 American Idol: First Place Finishers: Where Are They Now? | |
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 Jordin has officially joined this group of past Idol winners. When I write this article next year, I’m sure there will be lots to say about her as well!
Season 1: Kelly Clarkson
Kelly is our original Idol. She has earned her success and I hope she sticks around for a long time. Congratulations, Kelly!
After the show, Kelly signed with RCA Records. She performed at the Washington D.C. Lincoln Memorial on September 11, 2002.
‘A Moment Like This’ was written for the Idol winner, and was released as Kelly’s single in October 2002. This song went into the record books for the biggest jump from number 52 to number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold 236,000 copies in its first week of release in the U.S. It topped the Canadian singles chart at number 1 for 5 weeks, and remains Kelly's only number-1 there.
Kelly’s cd ‘Thankful’ was released in North America by RCA Records on April 15, 2003. “Thankful” debuted at number one on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and Canadian albums chart. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales of two million copies on December 8, 2003 and platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association for sales of 100,000 copies on February 10, 2004.
"Miss Independent", the second single from ‘Thankful’ which was co written by Christina Aguilera, reached the top ten on the U.S., Canadian, United Kingdom, and Australia singles charts. It remained at #1 for 5 weeks, topped the Billboard Top 40 Tracks chart for 6 weeks, and Mainstream Top 40 chart for 6 weeks.
As a result of her contract with American Idol, Kelly made a movie with runner-up Justin Guarini, called ‘From Justin to Kelly’. This was in June, 2003, but the reviews were poor and it came in at number 11 the weekend it was released.
In August, 2003, Kelly won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Music Female Artist. Her video for “Miss Independent” was nominated for 3 MTV awards. These were Best New Artist, Best Pop Video, and Viewer’s Choice. The third single from Thankful, called "Low" reached number two in Canada, and made the top 40 of the U.S. chart (at #37).
Kelly was on “American Dreams” in September, 2003. In October, “Low” hit the Top 10 (at #9). In November, 2003 the DVD for “Miss Independent” came out, and the single “The Trouble With Love” hit the Top 40 (at #39).
World Idol was held on January 1, 2004 in London, England, with the winners of the first seasons of Idol from across the globe competing. Kelly finished in second place. Also in January, “The Trouble With Love” made it to the Top 10 (#10).
Kelly was nominated for a Grammy Award in February 2004 for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for “Miss Independent”. Kelly and Clay Aiken, season 2’s ‘runner up’, went on a joint tour called the “Independent Tour” from Feb. 24, 2004 through April 16, 2004. They visited 30 cities, and alternated as headliners. I did not see this tour but I heard it was great.
Kelly’s second cd, called ‘Breakaway’, was released by RCA Records on November 30, 2004. The cd debuted in the US top 5 and Canadian top 10. The singles from Breakaway were very successful. There were four U.S. top-ten singles, “Breakaway”, “Since U Been Gone”, (the most successful single, setting a record for the most weeks on the chart), “Behind These Hazel Eyes”, and “Because of You”. "Breakaway" served as the original song for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). It became Kelly's third top-ten single in the U.S. and fourth top-ten single in Canada. It reached number ten in Australia.
During the promotional tour of Breakaway, Kelly appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 12, 2005. In Australia, the album reached number two. Kelly co-wrote six of the songs with several songwriters. In March, 2005, the single "Since U Been Gone" was certified 2x platinum and "Miss Independent" was certified gold. In June, “Since U Been Gone” was certified 3x platinum, and the same for “Breakaway” in July.
In August, 2005, Kelly won 4 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Album (Breakaway), Choice Single ("Since U Been Gone"), Choice Summer Song ("Behind These Hazel Eyes"), and Choice Female Artist. The video for "Since U Been Gone" won 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video and Best Pop Video, and was nominated for Viewer's Choice.
In September, 2005, Kelly performed on ReAct Now: Music & Relief, which was a benefit program shown on music video channels to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Kelly had to cancel a few concert dates due to bronchitis. “Because of You” made the Top 10, and “Since U Been Gone” was certified 4x platinum. The cd became certified quadruple platinum in Canada on September 29, 2005.
In November 2005, Kelly won 2 American Music Awards for Artist of the Year and Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Album for Breakaway, which was certified 4x platinum. The single "Behind These Hazel Eyes" was certified 2x platinum.
In December, “Walk Away” hit the Top 40. Breakaway was the third highest selling cd of 2005, with sales over 3.4 million. Kelly topped the Billboard Year-End Charts as the Top Pop Artist - Female (singles & albums), Top Hot 100 Singles Artist - Female, Top Pop 100 Artist, Top Hot Dance Airplay Artist, Top Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, and Top Hot Adult Top 40 Artist, and with the Top Pop 100 Song and Top Pop 100 Airplay Track ("Since U Been Gone"), and Top Soundtrack Single and Top Hot Adult Contemporary Track ("Breakaway").
On January 10, 2006, Kelly won the People’s Choice Award for Top Female Performer. The Breakaway cd became certified five-times platinum in the U.S. on January 18, 2006. Also in January 2006, “Breakaway” and “Since U Been Gone” were certified 5x platinum, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" was certified 3x platinum, and "Because Of You" was certified 2x platinum.
In February, 2006, “Walk Away” made the Top 10, and Kelly won 2 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female ("Since U Been Gone") and Best Pop Vocal Album (Breakaway).
Kelly contributed to the auction for Musicians On Call, donating a guitar and three signed t-shirts. This nonprofit organization brings the healing power of music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. Over 60,000 people have been touched through the room-to-room volunteer performances.
“Because of You” was chosen to be on “Now That’s What I Call Music, Vol. 21”.
In April, Kelly won a Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer.
Destiny's Child, Kelly and Korn were winners at 2006’s MTV Asia Awards, held in Bangkok. Kelly also helped host the MTV Asia Awards with Taiwanese-American singer Wang Leehom. Kelly won for Favorite Female Artist.
While on tour in Europe in 2006, Kelly began writing and composing songs for her third cd, “My December”. The cd is set for release on June 27, 2007. During the “Addicted” tour last summer, from June 30-August 6, she performed her current hits, and previewed new material. The first single from “My December” is called “Never Again”. This debuted on April 13, 2007 and was released on iTunes on April 20, then taken down, and re-released on April 23.
Kelly is the spokeswoman for Proactiv and Vitamin Water. She is also involved with NASCAR for the 2007 season. This involves tv advertisements, performing at pre race concerts, promoting NASCAR Day, and appearing at the Champion’s Banquet in December. She sang “One Minute” at the Daytona 500 on February 18th.
On July 7, Kelly will perform at one of the Live Earth concerts, which helps bring awareness to the climate change crisis.
This fall, there will be an hour long “CMT Crossroads” special on CMT and MHD which Kelly and Reba McEntire recorded in Nashville on February 22, 2007. Kelly had performed on CMT’s “Giants: Reba McIntyre”, where she sang Reba’s songs “Why Haven’t I Heard From You”, and “Does He Love You?” (with Martina McBride) and introduced Dolly Parton. On January 14, 2007, Kelly was on an episode of “Reba”, where she sang “Because of You” with Reba. This is the lead single from Reba’s cd of all star duets, due out September 18th. Kelly and Reba performed the song on the Acaedemy of Country Music Awards on May 16, 2007.
Most recently, we saw Kelly last week on the AI finale where she performed “Never Again”.
Kelly’s new tour will run from July 7 in New Jersey through September 27 in Las Vegas. KellyClarkson.com has the information for tickets and meet and greets. Kelly will always be our first idol and has certainly set the standard high. I hope she continues to grow and develop in her career, and we will continue to cheer her on.
Season 2: Ruben Studdard
Ruben was the first of the guys from Alabama to make it big on Idol.
His 1st single “Flying Without Wings” was released a month after Idol ended. In December 2003, more than 1 million advance orders were placed for his first cd, “Soulful”. This cd debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart that month, sold more than 400,000 copies its first week, and attained the highest first-week sales of any American Idol winner. The single "Sorry 2004” made it to #9 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart. “Soulful” has since gone double platinum. Ruben was nominated for a Grammy in December 2003 for best R&B male vocal performance for "Superstar”. He lost to his own idol, Luther Vandross. In March 2004, Ruben won the NAACP Best New Artist award.
From March 3-April 13, 2004, Ruben toured at various venues across the United States.
Ruben’s gospel album “I Need An Angel” was released on November 23, 2004. The title track was a cover of a 2002 single performed by R&B singer Daniel DeBourg and written by R. Kelly. In it’s first week, it sold over 96,000 copies. It also debuted on the Gospel charts at #1 and on the Billboard 200 chart at #20, and has sold over 500,000 copies. It was also #1 on the 2005 Billboard Year-End Gospel Albums Chart.
Also released on March 23, 2004, was the movie soundtrack for “Scooby Doo2: Monsters Unleashed”, where Ruben sang a song called “Shining Star”.
Ruben’s TV appearances include The Wayne Brady Show, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Ellen, Soul Train, One on One, On Air With Ryan Seacrest, My Kind of Town, Making the Video, MAD TV, Live with Regis and Kelly, Life On A Stick, All Of Us, Eve, Late Show With David Letterman, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live, E! Behind the Scenes, Canadian Idol, American Juniors, All of Us, Access Granted, 106 And Park, 8 Simple Rules, and The View. He also had a cameo in the movie “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed”, and was on a commercial for Serra Kia.
Ruben's third cd, “The Return” was released in October of 2006. This cd went back to his R&B roots. He worked with So Sick singer, Ne-Yo. The single “Change Me” was released ahead of the cd. Wikipedia reports that “The Return” sold 71,000 copies in its first week to open at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart, but sales decreased after that, and did not match those of his earlier cds. However, Ruben did have good success on the Urban AC chart with "Change Me" and its successor “Make Ya Feel Beautiful”. He continued to tour saying he would play a variety of music: "Coming out to my show is like coming to my house. I'll play the songs I love. It's like a party. For me, a party has all different types of music happening."
Ruben has a foundation called the Ruben Studdard Foundation for the Advancement of Children in the Music Arts, which promotes arts education in public schools through scholarships. He is also involved in the Music Alternative Project, which is an an after-school program based in a recording studio in Birmingham, for underprivileged kids. Ruben works with Dr. Henry Panion, the director of music technology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a popular orchestrator in hip-hop and R&B. The program aims to get kids off the streets and into the studio.
People Magazine reports that Ruben has also teamed up with area hospitals and the Alabama Department of Health with the goal of helping people slim down. The magazine says that Alabama is the second most obese state in the U.S. Ruben himself has lost 80 pounds on a vegetarian diet with lots of exercise.
Most recently, Ruben appeared on the American Idol finale on May 23, 2007. I thought he sang really well, especially in the duet with Jordin. I wouldn’t have thought of putting those two together, but it worked! According to rubenstuddard.com, he will also perform at the from July 5-7 in New Orleans at the Essence Music Festival, the nation’s largest celebration of Black music and culture. He is working on his 4th cd, and I look forward to hearing more about Ruben in the year to come!
Season 3: Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia released her first single in June 2004 with RCA. This included "I Believe", which was cowritten by Tamyra Gray, who also sang backup on it; the Aretha Franklin hit "Chain of Fools", and "Summertime". The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number one. Fantasia made history when she became the first artist to debut at #1 with his or her first single. On the sales chart, the single was at #1 for 11 consecutive weeks, and 10 weeks in Canada. This was the longest consecutive stay at #1 on that chart for an American Idol contestant. The CD, "I Believe", became the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA.
Fantasia’s cd “Free Yourself” was released in November 2004. It debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart and sold 240,000 copies in its first week. Two months later, it sold over one million copies and went platinum. It has sold over 2 million copies in the U.S The singles "Truth Is" and "Free Yourself" became huge R&B hits, reaching #2 and #3 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart. The song "Baby Mama" was criticized by some for speaking positively about single motherhood, but it reached the top 20. Fantasia did even better on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay, where she was the first artist of any kind to have two of the top three songs at the same time. "Truth Is" set a record by being a song by a female artist that stayed at #1 for 14 weeks.
Through the spring and winter of 2005, Fantasia made many television appearances to promote her cd. She played Aretha Franklin in an episode of “American Dreams”, singing "Respect", guest voiced on The Simpsons episode "A Star is Torn", and guest starred as herself in a cameo on "All Of Us". Fantasia also appeared three or four times as a musical guest on Jay Leno's The Tonight Show, on 106 and Park (twice), All That, Live With Regis and Kelly, On Air With Ryan Seacrest (4 times), Soul Train, Ellen (2 times), The Tony Danza Show, The View (2 times), and The Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. Other appearances by Fantasia included singing a tribute with other artists to Elton John at the 27th annual Kennedy Center Honors. She sang at benefits for AIDS organizations and for tsunami relief, and has visited churches and schools. On February 26, 2006, Fantasia sang the National Anthem for the Auto Club 500 opening ceremony.
Fantasia won the image award for Most Outstanding Female Artist. On March 25th, 2005, Fantasia performed at the 36th NAACP Image Awards to honor Illinois Senator Barack Obama. In May and June 2005 Fantasia went on her first tour with her own live band. She also headlined at music festivals including the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival and the Reggae Sumfest on Jamaica.
In October 2005, Fantasia opened for Kanye West's Touch the Sky Tour.
In the late summer of 2005, Fantasia worked with Lyfe Jennings on his single "Hypothetically".
On September 30, 2005, Fantasia published her memoir “Life is Not a Fairy Tale”, and admitted that she was functionally illiterate. On ABC's 20/20 she said that she hadn't been able to read contracts, and she just memorized the songs. “Life is Not a Fairy Tale” became a New York Times Best Seller, reaching #7. She played herself on Lifetime in the film based on her book. The movie was directed by Debbie Allen and debuted on the women’s cable network on Saturday, August 19, 2006. The movie was watched by nineteen million viewers throughout its debut weekend.
Last year it was reported that Fantasia was being taught to read by tutors, so she can read to her daughter and read contracts, and was pursuing her GED. People Magazine reports that she has since learned to read. I have to interject here that I give Fantasia a lot of credit. I teach literacy to high school students, and motivation makes all the difference. Good for her for doing this and I know she can and will be successful here. I hope she can be a positive role model for other struggling readers, showing them that they can overcome dyslexia at any age, and that it has no bearing on intelligence.
In 2006, Fantasia was nominated for four Grammy Awards, making her the first Idol to receive that many nominations, although she did not win any awards. The nominations were for Best Female R & B vocal performance, “Free Yourself"; Best R& B album, “Free Yourself”, Best Traditional R & B Performance, "Summertime", and Best R & B song, “Free Yourself”. During the show, Fantasia performed with several other artists including Steven Tyler and Ciara in an all-star tribute to Sly and the Family Stone.
Fantasia’s awards include 2004 Billboard single of the year, "I Believe", 2004 Billboard Top selling R&B/Hip-Hop single of the year, "I Believe", 2005 Billboard-American Urban Radio Networks Top R&B/hip-hop single (sales), "I Believe", 2005 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist, and 2006 Groovevolt Music Awards- Best New Artist .
Last summer, Fantasia broke with 19 Management. She went to work with Violator Management, under who she released her self-titled sophomore cd, “Fantasia”, on December 12, 2006. The cd involved production by Missy Elliott, Swizz Beatz, Dre & Vidal, Diane Warren and others. In 2007, Fantasia left her new management company and went back to 19 Management. She will be featured on Aretha Franklin’s new cd “A Woman Falling Out of Love”, set for a 2007 release.
On January 27, Fantasia sang “Baby, I Love You” and “Rock Steady” on the nationally televised United Negro College Fund’s “An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin”. In early 2007, she was listed on Blender.com’s list of the hottest women in music.
In February 2007, Fantasia returned to American Idol, and announced that she would be starring in the Broadway show “The Color Purple”. This began on April 10, 2007. She sang “I’m Here” from the show on American Idol and “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. Wikipedia reports that following those performances, “The Color Purple” received over $2 million in pre ticket sales in one week. Before she began her run, the play received $6.5 million in pre ticket sales. Fantasia has gotten rave reviews from theater goers and critics alike. The Broadway Theatre and The Color Purple's house record were broken within Fantasia's first week on the show. Congratulations, Fantasia on your success!
Season 4: Carrie Underwood
The short version is that Carrie has become a multi platinum selling recording artist. Her debut cd “Some Hearts” was certified 6x platinum, and is the fastest selling debut country album in Sound Scan history. Carrie is the first American Idol winner to win at all three major music awards in the same awards show season (06-07), including one American Music Award, eight Billboard Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist. Wikipedia reports that “Some Hearts” has produced 5 number one hits on various charts in the United States and Canada.
Here’s the longer version, starting from after her win on American Idol. On May 26, 2005, U.S. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma presented a resolution thanking Carrie for representing the state of Oklahoma as "an intelligent, kind, considerate young woman" to millions of television viewers around the world. The resolution was submitted to the United States Senate, and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. As a result, May 25 was declared Carrie Underwood Day in Oklahoma.
Carrie’s first single with Arista Records, "Inside Your Heaven", was released on June 14, 2005. The B side was “Independence Day”, a cover of Martina McBride’s hit. The single debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and sold 170,000 copies in the first week.
Carrie sang "Inside Your Heaven" on Canadian Idol during the Idols 2005 tour in Toronto. She sang "The Star Spangled Banner" before Game 4 of the 2005 NBA Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. Also in 2005, she appeared in ads for Hershey's Chocolate, where she sang jingles. She wore vintage Hershey T-shirts that featured Hershey's, Almond Joy, Kit Kat, Reeses and other chocolate logos. Carrie was also a spokesperson for Sketchers shoes.
Carrie's second single, "Jesus, Take The Wheel" was available for radio airplay on October 18, 2005. It received so much airplay that it debuted at #39 on the Billboard Country Chart in its first week, setting a record. It reached #1 for 6 consecutive weeks, and was two weeks away from matching Connie Smith's record of an 8 week run back in 1964-1965. The single also debuted at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at #20. This song was played on country, pop and gospel radio. In April, The Gospel Music Association named it the Country Recorded Song of the Year. The video won CMT's Music Awards for Breakthrough Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year. Carrie was the only artist to win two CMT Music Awards that month.
Her initial cd “Some Hearts” was released on November 15, 2005. On that same day, she presented an award and performed "Jesus, Take The Wheel" at the 39th Country Music Association awards in New York City. “Some Hearts” entered the Billboard 200 chart with 315,000 copies sold. The large first week sales led it to #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the biggest debut of any country artist since the SoundScan system in 1990. At the end of the year, the cd became the best-selling country cd by a female in 2005, and the fourth best-selling country album overall.
In December 2005, Carrie was named Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today magazine. Carrie was voted "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" in 2005 by PETA.
Carrie hosted a 2-hour Christmas radio special Christmas in the Country. This program was available for the radio market during late December 2005.
On January 9, 2006, “Some Hearts” was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA with sales of over 2 million, making it the fastest-selling debut country album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan.
Carrie's cd was released in Australia on Feb 19, 2006.
Carrie returned to American Idol on March 2, 2006, and performed her single "Jesus, Take The Wheel". On March 18, 2006, Carrie sang Tammy Wynette’s song "Stand by Your Man" at the Grand Ole Opry.
Carrie received her college diploma on May 7, 2006 from Northeastern State University. She graduated magna ***** laude and majored in mass communications with an emphasis in journalism.
On May 11, 2006, “Some Hearts” was certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA with sales of over 3 million, making it not only the fastest selling album by a female country artist, but the best-selling debut album coming from any contestant of American Idol.
The main song, "Some Hearts," was released to pop and adult contemporary radio. It made it to #13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 40. The second single released to country radio was "Don't Forget To Remember Me." This peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Chart, and #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached #1 for a week on the Radio & Records Country Singles Chart.
Both "Jesus Take the Wheel" and "Don't Forget to Remember Me" have earned number one spots in Christian radio countdowns. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" won the Gospel Music Association's award for best country single of the year.
On May 23, 2006, Carrie sang "Jesus, Take the Wheel" at the ACM Awards. She won for Best New Female Vocalist and Single of the year for the song. She was also nominated for Song of the Year and Female Vocalist of the year.
Carrie has been in OK! magazine modeling spring dresses, the cover of June 2006’s ‘Reader's Digest’, and in ‘Girls Life’, and ‘Sweet 16’ in the summer of 2006. She was named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" for their June/July 2006 issue. Both she and Kelly Clarkson made the list. She also headlined the pre race show at the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina last Memorial Day.
Carrie sang her #1 hit, "Before He Cheats", at the 40th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 6, 2006, and won both the Horizon Award (similar to the "Rookie of the Year" award in sports) for new country artists and Female Vocalist. Her double win is the first time since 1995 that an artist won both the female vocalist and Horizon award.
On November 21, 2006, Carrie won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at the American Music Awards. She was also nominated for Best Female Country Artist, but did not win in that category.
At the 2006 Billboard Music Awards on December 4, 2006, Carrie won 5 awards. She won for Album of the Year, Top 200 Female Artist of the Year, Female Country Artist, New Country Artist, and Country Album of the Year.
The single "Wasted" has peaked at number 1 on the Hot Country Songs Chart, and number 37 on the Hot 100. The “Wasted” video debuted at number 2 on the GACTV Top 20 Countdown. Wikipedia notes that if "Before He Cheats" did not split votes, the video would have debuted at number one.
On December 7, 2006, "Some Hearts" received 4 Grammy nominations. Carrie was awarded two Grammys for "Best New Artist", and "Best Female Country Vocal Performance" for "Jesus, Take the Wheel." "Jesus, Take the Wheel" also received nominations for "Best Country Song" and "Song of the Year". This was the first time that an American Idol winner or contestant had been nominated in the "Best New Artist" category. At the award ceremony on February 11, 2007, Carrie won for Best New Artist, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Carrie performed with the USO Christmas Tour in Iraq during the 2006 Holiday season.
On March 24, 2007, Carrie was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live with host Peyton Manning. Wikipedia says that she was only the tenth country music star to perform on the show, and the third American Idol contestant to appear on the show besides Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson.
On March 3, 2007, Carrie was nominated for 5 Academy of Country Music awards. These were for Best Female Vocalist, Song of the Year "Before He Cheats", Video of the Year "Before He Cheats", Album of the Year "Some Hearts", and Single Record of the Year "Before He Cheats". She was also on Blender.com's list of the hottest women in music.
On April 11, 2007, "Wasted" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.
On April 16, 2007, Carrie won all three awards she was nominated for at the CMT Awards in Nashville, TN. These were for Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, and Video Director of the Year, all for "Before He Cheats."
In early April, 2007, Carrie went to South Africa for American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" charity special. A music video package from her trip aired on the show April 25. She recorded an acoustic version of "I'll Stand By You," and the charity single of the song released exclusively on iTunes reached the #2 spot. "I'll Stand By You" was used as the song for Phil Stacey's elimination on May 2, 2007.
Carrie also plays the guitar. She loves animals and has done some public service announcements for PETA.
Victoria’s Secret named Carrie the "Sexiest Female Musician."She was also on this year's list of the Most Beautiful People in People Magazine. She will be featured in the magazine's upcoming issue.
According to carrieunderwoodofficial.com, tour dates are running from the present through September 8, 2007.
It is amazing how well Carrie has done. And to think she was discovered on American Idol! I’d like to congratulate her on all she has accomplished in such a short time, and wish her much continued success!
Season 5: Taylor Hicks
Soul Patrol! Thanks to Tom who contributed some of the following information.
After Idol, Taylor signed with Arista Records. His debut single “Do I Make You Proud” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified platinum by the RIAA.
Like the other Idol winners, Taylor appeared on the talk shows throughout the year. He opened for the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony in December, 2006. He also played at the White House at a Christmas concert. I was at his “Good Morning America” performance in December, in the front row. All I can say is, it was so worth waking up in the middle of the night, taking public transportation in total darkness, and then freezing for two hours before they let us in.
In August 2006, it was announced that Taylor would be writing a memoir of his life. This will be released in July, 2007. Pre-sales are going on now at amazon.com. Taylor will be available for book signings at various sites across the country. You can see these dates on http://taylorhicks2006.com/.
Taylor’s self titled cd, “Taylor Hicks” was released on December 12, 2006. It debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 charts, and was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 17, 2007. His single “Just To Feel That Way” hit #20. The next single from the cd is “Heaven Knows”, which will be released on May 28.
Taylor was invited to be a celebrity player at the Bob Hope Classic Golf Tournament, and said he enjoyed it. He was also named People Magazine’s most eligible bachelor for 2006.
Taylor recently finished a five-month US promotional tour for his cd that began on February 21 in Jacksonville, Florida and ended in Seattle, Washington on May 12. I saw this show in Birmingham (twice) in March, and New York City in April. All I can say is, if you haven’t seen Taylor live, you are definitely missing something special. That man has energy like I’ve never seen. He ain’t bad to look at, either. He sings, dances, plays the harmonica, joins Brian on the keyboard (hey Brian!), and has the audience on their feet from start to finish. It is almost impossible to stay seated at a Taylor concert, as his energy is contagious. Each show is different, so you can go more than once and not see the same thing twice. The 7 piece band is unique and extremely talented. The tour is continuing throughout the summer at venues across the United States. Ticketmaster has dates and tickets available, or you can to go taylorhickshq.com, where members can buy tickets at presales and win chances for meet and greets. If you get the opportunity, go see the show! You won’t regret it.
You know you’ve made it when you are the subject of Saturday Night Live skits. Taylor received this distinction on April 15 and May 20, 2006, and was played by Jason SUdeikis. Weird Al Yankovic also parodied Taylor on his 2006 cd, "Straight Outta Lynwood" on a track called "Do I Creep You Out?", which is sung to the tune of "Do I Make You Proud?". In the music video of the song, an animated Taylor, played by Weird Al, is portrayed as a stalker. I guess it was entertaining but I’m not sure I liked the stalker premise very much.
Like Clay has the “Claymates’, Taylor has the “Soul Patrol”. These fans might be a bit overzealous at times, but are loyal and supportive, and appreciate the shout outs from Taylor showing his appreciation.
Taylor was most recently seen on this season's finale on May 23, 2007. He will be at the Elvis Presley Festival on June 2 in Tupelo, Mississippi; possibly the Niagra Wine Auction in Ontario on June 23; the Red, White and Boom Festival on June 29 in Spartanburg, South Carolina; and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series “Built Ford Tough 225” on July 14th. He’ll also sing the National Anthem before the Sparta race. On July 20th, Taylor will be at the Reading to Benefit Kid One Transport, his charity of choice. There will be audience participation, and the admission price includes a signed copy of Taylor’s book. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com. On July 23rd, he will be at the Elkhart County 4H Fair in Indiana.
Taylor’s cds prior to American Idol, “Under the Radar” (2005) and “In Your Time” (1997), are in huge demand. I have them both and can state that these cds are vintage Taylor. If you’re lucky, he might even sing some songs from them during the concert. The music on these cds is the type of music I hope Taylor makes again. He has the talent, the charisma, and the knowledge to succeed, and I wish him all the best!
Note to Readers
The season is over and so are these ‘Where Are They Now’ articles. Thanks to everyone for the emails, comments, and support. It is appreciated! Hope to see you next year!
Is it season 7 yet?
andmeljar@aol.com
Posted on Monday, May 28 @ 16:42:51 CDT by LindaK
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