We are close to the end of another season of the reality show American Idol. Each season a new young talented singer is crowned the best of the thousands that audition and compete in the show each season.
The reality singing show was started in 2002 by Simon Fuller and has been incredibly popular ever since. It’s purpose is to find a new solo recording artist from amongst those competing. The eliminations are determined by the public.
It has become a launching pad for several successful singing careers. Though not all winners have gone on to be successful. Some can sing but don’t have that “it” factor. Hello Taylor Hicks. Some have not won and still have gone on to have successful recording careers.
Here is my list of the most talented and successful of the American Idol contestants over the eleven season it has been on the air:
1) Kelly Clarkson: Season: 1 – 2002. Placed: 1. Is American Idol’s original winner and is still its biggest star. She has recorded several great pop songs. Clarkson has ten Billboard Hot 100 Top 10s, including three number ones. Her fifth album, Stronger, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 last fall and the single of the same name was a number one hit.
2) Carrie Underwood: Season: 4. Placed: 1. Country girl Carrie Underwood won because she is cute, sweet and seriously talented. Has a great voice. She was the first country singer to win. Of all the American Idol contestants she has sold the most albums with 12.4 million in sales in the United States. Underwood also made her screen debut in the film Soul Surfer. Is planning to release her fourth studio album on May 1, 2012.
3) Chris Daughtry: Season: 5 – 2006. Placed: 4. He didn’t even make the top three on Idol and yet went on to become the top selling artist of 2007. He has sold over 7.5 million albums. Is the lead singer of a band called Daughtry and their debut album is still the fastest selling debut rock album in chart history. His fourth place finish did not hurt his career in the least.
4) Jennifer Hudson: Season: 3. Placed: 7. Jennifer Hudson came in seventh that season and then went on to win an Oscar for her performance in the musical film, Dreamgirls. She has also won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in 2009 for her self-titled debut album. At the 2012 Grammy Award ceremony she was selected to perform a musical tribute to Whitney Houston. She sang Houston’s song “I Will Always Love You”.
5) Adam Lambert: Season: 8. Placed: 2. Right from the beginning her knocked the socks off viewers. People followed his every move, outfit and song choice. It was obvious right from the first notes out of his mouth that the guy could really sing. Has made more of a name for himself than eventual winner Kris Allen. Lambert was the first openly gay pop singer to sign to a major label. Released his sophomore album entitled Trespassing in March.
6) Clay Aiken: Season: 2 – 2003. Placed: 2. He lost to Ruben Studdard in 2003. Went on to record a number one hit single and did a stint as part of the cast of Broadway’s “Spamalot”. Has recorded five top ten albums. His fans are called Claymates. He has a new album on the way.
7) David Cook: Season: 7 – 2008. Placed: 1. He was one of the rare contestants who was never in the bottom three. Cook is very versatile a singer as proven by his time on the show where he covered a Dolly Parton song as well as a Mariah Carey song. After years of rockers getting the short end of the Idol stick, Cook broke the genre’s bad luck streak in 2008. He released his self-titled debut album shortly after his win and it debuted on the Billboard 200 at number three and went on to have two singles that made it to the Hot 100.
8) Jordin Sparks: Season 6 – 2007. Placed: 1. She was just 17-years-old when she won in 2007, beating out Blake Lewis. Sparks has gone on to have hit singles with the songs “Battlefield” and “No Air” – a duet with Chris Brown that made it all the way to number three on the Hot 100. Is set to release her third album sometime in 2012 and will make her big screen acting debut in the remake of the 1976 film “Sparkle” alongside the recently deceased Whitney Houston.
9) Fantasia Barrino: Season 3. Placed: 1. A Lifetime movie was made about her life, in which she played herself. Her career after American Idol has had its share of ups and downs. Had a number one single on the Hot 100 with “I Believe”. Fantasia was hospitalized in 2010 after overdosing on aspirin and later she revealed that the overdose was a suicide attempt. Later this year she will appear as the lead character in the Mahalia Jackson biopic “Mahalia!”
10) Ruben Studdard: Season 2 – 2003. Placed: 1. He was the winner of American Idol in 2003. Studdard was dubbed the “Velvet Teddy Bear”. The R&B/Gospel singer released his fifth album in March called “Letters From Birmingham”. His biggest hit so far was the single “Sorry 2004” and he has sold over 2.5 million albums. Just recently announced he and his wife were divorcing.
