Most Successful American Idol Contestants
by Mathelene
Updated Mar 27, 2024
Most Successful American Idol Contestants
American Idol is a singing competition show from America. It was created by Simon Fuller. It was produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment and distributed by Fremantle North America. There are a lot of contestants who got most successful in their career after participating in the American Idol show. Lets see who built their successful career after participating in the American Idol.
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson was the first ever winner of Season 1 of American Idol. After winning the first season of American Idol in 2002, Kelly Clarkson rose to fame. Her big songs include Breakaway and Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You). She is a great singer. She now hosts her own talk program called The Kelly Clarkson program, on which she interviews celebrities, including actors and other singers.
People say she sings even better than the original versions of the songs. Clarkson has also been a judge on another singing show called The Voice.
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood became famous by winning Season 4 of American Idol in 2005. She became famous as a top country music performer. She has released many albums and has eight Grammy Awards. She is not only a singer, but. She is also an author and her book, Find Your Path, was a big success.
In addition, she runs the workout clothing brand CALIA by Carrie. Underwood has also tried in television and film acting. She portrayed Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music Live and starred in the film Soul Surfer in 2011.
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks became the youngest winner of American Idol history when she became winner in Season 6 at the age of just 17. She is a great singer who received a Grammy nomination and sold millions of copies of her first album. She has released many albums and performed on tours with well known musicians like the Jonas Brothers and Britney Spears.
Sparks has acted in movies such as God Bless the Broken Road and Sparkle. She is still active in the music industry with the release of her new single Call My Name in late 2023.
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson participated in Season 3 of American Idol but did not win. She has received an Oscar for her performance in Dreamgirls and has won all four of the main American entertainment awards. Hudson has produced three albums. Kelly Clarkson recently launched her own talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show. She has shown her abilities as an actress and singer. Jennifer Hudson displays real talent.
Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry did not win first place but won fourth place in the fifth season of American Idol. He continued to focus on his musical career and joined the rock group Daughtry as the lead singer. Their first album, which featured the Grammy nominated break song It's Not Over sold lots of copies fast.
Daughtry and his group have released five additional albums and worked with other famous musicians. He continues to perform live and tour with his band. Popular songs like Over You and Waiting for Superman show that hard effort and talent can go a long way in the music industry.
Elliott Yamin
Elliott Yamin won third place during Season 5 of American Idol. After the show, he released nine albums. Some of his hits, including Fight for Love and Wait For You were huge hits in the United States. Yamin was not planning to be a musician, but he tried out for American Idol and did well.
Yamin's song Wait For You is still popular today. He also made holiday music with albums like Sounds of the Season: The Elliott Yamin Holiday Collection and My Kind of Holiday.
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Pickler did not win American Idol, but she is still very successful. Her first album, Small Town Girl, sold a lot and received certified gold. Her second album contained four popular songs, and her most recent album, The Woman I Am, reached the first position on a major music chart.
In 2013, she and Derek Hough won Dancing with the Stars together. From 2017 to 2019, she hosted Pickler & Ben, a talk program with comedian Ben Aaron. She currently hosts The Highway, a country music radio channel on SiriusXM.
Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard won Season 2 of American Idol in 2003. After winning, he released seven albums. One album called Soulful, sold a large number of copies and received a special platinum certification. Another album, I Need an Angel, received a gold certification.
Studdard received a Grammy Award nomination for the song Superstar. He tried acting and featured on series such as One on One, 8 Simple Rules, and All of Us. In 2018, he appeared on Broadway in Ruben & Clay's Christmas Show, with American Idol participant Clay Aiken.
David Cook
David Cook won Season 7 of American Idol. At first David Cook did not consider American Idol. But ended up winning the competition. His first single after winning, "The Time of My Life," was a huge success, selling over 1.4 million copies. Cook has released four albums.
His most recent book, The Looking Glass, was published in 2021. He also tried acting and playing Charlie Price in the 2018 Broadway production of Kinky Boots.
Candice Glover
Candice Glover won Season 12 of American Idol. In 2014 after winning, she launched her debut album, Music Speaks. In 2017, she made her Broadway debut in the musical Home for the Holidays. She currently works as a music coordinator at the Savannah College of Art and Design. On the show she had to sing other people's songs on the show, but now she can sing her own.
