 2008, he finished second on the seventh season of American Idol.
WFantasia Monique Barrino, known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and author. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequently, she released her debut album, Free Yourself, which went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and earned Barrino three Grammy nominations in 2006.
WVictoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer, fashion designer and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spice. With over 85 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best-selling female group of all time. After the Spice Girls split in 2001, Beckham was signed to Virgin Records, in which she released her self-titled debut solo album, which produced two UK Top 10 singles.
WHarold Elwin "Bo" Bice Jr. is an American singer and musician who was the runner-up against Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol. Prior to auditioning for American Idol, Bice released a solo album as well as a few albums with his bands while performing in the night club circuit.
WCrystal Lynn Bowersox is an American singer, songwriter and actress who was the runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol. She was the first female finalist in three years.
WEmma Lee Bunton is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and media personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice. With over 85 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best-selling female group of all time.
WDarius Campbell-Danesh is a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and film producer.
WKelly Brianne Clarkson is an American singer-songwriter, actress, author, and television personality. She rose to fame in 2002 after winning the first season of American Idol, which earned her a record deal with RCA Records. Her debut single, "A Moment Like This", topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the country's best-selling single of 2002. It was followed by the release of her debut studio album, Thankful (2003), which debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Trying to reinvent her image, Clarkson parted ways with Idol management and shifted to pop rock music for her second album, Breakaway (2004). After numerous top 40 radio number-one singles, such as "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You", the album sold over 12 million copies worldwide and earned Clarkson two Grammy Awards.
WDavid Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of American Idol in 2008. Prior to Idol he released an independent album entitled Analog Heart. This was followed by his post-Idol major-label debut David Cook which was released on November 18, 2008, and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA. His second major album This Loud Morning was released on June 28, 2011. His third post American Idol and fourth overall studio album Digital Vein was released on September 18, 2015.
WDaughtry is an American rock band formed and fronted by namesake Chris Daughtry, who was a finalist on the fifth season of American Idol. Their self-titled debut album was released in November 2006 and reached number one on the Billboard 200. The album went on to sell more than six million copies in the United States, and has been certified sextuple platinum by the RIAA. Daughtry was also named the best selling album of 2007 by Billboard, becoming the fastest-selling debut rock album in Nielsen SoundScan history. The album produced four top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including top five hits "It's Not Over" and "Home".
WDiana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2004 as the runner-up of the third season of American Idol, releasing her debut studio album, Blue Skies, later that year. The following year, DeGarmo ventured into a career in musical theatre. She has starred in two Broadway, one off-Broadway and three national tours. She made her television acting debut in a six-month arc as Angelina Veneziano on The Young and the Restless. DeGarmo has since released two extended plays, Unplugged in Nashville (2009) and Live to Love (2012). She is married to fifth season American Idol finalist Ace Young.
WLeon James "Lee" DeWyze Jr. is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the winner of the ninth season of American Idol.
WMichael Colton Dixon is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He placed seventh on the eleventh season of American Idol.
WEurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of members Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. Stewart and Lennox were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980; Eurythmics were formed later that year in Wagga Wagga, Australia. The duo released their first studio album, In the Garden, in 1981 to little success, but went on to achieve global success when their second album Sweet Dreams , was released in 1983. The title track became a worldwide hit which topped the charts in various countries including the US. The duo went on to release a string of hit singles and albums before they split up in 1990. By this time, Stewart was a sought-after record producer, while Lennox began a solo recording career in 1992 with her debut album Diva. After almost a decade apart, Eurythmics reunited to record their ninth album, Peace, released in late 1999. They reunited again in 2005 to release the single "I've Got a Life", as part of a new Eurythmics compilation album, Ultimate Collection.
WCandice Rickelle Glover is an American R&B singer and actress who won the twelfth season of American Idol. Glover is the first winner to have auditioned three times before being cast for the live shows. Her debut album Music Speaks was released on February 18, 2014.
WDaniel Jay Gokey is an American singer and former church music director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the third-place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. After his placing on the show, Gokey signed to 19 Recordings and RCA Nashville at the beginning of a career in country music, releasing the single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me". His debut album, My Best Days, was released in March 2010.
WMike Leon Grosch is a German singer who came to fame as the runner-up of the third season of the television show Deutschland sucht den SuperStar, the German version of Pop Idol.
WJustin Guarini is an American singer, musician, actor, host and record producer, who in 2002 was the runner-up on the first season of American Idol. In 2015, he began appearing in TV commercials as "Lil' Sweet", a character used to advertise the Diet Dr. Pepper soft drink.
WTaylor Reuben Hicks is an American singer who won the fifth season of American Idol. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released two independent albums. Upon winning Idol, he was signed to Arista Records, under which his self-titled major label debut was released on December 12, 2006.
WAllison Iraheta is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Iraheta won the Telemundo competition Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista. Following the conclusion of Idol, Iraheta was signed to a record deal with 19 Entertainment and Jive Records. Her debut album Just Like You was released on December 1, 2009. She was also the lead singer of the band Halo Circus.
WCasey Everett James is an American singer and guitarist from Fort Worth, Texas, who was the third-place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol and is an independent recording artist. He released his eponymous album in March 2012 from which three singles, "Let's Don't Call It a Night", "Crying on a Suitcase", and "The Good Life" were released. In October 2014, James released "Fall Apart" as the first single from a planned second studio album, but Sony opted not to release the record and they split ways. In 2017, James released his second album, Strip It Down, to critical acclaim.
WAdam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide.
WDamien Leo Leith is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest Australian Idol 2006. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of which peaked in the top two of the ARIA Charts, including two number ones. He has been awarded seven platinum and one gold certification for albums and singles by ARIA, which equates to sales of just over half a million.
WAnn Lennox OBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band The Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Appearing in the 1983 music video for "Sweet Dreams " with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's business suit, the BBC states, "all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze". Subsequent hits with Eurythmics include "There Must Be an Angel " and "Here Comes the Rain Again".
WBlake Colin Lewis is an American singer, songwriter, and beatboxer who was the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. His major label debut album A.D.D. was released on December 4, 2007 through 19 Recordings and Arista Records. On October 30, 2007, his first single "Break Anotha" was released. The album landed on number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 as its highest peak position with 97,500 copies sold in its debut, and has sold over 350,000 copies. After the release of his second single "How Many Words", which peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs, Lewis was dropped by Arista Records. Lewis eventually signed with Tommy Boy Records.
WScott Cooke McCreery is an American country music singer. He won the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011.
WMichelle McManus is a Scottish singer, columnist, and television presenter. She won the second and final series of the UK talent show Pop Idol in 2003.
WKatharine Hope McPhee-Foster is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In May 2006, she was the runner-up on the fifth season of American Idol.
WChristopher Edward Medina is an American-Norwegian singer born in Chicago, Illinois. In late 2010 he auditioned for American Idol making it to the top 40 before being eliminated. He is most famous for his hit "What Are Words", which reached number 1 in Sweden and Norway; it also charted in Denmark and made it to number 83 on Billboard Hot 100.
WDaniele Negroni is known for being the runner-up in season 9 of Deutschland sucht den Superstar. and Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!.
WKurt Erik Nilsen is a Norwegian pop/country singer. He won the first season of the Norwegian version of the reality television show Pop Idol, which aired on TV 2 in May 2003. He then won a one-off international version of Pop Idol, called World Idol on 1 January 2004, featuring winners of the various national Idol shows.
WOrianthi Penny Panagaris is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter who rehearsed in 2009 with Michael Jackson in preparation for his ill-fated This Is It concert series, and performed with Alice Cooper's touring band. Her 2009 debut single "According to You" peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8 in Australia and No. 17 in the US; her second album, Believe, received a worldwide release in late 2009. The same year, Orianthi was named one of the 12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists by Elle magazine. She also won the award as "Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" 2010 by Guitar International magazine.
WPhillip LaDon Phillips Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and actor who won the eleventh season of American Idol on May 23, 2012. His coronation song, "Home," became the best-selling song in American Idol history. His debut album The World from the Side of the Moon was released on November 19, 2012. His second album, Behind the Light, was released on May 19, 2014. His third album, Collateral, was released January 19, 2018.
WKellie Dawn Pickler is an American country music singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to 19 Recordings and BNA Records as a recording artist. Her debut album, Small Town Girl, was released later that year and has sold over 900,000 copies. The album, which was certified gold by the RIAA, produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Red High Heels" at No. 15, "I Wonder" at No. 14, and "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" at No. 16.
WMadeline Mae "Maddie" Poppe is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and the season 16 winner of American Idol. She is a multi-instrumentalist playing the guitar, piano, and ukulele. Prior to winning American Idol, Poppe released an EP titled Songs from the Basement. In 2015, she had also auditioned for The Voice.
WTobias Regner is a German singer and guitarist who has enjoyed success in the rock music genre. He made his debut under major label Sony BMG Domestic after he won the highly publicized third season of the television series Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of Pop Idol, in 2006.
WHaley Elizabeth Reinhart is an American singer, songwriter and voice actress from Wheeling, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She first rose to prominence after placing third in the tenth season of American Idol. In July 2011, Reinhart signed a recording deal with Interscope Records. Her debut album Listen Up! was released on May 22, 2012, to critical acclaim, and she subsequently became the first American Idol alumna to perform at Lollapalooza. After being dropped by Interscope Records following a change in the company's management in 2012, Reinhart expanded the agreement she had with her music publisher, ole, in 2014. Reinhart signed with ICM Partners in March 2016, in addition to her ongoing deal with ole.
WS Club 7 were a English pop group from London created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The group was formed in 1998 and quickly rose to fame by starring in their own BBC television series, Miami 7. In their five years together, S Club 7 had four UK number-one singles, one UK number-one album, and a string of hits throughout Europe as well as a Top 10 hit on the US Hot 100, with their 2000 single "Never Had a Dream Come True". They recorded four studio albums, released 11 singles and went on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide.
WJessica Elizabeth Sanchez is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her finish as the runner-up on the eleventh season of American Idol.
WJuliette Schoppmann is a German singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and vocal coach, who came to fame as the runner-up of the debut season of the television series Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German Idol series adaptation. Born and raised in Stade, Schoppmann was a trained musical artist before she participated in the show for which she recorded the number-one hit "We Have a Dream" and the album United along with all other finalists. After DSDS, she signed with BMG and released her moderately successful debut album Unique (2004) which spawned the top ten hits "Calling You" and "I Still Believe".
WGuy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first Australian Idol in 2003, and a judge on Australia's The X Factor in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016. He represented Australia at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 5th place. Sebastian is currently a coach on The Voice Australia as of 2019.
WJordin Brianna Sparks is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debut studio album, released later that year, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over two million copies worldwide. The album spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles "Tattoo" and "No Air"; the latter, a collaboration with Chris Brown, is currently the third highest-selling single by any American Idol contestant, selling over three million digital copies in the United States. The song earned Sparks her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
WRachel Lauren Stevens is an English singer, television personality, actress and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. She released her solo debut studio album Funky Dory in September 2003. The album reached number nine on the UK album chart and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded it with a gold certification in October 2003. Two singles, "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex" and "Funky Dory", were initially released from the album: "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex" peaked at number two in the UK and received a silver certification from the BPI.
WChristopher Ruben Studdard is an American R&B, pop and gospel singer and actor. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of "Superstar." In the years following Idol, Studdard has released seven studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut, Soulful, and the top-selling gospel follow-up, I Need an Angel. He is most well known for his recording career, which has produced hits including "Flying Without Wings," "Sorry 2004," and "Change Me," but he has also segued into television and stage work. Most notably, he starred as Fats Waller in a national tour revival of Ain't Misbehavin', which spawned a Grammy-nominated soundtrack.
WAmy Jane Studt is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Growing up in a musical family, with her father a violinist and conductor who had toured with Roy Orbison, and her mother a pianist. Studt began writing music at the age of 6, teaching herself piano, guitar, and oboe. At 12 years old she contracted the rare bone disease osteomyelitis in her hip, leaving her bedridden. Studt used this time for her hobbies, and two years later, with the advice of her dad, she recorded her first 2 demo albums which would go on to get her signed to Polydor. Studt released her first single "Just a Little Girl" in July 2002. It was followed almost a year later by "Misfit", which came to be her highest charting single in the UK at Number 6. The same month her debut album False Smiles appeared selling over 260,000 copies going Gold. Late 2003 and early 2004 two more singles were released, "Under the Thumb" and "All I Wanna Do" respectively, but only to diminishing sales that caused Polydor to drop Studt in February 2004 all before her 18th birthday.
WPia Toscano is an American singer. Toscano placed ninth on the tenth season of American Idol. She was considered a frontrunner in the competition, and her elimination shocked judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler, all three of whom were visibly and vocally upset. Some viewers and media outlets described Toscano's departure as one of the most shocking eliminations in American Idol history.
WCarrie Marie Underwood is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut single, "Inside Your Heaven", made her the only country artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history, the fastest-selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history and the best-selling country album of the last 17 years. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist.
WWilliam Robert Young is a British singer-songwriter author and actor from Wokingham, England, who came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the worldwide Idol franchise. His double A-sided debut single "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" was released two weeks after the show's finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the UK. Young also came in fifth place in World Idol performing the single "Light My Fire" written by the band The Doors.