With less than a week left for the big American Idol Season 12 premiere, here's a good way to get you warmed up for the show. In this post, I will rank all eleven past winners of the show. This list is based entirely on how much I love them personally and is not influenced by record sales, award wins, or my mom.
11. LEE DEWZYE (Season 9, 2010): Falling at the bottom of the bunch is Lee DeWyze, who won the title after a painfully dull season. Lee has a great voice and is a very good musician, but Season 9 shattered my faith in the show. Every week was a slump, and let's not even mention the addition of Ellen DeGeneres as a judge. Sadly, Lee hasn't performed too well post-Idol. His debut album Live It Up was a failure (even though it has some decent songs), only managing to sell around 141,000 copies. Yikes!
10. TAYLOR HICKS (Season 5, 2006): Taylor Hicks wowed the country with his unique style and salt and pepper hair, and even though Season 5 remains the highest-viewed season of Idol (36 million viewers!), Taylor Hicks faded into oblivion after his high profile victory. His self-titled debut album was a fair success, being certified Platinum, but that was it!
9. KRIS ALLEN (Season 8, 2009): Kris Allen himself was shocked to have won. But his humble, guy-next-door style proved to be enough to make him the victor. His voice isn't amazingly unique, nor does he offer anything extraordinary, but his song interpretations during Season 8 were impressive.
8. RUBEN STUDDARD (Season 2, 2003): Popularly dubbed "The Velvet Teddy Bear" by fans, Ruben Studdard's warm, bluesy style gained him a wide following. People were shocked that he beat Clay Aiken, but all's well that end's well, huh? It's a shame that he too, hasn't been too successful.
7. DAVID COOK (Season 7, 2008): Although runner-up David Archuleta turned out to be Season 7's biggest find, David Cook had amassed million of fans by the end of the season. His rock-heavy, gritty style proved that he's not just a singer- he's an artist. And the first ever White Guy With Guitar (a chain that is yet to be broken).
6. PHILLIP PHILLIPS (Season 11, 2012): The newest entrant on this list, Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips continues the sensation he started back in Spring 2012. His debut single "Home" has shattered previous Idol records- becoming the most successful winner's single in history. In fact- it's still #10 on the US iTunes chart- nearly eight months after it's release! No surprise that it's been certified Double Platinum, with sales of nearly 3.5 million. His recently released debut album The World From The Side of the Moon (read my review of it here) shows that he stands for artistry rather than commercial sensibilities.
5. FANTASIA (Season 3, 2004): Although Fantasia has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the past couple of years, she's a powerhouse of talent. Her rendition of "Summertime" ranks as one of the greatest American Idol performances ever. Her music career hasn't been too shabby, she's released three studio albums (one certified Platinum, another Gold) and multiple Grammy nominations (winning one in 2010).
4. JORDIN SPARKS (Season 6, 2007): She holds the record for being the youngest person to ever win the show, at just 17. She's 23 now, and has become a youth icon, selling millions of albums worldwide, starring in Broadway's In The Heights, acting and singing for Disney, and most recently, starring in the major movie Sparkle alongside Whitney Houston. Her pitch-perfect voice and dazzling personality makes her one of the most popular Idol winners.
3. SCOTTY MCCREERY (Season 10, 2011): The youngest male winner (17 as well) could be American Idol's greatest country find since Carrie Underwood. His warm baritone and aw, shucks personality made him an instant favorite during Season 10. He's had a great career since winning, his debut album Clear As Day was certified Platinum, which featured his Gold-certified coronation single, I Love You This Big. Most recently, he released his first Christmas album, Christmas With Scotty McCreery (read my review of it here) which has also been certified Gold.
2. CARRIE UNDERWOOD (Season 4, 2005): Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood was destined for greatness. Judge Simon Cowell accurately predicted early in the season that "not only will you win this show, but you will also sell more records than any Idol winner to date". And she did. The country cutie wields a voice that soars beyond limits. She's sold more than 13 million albums in the US, with her debut Some Hearts being certified 7 times Platinum! Some of her songs like Jesus, Take The Wheel and Before He Cheats have become bonafide country classics. Her most recent album, Blown Away (read my review of it here) sees her embracing her dark side. She's also appeared in movies (Soul Surfer), TV shows (How I Met your Mother) and has won a total of five Grammys. She'll also be starring as Maria in the NBC Live Broadcast of The Sound of Music later this year.
1. KELLY CLARKSON (Season 1, 2002): In the ten years since she's won, the Original Idol has gone on to become a household name all around the world. She's released five albums- four of which have been certified Platinum (read my review of her first Greatest Hits album here). Her distinctly unique voice that stands out on radio, coupled with her girl-next-door persona and vibrant music style, makes her a force to be reckoned with in today's industry. Her songs, Since U Been Gone, Breakaway, My Life Would Suck Without You and Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) are considered pop classics. She's been on top for a decade, proving that sometimes, reality show winners DO go on to greatness. You rule, KC.
American Idol premieres Wednesday, January 16, 2013 with an all new judges panel and exciting new changes! Who is YOUR favorite Idol winner? Sound off in the comments!
11. LEE DEWZYE (Season 9, 2010): Falling at the bottom of the bunch is Lee DeWyze, who won the title after a painfully dull season. Lee has a great voice and is a very good musician, but Season 9 shattered my faith in the show. Every week was a slump, and let's not even mention the addition of Ellen DeGeneres as a judge. Sadly, Lee hasn't performed too well post-Idol. His debut album Live It Up was a failure (even though it has some decent songs), only managing to sell around 141,000 copies. Yikes!
10. TAYLOR HICKS (Season 5, 2006): Taylor Hicks wowed the country with his unique style and salt and pepper hair, and even though Season 5 remains the highest-viewed season of Idol (36 million viewers!), Taylor Hicks faded into oblivion after his high profile victory. His self-titled debut album was a fair success, being certified Platinum, but that was it!
9. KRIS ALLEN (Season 8, 2009): Kris Allen himself was shocked to have won. But his humble, guy-next-door style proved to be enough to make him the victor. His voice isn't amazingly unique, nor does he offer anything extraordinary, but his song interpretations during Season 8 were impressive.
8. RUBEN STUDDARD (Season 2, 2003): Popularly dubbed "The Velvet Teddy Bear" by fans, Ruben Studdard's warm, bluesy style gained him a wide following. People were shocked that he beat Clay Aiken, but all's well that end's well, huh? It's a shame that he too, hasn't been too successful.
7. DAVID COOK (Season 7, 2008): Although runner-up David Archuleta turned out to be Season 7's biggest find, David Cook had amassed million of fans by the end of the season. His rock-heavy, gritty style proved that he's not just a singer- he's an artist. And the first ever White Guy With Guitar (a chain that is yet to be broken).
6. PHILLIP PHILLIPS (Season 11, 2012): The newest entrant on this list, Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips continues the sensation he started back in Spring 2012. His debut single "Home" has shattered previous Idol records- becoming the most successful winner's single in history. In fact- it's still #10 on the US iTunes chart- nearly eight months after it's release! No surprise that it's been certified Double Platinum, with sales of nearly 3.5 million. His recently released debut album The World From The Side of the Moon (read my review of it here) shows that he stands for artistry rather than commercial sensibilities.
4. JORDIN SPARKS (Season 6, 2007): She holds the record for being the youngest person to ever win the show, at just 17. She's 23 now, and has become a youth icon, selling millions of albums worldwide, starring in Broadway's In The Heights, acting and singing for Disney, and most recently, starring in the major movie Sparkle alongside Whitney Houston. Her pitch-perfect voice and dazzling personality makes her one of the most popular Idol winners.
3. SCOTTY MCCREERY (Season 10, 2011): The youngest male winner (17 as well) could be American Idol's greatest country find since Carrie Underwood. His warm baritone and aw, shucks personality made him an instant favorite during Season 10. He's had a great career since winning, his debut album Clear As Day was certified Platinum, which featured his Gold-certified coronation single, I Love You This Big. Most recently, he released his first Christmas album, Christmas With Scotty McCreery (read my review of it here) which has also been certified Gold.
2. CARRIE UNDERWOOD (Season 4, 2005): Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood was destined for greatness. Judge Simon Cowell accurately predicted early in the season that "not only will you win this show, but you will also sell more records than any Idol winner to date". And she did. The country cutie wields a voice that soars beyond limits. She's sold more than 13 million albums in the US, with her debut Some Hearts being certified 7 times Platinum! Some of her songs like Jesus, Take The Wheel and Before He Cheats have become bonafide country classics. Her most recent album, Blown Away (read my review of it here) sees her embracing her dark side. She's also appeared in movies (Soul Surfer), TV shows (How I Met your Mother) and has won a total of five Grammys. She'll also be starring as Maria in the NBC Live Broadcast of The Sound of Music later this year.
1. KELLY CLARKSON (Season 1, 2002): In the ten years since she's won, the Original Idol has gone on to become a household name all around the world. She's released five albums- four of which have been certified Platinum (read my review of her first Greatest Hits album here). Her distinctly unique voice that stands out on radio, coupled with her girl-next-door persona and vibrant music style, makes her a force to be reckoned with in today's industry. Her songs, Since U Been Gone, Breakaway, My Life Would Suck Without You and Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) are considered pop classics. She's been on top for a decade, proving that sometimes, reality show winners DO go on to greatness. You rule, KC.American Idol premieres Wednesday, January 16, 2013 with an all new judges panel and exciting new changes! Who is YOUR favorite Idol winner? Sound off in the comments!