American Idol Past Contestants: What Are They Up To Now?

[Swedish Chef]

She's a fabulous singer and yet many people just focus on her weight. That irritates me.

The comments on that video made me want to stab something, they were so hideously misogynistic. I think she sounded amazing, per usual.

[lilwhitelion]

Justin Guarini is in the latest Dr. Pepper ad

 

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/justin-guarini-returns-to-tv-in-diet-dr-pepper-ad-2015273

[riley702]

Li'l Sweet? We were discussing whether it was cute or annoying over in the commercials topics. My vote was annoying. :P

[lilwhitelion]

I agree - annoying commercial, but memorable.  I see it and wonder why the women in the break room think L'il Sweet is all that.  

[riley702]

I see it and wonder why the women in the break room think L'il Sweet is all that.  

So much so that, hilariously, one woman actually bends down so Li'l Sweet can shush her. 

[SunFun]

According to USA Today, Guarini (as Lil Sweet) is the spokesperson for an ongoing diet Dr. Pepper commercial campaign. The campaign is certainly a good gig for him, the commercials being memorable is good for Dr. Pepper. I think they're humorous, showing of his comedic talents, vocals, and fitness. The link shows the commercials as of this date:

Justin Guarini is now the 'Lil' Sweet' spokesman for Dr. Pepper

http://entertainthis.usatoday.com/2015/03/27/justin-guarini-lil-sweet-diet-dr-pepper/

 

That said, what really impresses me with Guarini is the solid Broadway/stage career he's built for himself through numerous productions. It's diverse, praised, and the Broadway community has embraced him. Hard work and talent made it all happen. Certainly no big industry machine behind him. So, kudos to him.

 

Maybe the commercials will help his other achievements become more widely known.

[Rick Kitchen]

Damn, Justin was Fiyero in the Broadway "Wicked" - http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=488550

[SunFun]

Rick,

 

From Wicked (w/ Justin Guarini) playlist on You Tube :

(The entire cast is terrific, btw.)

My 2 favorite Wicked vids featuring Justin:

As Long as You're Mine

https://youtu.be/mZFV-mBU-sE?list=PLVAZlIWqTg9OK7OCkY-qIjWZh4ZMc3typ

Dancing Through Life

https://youtu.be/24je62FZpQ4?list=PLVAZlIWqTg9OK7OCkY-qIjWZh4ZMc3typ

 

That he can be Lil Sweet and be a sexy Fiyero (and be athletic) appeals to me.

 

The channel also has random videos relating to all his stage musicals/plays in the other playlists.

Edited April 1, 2015 by SunFun

[Ohwell]

I have been a fan of Justin's ever since his American Idol days.  (I can't remember how many times I got blasted on certain web sites because I preferred him over Kelly in the finale.  She's always been a yeller to me).   Anyway, I'm so happy that he got the Diet Pepper gig.  I think he's hilarious in the ad and he's still got the sweet pipes that I loved so much on Idol.  I know he's been working hard on Broadway, but I think this commercial will give him more exposure.

 

Lil' Sweet is self-employed, indeed!

 

Edit:  I didn't realize that Lil' sweet had another commercial, sliding down the bannister.  Hilarious!  I love his falsetto.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Ohwell

[Shannon L.]

Last month, our school was burglarized and thousands of dollars of instruments were stolen.  AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys, who cofounded a foundation called Live Together, heard about it, donated money, helped refurbish the band room and put on a performance for the kids.  Joining him, was Blake Lewis (I haven't heard if Blake assisted with the donating and/or refurbishing, but he was part of the show).

Edited April 4, 2015 by Shannon L.

[dizzyizzy01]

I think one of the reasons Kelly gets touted as the "best" (and best is a very subjective term) is simply because of her longevity and success.  No other idol, except Carrie, who is in a genre that is less widely followed and I think less fickle (and I am by no means discounting Carrie's very impressive successes), has had the same kind of success that Kelly has.  Nobody has come close in terms of longevity either.  Look at the any other past winner, and they haven't come close?

 

Success in music is not just about pure vocal ability; there are a combination of things, and a major factor is overall marketability.  Kelly Clarkson succeeded in that area like pretty much no other idol has been able to duplicate.

[SunFun]

The Idol World is a relatively small world for (arguably) being the best of anything. But, get your point. Her fans should be pleased. Speaking of Clarkson, what's up with her current album's lackluster sales? Tepid album reviews didn't help, but I thought the Idol appearance would bump sales.

[dizzyizzy01]

The Idol World is a relatively small world for (arguably) being the best of anything. But, get your point. Her fans should be pleased. Speaking of Clarkson, what's up with her current album's lackluster sales? Tepid album reviews didn't help, but I thought the Idol appearance would bump sales.

Well, we're talking within the context of American Idol, so why wouldn't one be talking about the "relatively small idol world"?  One can also argue that after how many seasons the idol world isn't exactly small, but by any definition of the music industry, Kelly's extremely successful.  I mean she's sold something like 13 million albums and 30 million singles and had a career that's spanned over a decade.  Do you find her numbers lacking compared to say a Taylor Swift?  Of course, but falling short of arguably the biggest artist in the US (maybe even the world) doesn't exactly say anything.  I think every single one of her albums have debuted within the top 3 on the billboard top 200.  That's an impressive feat for anyone really.

 

Her album sales for her latest album aren't really great, but it's not news that the music industry is seeing significant decline in sales across the board.  Her album still debuted at number 1 though.  I also don't think this is a particularly good album.

 

I mean I'm not even really what one would consider a fan, pop music isn't generally my thing although I like some of her stuff.  However, you can't argue with facts.

[SunFun]

Dizzy, I don't know enough about her albums/sales to answer your questions. I only checked Billboard after her AI appearance. She was trending downward at 32 after four weeks on the chart. The album dropped quickly after debuting at #1 with less than 90,000 sold. Not impressive as far as #s go. No need to go to Swift heights for a comparison. Doesn't compare.

 

FTR, albums sales isn't what I care about as a way to measure if someone's the "best". The whole "best" argument seems pointless to me, especially if it's based on #s. It's like... who cares. If you like an artist, you like them for their work, or their talent. If someone doesn't agree, that's fair, too.

 

 

 

 

[dizzyizzy01]

But if you're talking about within the context of this show, a television show structured to find the next big "music star", she's objectively at the top of the heap or arguably Carrie is.  I clearly said "best" is a subjective term, but if you're looking at who is the most successful Idol, it's either Carrie or Kelly.  

 

Whether you like any of the Idols music is a different story.  I'm really not a big Kelly Clarkson fan and I get not liking her music, but objectively looking at why some people think Kelly's one of the "best" idols, I just think it's pretty easy to argue that she's generally well-liked personality wise, has been one of the most successful while also being the first, and is talented.  She's probably not the best vocalist that the show has had, but she's basically been the best overall package the show has had.

 

Also, if you objectively look at album sales this year, there are 3 pop albums that have hit #1 this year, and Kelly's has one of them.  She's also done it without a hit single.  It's just tough to move units these days for a lot of artists.  I mean Kelly's sales aren't good, but you do have to give proper context to the general state of album sales in today's market.  She's not going to see much of a  bump in sales though unless she gets a single with some traction.  That Heartbeat song is just not good.

[SunFun]

Oh I do love a good debate. Change "best" to "successful", and we can agree. Mostly. However, I might argue that being the first winner helped because the show needed a successful winner, so more support was given than in most subsequent seasons. One could argue that those who've carved out careers on their own are successful in a different way.

 

Here are the givens: She's a talented singer, and commercially successful. The rest is subjective.

Edited April 7, 2015 by SunFun

[Rick Kitchen]

David Archuleta is in a bit of a Twitter foofraw because he retweeted a tweet from the LDS President concerning gay marriage.  He has since withdrawn the tweet and apologized.

[SunFun]

David Archuleta is in a bit of a Twitter foofraw because he retweeted a tweet from the LDS President concerning gay marriage.  He has since withdrawn the tweet and apologized.

 Lesson learned. Sweet kid, too sheltered.

[dizzyizzy01]

 Lesson learned. Sweet kid, too sheltered.

I dunno.  Any apology that essentially starts with "I'm sorry if I offended you" is kind of a non-apology.  I don't think he really gets it still.  But, he's still relatively young although I wouldn't call him a kid.  Hopefully he does learn.

[dizzyizzy01]

Oh I do love a good debate. Change "best" to "successful", and we can agree. Mostly. However, I might argue that being the first winner helped because the show needed a successful winner, so more support was given than in most subsequent seasons. One could argue that those who've carved out careers on their own are successful in a different way.

 

Here are the givens: She's a talented singer, and commercially successful. The rest is subjective.

 

The show was also much smaller when she won so one could easily argue that she had less resources given than the next few when the show was at the height of it's fame.  I mean I don't necessarily think that's true but I also think it's kind of silly to say she got more support than subsequent winners (at least when the show was still in its prime).  I mean Reuben, Clay, Fantasia and plenty of others all got a ton of support; nobody wanted "one-hit" out of the show.  That doesn't create longevity for ratings either.  The thing is, no matter how talented you are success in entertainment is a very hard thing to predict.  I think the bottom line though is that American Idol really couldn't have lucked out with a better winner for their first season.  Nobody's been able to duplicate Kelly's or Carrie's post-show success.  I think that says a lot about what both of them brought to the show.

[Rick Kitchen]

More Haley Reinhart with Post Modern Jukebox

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

More Haley Reinhart with Post Modern Jukebox

 

 

Since Joey mentioned PMJ I have been watching a ton of their stuff on You Tube and Haley is amazing.  I can't believe she didn't win but then again I wasn't a fan of her when she was on that season as I thought she was very full of herself.  She and Lauren/Scotty could not have been more polar opposite.  

 

She should have won!

[Swedish Chef]

Those PMJ videos are great!  I really liked Haley when she was on the show and thought she was treated appallingly by the judges, particularly Jennifer Lopez, who seemed to have some weird vendetta against her.  I'm happy she's throwing down and being awesome still.

[Rick Kitchen]

Since we're talking about Bo Bice in the latest episode thread, here he is as lead singer for Blood, Sweat and Tears

 

[Simon Boccanegra]

Discussion in episode thread of post-Idol successes:

 

I love Adam, he's the only AI alum whose CD I bought (and probably the last because it was pretty average)

 

Yeah, I thought For Your Entertainment was extremely disappointing. I had liked him on American Idol and I really thought he was in the right place at the right time circa 2009. But that music was so...ordinary. I heard some of the publicized tracks of Trespassing and never wanted to pick it up.

 

I have Crystal's first album too. A similar case -- I absolutely loved her in S9, but the country direction "they" tried with her on the album seemed inauthentic, a shrug at the question "How do we market this chick?" The only songs I like on it are her originals that I had already heard in her less slick-and-sweetened pre-Idol recordings. ("Speak Now" is probably the best track, and it's the farthest from the ill-considered Nashville direction.) I had always meant to work around to her sophomore album. Anyone want to tell me it's great?

 

Has there ever been a good post-Idol first album? I'm sure mileage varies.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Simon Boccanegra

[BogoGog24]

Generally debut albums from any artist of any genre tend to lean in a more pop direction and they're usually generic or just not very good. Adam and Crystal aren't the only albums that were like this.

Personally I like Kelly's Thankful, though it's not her best album. I like Daughtry's debut, Live It Up by Lee DeWyze, and Scotty and Lauren's debuts. But if by "good" you mean not cheesy or overproduced pop, the answer would probably be no.

[howmanywords]

Whether an album is considered good or not is definitely a subjective thing, but I thought Phillip Phillip's debut was great and not at all overproduced pop.  I didnt even like him on AI but I ended up buying it because I loved "Home" and his follow-up single. The whole album turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  The beauty of the way music reaches the masses today is that you dont have to buy an album to hear what it sounds like, go on YouTube or Spotify and take a listen and you might find some surprises.  For all the crap Caleb and Candice get for being the worst selling winners, their albums werent bad at all. But my favorites are probably Carrie's Some Hearts and Daughtry's debut, two albums that not only sold massively but spawned many hits.

[BogoGog24]

I'm sure P2's debut was more pop than he'd have wanted it to be though. There is always a huge difference between first and second albums for these contestants. The second is usually less pop and they have more involvement with the writing process and direction.

I actually own Caleb's album but I only think maybe half the songs are any good. The production sounds cheap and rushed. It's not what I would consider to be a good or solid album.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I guess PP won't be asked to perform this season!

[SunFun]

Nobody's been able to duplicate Kelly's or Carrie's post-show success.  I think that says a lot about what both of them brought to the show.

 

The show brought a lot to them, too. Speaking for myself, neither wowed me much during their seasons (with the exception of Clarkson's Big Band night). However, I recognized she played the show smartly, and should win. That said, Clarkson wasn't the most impressive on the AI tour as an untethered Guarini was a remarkable overall performer. Common factor: Both Kelly and Carrie were talented, and, importantly, relatable with viewers. Both have improved since their seasons.

 

Post shows, Carrie has conducted herself impressively, professionally and personally. She's projected genuine star quality, and a graciousness to the show that made her a star. Kelly can be funny and quite savvy, but also benefits from being seemingly bulletproof. No questionable performance or behavior sticks to her enough to derail her career, so in that sense she was perfect for the show's first winner. I like that Underwood's fans don't insist everyone love her. Hint. Hint.  I've been restrained in my comments here out of politeness, but pushed, I can be brutal.

 

Generally debut albums from any artist of any genre tend to lean in a more pop direction and they're usually generic or just not very good.

 

Amen. In some cases the albums continue to be over-produced, especially Pop genre. Drives me nuts. As does overly photo-shopped pictures. Too manufactured for my taste.

 

I'll give Phillips and Cook (probably my favorite) the nod for least manufactured albums. Too bad about Candice's album, as that gal has great pipes and delivery.

 

[Ohwell]

That said, Clarkson wasn't the most impressive on the AI tour as an untethered Guarini was a remarkable overall performer.

Ah, the memories.  Justin was my favorite Idol, and I went to one of the tour shows.  Dragged my young niece along because I wanted my folks to think that she was the one who wanted to go.  Actually, I was the one most interested, lol.  Anyhow, I remember that, while Kelly was the "star" because she had won, whenever Justin came out on stage the crowd went absolutely batshit crazy.  At one point, I jumped up and screamed and my niece just looked at me and rolled her eyes, lol.

[Irlandesa]

 Nobody's been able to duplicate Kelly's or Carrie's post-show success.  I think that says a lot about what both of them brought to the show.

I think it does too.  But I also think, if we're comparing Idols, timing will always help keep them leading the pack.  Most of her biggest successes came before album sales cratered.  Her success was definitely earned but some later idols and any idol to come won't be able to recreate the success she and Carrie had because they had it in a time when it was still realistic to sell millions of albums for people not named Taylor Swift. 

 

In pointing that out, I'm not trying to take away what Kelly and Carrie did.  Only that the definition of success when it comes to music has changed.  I think it's more about the singles and touring right now than album sales.

 

I don't think Kelly is the best and she's not my favorite but I do think Kelly will always be seen as the definitive AI winner because she was first and because she was very successful.  But I think anyone who can still make a living doing their creative thing is a win for AI.  Whether it's Broadway, or acting, or solo or working with another band, this was still one of the more reliable talent shows to parlay your talent into a living. 

 

In other AI news, Adam Lambert's new single came out today and he must be doing the interview rounds because he's on Ryan's show tomorrow.  It took me a while but I do think I like it.

 

Edited April 22, 2015 by Irlandesa

[SunFun]

I like the beginning of Lambert's new release (deeper tone), but then it gets too over-produced for my taste. Fewer (or no) studio-enhancements, the better to me. Adam has a good voice, let it speak for itself. Good performer, too.

 

For what it's worth:

-After 7 weeks, Clarkson's recent album keeps dropping, now at #55. Theories?

-Underwood is at #52 after 19 weeks.

 

-Jennifer Hudson will be on the mega-hit show "Empire".

 

[MarkHB]

Jena Irene Asciutto, Season 13 runner-up, has graduated from high school and signed with an indie label in Detroit!  She was my favorite last season so good luck to her....

[Ohwell]

HONDS OPP!!

[BogoGog24]

Jena was one of my favorites last season too. Even though Caleb was my favorite, I think Jena probably would have been a more current and marketable winner. I'm happy for her that she has finally signed somewhere though. I really enjoyed her single We Are One. It's always great to hear the contestants do things after the show, even if it's on a small scale. It's better than some of those who just fade away and are never heard from again.

[ari333]

HONDS OPP!!

HONDS OPP!!

Yace! (YES) And she loafed being on tore!!!!!

[Guest]

For what it's worth:

-After 7 weeks, Clarkson's recent album keeps dropping, now at #55. Theories?

-Underwood is at #52 after 19 weeks.

 

-Jennifer Hudson will be on the mega-hit show "Empire".

JHud was on Empire last season.  Though maybe she'll be in season 2, also.   

 

My theory on Kelly's album is others besides me think Heartbeat Song is not so good.  

[TheGreenKnight]

It’s worth mentioning that Hudson's recent album was a mega flop. Which is too bad, since I enjoyed it. I've read Mariah Carey (former Idol judge) may also be on Empire. 

 

If I had to speculate about Clarkson right now, I’d say the difference is her last album was released after she had already had one full-fledged hit in “Don’t You Wanna Stay” and “Mr. Know It All” was already going up the charts; “Heartbeat Song” didn’t take off on pop and they haven’t released a follow-up yet. There are theories that she may be leaving her label now that she’s done with her contract and they possibly aren’t wasting money/promotion for that reason, but who knows. I still think she’ll at least go Gold and her duet with John Legend will do well when released.

 

About Underwood--it’s worth mentioning that her album is a Greatest Hits in a genre where she’s one of only two (current) female superstars. "Something in the Water" crossed over into Christian music. I'm glad because if she wasn’t doing well, that genre would look even more dreary than it has for half a decade now so I’m glad. I’m actually surprised radio hasn’t turned on her considering she clearly isn’t popular with the crowd who controls the country awards for whatever reason. The past few years have felt like they’re determined not to award her when she clearly deserves it.

 

Other news (if not posted already): Kelly Clarkson and Josh Groban dueted on “All I Ask of You” for his new album in May, Jordin Sparks has released a new song called “Double Tap” featuring 2 Chainz, and Katharine McPhee landed a record deal with Justin Bieber’s manager with new music coming soon.

[tobysmom]

 

My theory on Kelly's album is others besides me think Heartbeat Song is not so good.  

I agree - not a good song - generic pop song.  Kelly is 34 now; she is competing with the likes of the youngsters - Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Jessie J,  Iggy Azelea, etc.  Rhianna and Katy Perry are "older", 27 and 30 - but they have a cool vibe about them.  She was doing well when she was "country pop".  I haven't heard the John Legend or Josh Groban duets; but she might do better with those.

Edited April 27, 2015 by tobysmom

[tobeannounced]

I agree, tobysmom. Kelly is getting a bit long in the tooth to be a pop princess.

[Rick Kitchen]

Heartbeat Song was number one for a while.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Slate currently has a interview in their podcast section about Sarah Quintana. She was the Jazz singer from the New Orleans auditions this season who was denied a golden ticket to Hollywood in part because Harry thought AI wasn't the right avenue for her. The podcast is mostly about her life as a working musician in the Big Easy, but if you have Slate Plus (or at least sign up for a free trial) there's a bonus segment on her experience with AI. http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/working/2015/04/sarah_quintana_talks_about_writing_original_music_while_working_on_new_orleans.html

 

Unrelated, but MTV seems to have some interest in trying to break Tori Kelly from AI Season 9. Their all-music-video channel MTV Hits (not sure how widely available this channel is...but it's a part of my Comcast cable package) has had her last two music videos "Dear No One" and "Nobody Love" along w/ a holiday collaboration w/ Pentatonix on "Winter Wonderland" in pretty heavy rotation.

 

Anybody have any recent news on Angie Miller? I knew she wanted to follow Mandisa, Gokey, and Colton Dixon into the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music arena but haven't really paid enough attention to see if she gained any traction after her season of AI....

Edited April 27, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Guest]

Heartbeat Song was number one for a while.

On Itunes?  This says it peaked at 21 on the Billboard charts.  

[BogoGog24]

Slate currently has a interview in their podcast section about Sarah Quintana. She was the Jazz singer from the New Orleans auditions this season who was denied a golden ticket to Hollywood in part because Harry thought AI wasn't the right avenue for her. The podcast is mostly about her life as a working musician in the Big Easy, but if you have Slate Plus (or at least sign up for a free trial) there's a bonus segment on her experience with AI. http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/working/2015/04/sarah_quintana_talks_about_writing_original_music_while_working_on_new_orleans.html

Unrelated, but MTV seems to have some interest in trying to break Tori Kelly from AI Season 9. Their all-music-video channel MTV Hits (not sure how widely available this channel is...but it's a part of my Comcast cable package) has had her last two music videos "Dear No One" and "Nobody Love" along w/ a holiday collaboration w/ Pentatonix on "Winter Wonderland" in pretty heavy rotation.

Anybody have any recent news on Angie Miller? I knew she wanted to follow Mandisa, Gokey, and Colton Dixon into the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music arena but haven't really paid enough attention to see if she gained any traction after her season of AI....

She independently funded an EP through PledgeMusic. The EP is available on iTunes and I'm pretty sure other platforms like Amazon and it's called Weathered. She sort of veered from CCM and instead it's more pop, singer songwriter type of stuff. A year or so ago she also did a tour through Asia promoting Idol. There is a whole docuseries about it on her YouTube channel.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Thanks Bogogog24,

 

I'll definitely check her EP out. I've been lucky enough to travel a fair bit in Asia so it'll be interesting to see the docuseries and where all she visited.

[Rick Kitchen]

On Itunes?  This says it peaked at 21 on the Billboard charts.  

 

Hm.  I don't remember what chart they use, but our local newspaper has a top ten list every Sunday and Heartbeat Song was number one at one point on that list.

[bluedevilblue]

Well, I got more or less dragged to the AI tour last year (my husband was a big fan of Alex's music, particularly on YouTube) and I will say that it was very different from seeing them on TV.  I was not a fan of Jena on tv, but she was the only one on the tour that actually had charisma and stage presence and that includes Caleb, who was remarkably flat in terms of persona.  At one point Jena had to go and grab flowers for Sam Wolf from a fan who had been trying to get his attention from the front row for several songs.  Made me understand a bit better why the judges loved her more than I did.    So good on her for getting even an indie record deal.  And, really, record companies do so little to promote new artists these days, there's not as big a difference between indie and big record label as their used to be, except possibly the payola (and I'm not kidding).

Edited April 28, 2015 by bluedevilblue

[BogoGog24]

A lot of people have noted the difference between the contestants on tour versus on TV. The pressure of performing for votes versus just performing for fans and to have fun makes a huge difference, as well as less stuff to worry about like cameras and squeezing songs into 1:30.

[Qoass]

When I think of post-Idol success, yes, Kelly and Carrie win hands down in terms of music sold.  However, I would be just as happy to have an Oscar (Jennifer Hudson) or a long term television career (Katharine McPhee).  In fact, I think anyone who can make a decent living post show without constantly being labeled "former Idol contestant" deserves a standing "O".