All 14 Winners (So Far) and What Theyre Doing Now

May 10, 2024

celeb

‘American Idol’: All 14 Winners (So Far) and What They’re Doing Now

Season 1: Kelly Clarkson (2002)
Since 2002, when she became the first winner of the Fox hit show, Kelly Clarkson has continued to put out popular singles and albums. Clarkson is considered one of the most successful Idol stars along with Carrie Underwood.
Season 2: Ruben Studdard (2003)
R&B and gospel singer Ruben Studdard came in first place on the season two of the Fox hit show. Studdard met his idol, Stevie Wonder, on the competition show and then went onto emulate Wonder and Al Green in his career post-show.
Season 3: Fantasia Barrino (2004)
Fantasia took the American Idol stage in 2004 and she showed off her vocal chords before becoming the season three winner. Since then, the singer has put out four studio albums, starred in a lifetime movie and appeared on Broadway.
Season 4: Carrie Underwood (2005)
The season four winner of American Idol, Carrie Underwood, has become arguably the most successful alum of the Fox show and the only artist to score six consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. Underwood is also a seven-time Grammy winner and has won 11 ACM Awards.
Season 5: Taylor Hicks (2006)
Surprisingly, the season five winner of American Idol, Taylor Hicks, is the highest-earning alum in recent years. His success is mostly due to his Las Vegas residency, appearances and his ownership of his BBQ restaurant Saw's Juke Joint.
Season 6: Jordin Sparks (2007)
Another Idol alum who found success after the show is Jordin Sparks who has had three successful studio albums and a leading role in Whitney Houston's final film. Sparks also won a Grammy nomination for her hit single with Chris Brown "No Air."
Season 7: David Cook (2008)
David Cook left Idol after winning in Season 7 and went on to put out two albums under RCA Records before parting ways with his label in 2012. Cook released Digital Vein, his first independent release post-Idol in 2015.
Season 8: Kris Allen (2009)
Kris Allen's rise over Adam Lambert in season eight became one of the most surprising Idol endings in history. After his single "Live Like We're Dying" in 2009, Allen suffered a car crash that left him unable to play music until he healed and released his third studio album Horizons in 2014.
Season 9: Lee DeWyze (2010)
A year after winning Idol and having his debut album peak at No. 19 on the Billboard 200, Lee DeWyze split with his label, RCA Records. Recently, DeWyze had his single "Blackbird Song" debut in an episode of AMC's hit show The Walking Dead.
Season 10: Scotty McCreery (2011)
Scotty McCreery became Idol's youngest male winner and second youngest winner overall after winning the title in season 10 of the Fox hit show. McCreery went onto take over the Country music world, selling 2.5 million albums and scoring three platinum singles.
Season 11: Phillip Phillips (2012)
After winning the season 11 title, Phillip Phillips' rendition of "Home" got picked up as the theme for NBC's Olympic coverage. Phillips has released two albums post-Idol and recently got married to his longtime girlfriend, Hannah Blackwell.
Season 12: Candice Glover (2013)
With the release of her debut album Music Speaks in 2014, Glover struggled to produce any singles and has now gone on to performing at corporate and professional sporting events.
Season 13: Caleb Johnson (2014)
Less than three months after winning the season 13 title of American Idol, Johnson released his debut album Testify. The singer then went onto part ways with his label less than nine months after his album release due to a creative difference.
Season 14: Nick Fradiani (2015)
While fans are still anticipating a debut album from the season 14 winner, Fradiani's first single, "Beautiful Life" which was co-written by Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, cracked the Billboard Hot 100 last year.
Season 15: Final Three
The top three contestants of the Fox competition show's last run are Trent Harmon, La'Porsha Renae and Dalton Rapattoni who will compete for the final title on the three days leading to the American Idol series finale on April 7.