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

tribeca

By tribeca
in American Idol

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riley702
riley702

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

PamelaMaeSnap
PamelaMaeSnap

Those of you who remember me (as JazzieCazzie) from the way way way back days of TWoP might or might not remember that Rickey Smith was my all-time favorite American Idol contestant. Ever. I am really

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PhD-Purgatory15

PhD-Purgatory15

(edited)

If you want a deep, deep dive into Idol History....I think I just saw Austin Wolfe (a S13 Semifinalist, who never even got to sing in the semifinals because they did that ridiculous thing where they only picked a certain number to actually sing for America's semifinal votes that season) step in and sing a Songland contestant's song for Julia Michaels. It ended up being the song that won too.

She was 16/17 during that AI season...so she'd be 22/23 now. Not reallly sure if she's still trying to make her way as a solo artist in the industry...but I'm sure getting some exposure on national TV couldn't hurt lol...

Edited by PhD-Purgatory15
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RoxiP

RoxiP

Tim Halperin, who was one of the first (if not the first) contestant eliminated on Season 10 of Idol, was on Songland a couple of weeks ago.  He did a great job but his song wasn't picked (the artist was Lady Antebellum).  Tim gained a lot of notoriety in the DFW area because Kidd Kraddick, who was a nationally syndicated DJ based on Dallas, thought he was very talented and brought him on every week where he would perform a song that the winner from the night before sang and the radio audience would vote on whether Tim sang it better - it was a great gag that went on the entire season.  Good to see that he is still out there trying to make it in the music business!  A very likeable guy.

On 11/21/2019 at 4:26 AM, KWalkerInc said:

I was looking through the Grammy nominations and saw that Danny Gokey received a nomination.  I believe the category was Best Contemporary Christian Album.

He has a great career as a contemporary Christian artist.

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KWalkerInc

KWalkerInc

Yeah, although Danny had some success in country right after the show and tried to be enthused about it, I think he was mostly steered there by 19 Entertainment and has found a home in contemporary Christian music. 

On the press release for this week's finale, when they mention who will perform on "We Are the World," they referred to Fantasia as "Fantasia Taylor."  This seemed odd because she's been married for a while and has continued to record and perform without a last name, as she had from the release of her debut album on.  I could be wrong (maybe she's decided to add her last name professionally), but I'm taking a guess that Disney/ABC put the "Taylor" in there because they don't like anything other than the animated movie being called "Fantasia."

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KWalkerInc

KWalkerInc

Kelly Clarkson received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host, one of 7 nominations for her show.

Also, Thia Megia, who finished either 10th or 11th in season 10 (it was a double elimination week because they had used the judges' save the previous week) has received a nomination for Outstanding Younger Actor or Actress in a Drama for her work on Days of Our Lives.

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Nedsdag

Nedsdag

Remember Anoop Desai (Season 8)? I just saw him on an episode of Billions. His character was promoting a new energy system and he was looking for investors. He grew a beard, but the face was familiar. And then I saw his name in the closing credits and I said, "I knew he looked familiar!"

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Ohwell

Ohwell

(edited)

I remember Anoop and I liked him on Season 8.  Glad to know he's been getting gigs. 

I remember he brought the house down by unexpectedly singing Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative."  

Edited by Ohwell
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Guest

Guest

On 6/8/2020 at 6:59 PM, Ohwell said:

I remember Anoop and I liked him on Season 8.  Glad to know he's been getting gigs. 

I remember he brought the house down by unexpectedly singing Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative."  

Didn't Randy call him "Anoop Dogg"? Or did I hallucinate that?

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MarkHB

MarkHB

Jax has a new single out:

She's apparently become quite a sensation on TikTok, reaching lots of youngsters who have no idea she was ever on Idol, let alone that she received the cruelest elimination they ever had.

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ForReal

ForReal

9 hours ago, MarkHB said:

Jax has a new single out:

She's apparently become quite a sensation on TikTok, reaching lots of youngsters who have no idea she was ever on Idol, let alone that she received the cruelest elimination they ever had.

So glad you posted this! I've seen her on TikTok, liked her very much and thought she was talented, and I also had this inkling that she seemed familiar somehow. I did not connect her with AI. She does a lot of clever quick songs she writes and sings as the other person in a lot of popular songs. I'm glad things are looking up for her.

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MarkHB

MarkHB

(edited)

Yeah, she was on Season 14 and made it to Top 3.  That was the first year they didn't have separate result shows, so at the finale, the Top 3 were backstage at the Kodak/Dolby Theater (where they do the Oscars), after presumably all going through dress rehearsals all week. Seacrest read the results to the TV viewers... and she was sent packing and never got to go out onto the stage in front of the audience. It still burns me becaues it just felt mean to do it that way.

Edited by MarkHB
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LexieLily

LexieLily

On 4/4/2021 at 9:19 AM, bluwater said:

Awful news. 😔 Avalon Young, who was on the last Fox season of Idol [Trent Harmon, Dalton Rapattoni, etc] , is struggling with brain cancer. There is a gofundme page set up for her. Man, lots of horrible stuff lately.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/2ai3zp54yo?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Aw, man. Her cover of "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" in the semifinals was great. 

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TheGreenKnight

TheGreenKnight

(edited)

Some things:

- I haven't followed everyone from the past season, but I know Hunter Metts says he has an album finished on the verge of being released and Grace Kinstler says an album will be coming soon.

- Jordin Sparks is going to star in and executive produce a new Christmas film on Hallmark later this year that ties into her Christmas album--as well as putting out a new holiday EP to coincide with it, I think? I read an article celebrating the anniversary of Battlefield. Jordin Sparks is still my favorite Idol contestant even after all this time and one of the few I loved who actually won the show (and the year I graduated high school at that). I have so much nostalgia for that album. There was actually a mention of David Archuleta in the article (another contestant I love), and that his favorite song from the album was the same as my own--"Walking On Snow." I still feel it should've been a single, either before or directly following after "Battlefield."

- Laci Kaye Booth joined a major label last year, and the album has finally come out. The new single is "Treasure." It's unfortunate that I like most of the album more than the single, lol, but I'm definitely wishing good things for her! She has a beautiful voice and has pretty strong songwriting talent on top of it.

- Carrie Underwood has a new duet with Jason Aldean out that looks like it's skyrocketing. Some think it may be a way for her to segue back into country after her back-to-back Christmas and Gospel albums, and that her next album may not be too far behind.

- Also happy for all the fanfare JHUD's receiving right now for the Aretha film! Perhaps she could win another major award. I read an article where she noted that all the other members of the Dreamgirls cast have worked with Disney recently and that she wishes she could play the lead Muse, Calliope, in the live-action Hercules remake, singing "Zero to Hero."

- Kelly Clarkson's prenup was upheld in court. Hopefully her divorce proceedings won't hold back her next album for too much longer now. :D Her daytime show is #1, I believe? Both it and The Voice's next season are about to return. I'm happy for her success, but I miss getting music from her.

Edited by TheGreenKnight
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Koalagirl

Koalagirl

Lauren Alaina will be starring in a Hallmark movie called Roadhouse Romance on September 11.  Seems like Hallmark likes the Idol ladies because Kellie Pickler has starred in several and, as mentioned in the above post, Jordan Sparks will be doing a Christmas movie)

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KWalkerInc

KWalkerInc

Kelly Clarkson had her second Christmas special tonight.  I liked it better than her first (2013) because this was just singing with a couple of breaks in which they shared stories of people doing charitable works.  The first special attempted a plot where Kelly had to learn a lesson.

Before Kelly sang "O Holy Night" with Leslie Odom, Jr. she mentioned that she had never "cut a proper version" of the song.  She does sing it on the 2003 American Idol Christmas album.  For some reason, there was a separate disc featuring Kelly singing this song and "My Grown-Up Christmas List," even though the initial album wasn't all that long.  I suspect that TPTB decided at the last minute they needed Kelly to sell the album and threw it together awkwardly, which was probably why Kelly wasn't thrilled with this version of the song.  (The first disc has Ruben, Clay, Justin, Kimberley Locke, Tamyra Gray and Christina Christian, and it probably would have done well even without Kelly because Clay and Ruben had so many fans at the time.)

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KWalkerInc

KWalkerInc

I was just looking at the listings for Kelly Clarkson's talk show for next week, and I noticed that Maddie Poppe is schedule to perform on the December 17 episode.  I'm guessing she'll be singing a Christmas song, as she is currently on a Christmas tour and recently released a Christmas EP.

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KWalkerInc

KWalkerInc

The Hollywood Christmas parade, which used to be loaded with Idol alumni, was down to just two for the second time in a row (I think they just showed old clips last year because there was no actual parade).  Perennial parade favorite David Archuleta sang an original song that I think they said was called "What a Wonderful Way to End a Crazy Year."  I had to write it down because it was so long, but then left the note downstairs.  The announcer going into a commercial break before the performance promised it would be "an emotional review of this trying year" or something like that, and I think the song was a bit of a downer for some of the in-person audience.  On the plus side, I think the airtime it took to say the entire title may have saved the viewing audience from having to watch another magic trick.  I always end up getting very irritated when they keep running those to promote some magic show that has been on the CW for years.

The other alum was my favorite, Kimberley Locke, who performed "Mele Kalikimaka."  She never even mentioned it on her Twitter account, which is odd, as she has been promoting her second Christmas album and her live performances frequently.

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LexieLily

LexieLily

(edited)
On 8/21/2021 at 2:18 PM, TheGreenKnight said:

- Kelly Clarkson's prenup was upheld in court. Hopefully her divorce proceedings won't hold back her next album for too much longer now. :D Her daytime show is #1, I believe? Both it and The Voice's next season are about to return. I'm happy for her success, but I miss getting music from her.

It's so sad that this heartbreakingly beautiful song she wrote as a love letter to her husband turned out not to be true. "He'll never walk away, he never asks for money," my foot 😠

Edited by LexieLily
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TheGreenKnight

TheGreenKnight

(edited)
 

It's so sad that this heartbreakingly beautiful song she wrote as a love letter to her husband turned out not to be true. "He'll never walk away, he never asks for money," my foot 😠

As a listener, I always give that song a religious connotation when I sing along to it, in regards to who the "He" is in that song, even though I know she was writing it about her new husband. I hope she learns to think of the song in a different way, too, because it's beautiful regardless of what happened with her marriage and I'd hate for her to avoid performing it now.

Edited by TheGreenKnight
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JayDub1987

JayDub1987

8 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

This is so sad…
 

Former American Idol contestant 17-year-old Caleb Kennedy has been charged with Felony DUI resulting in Death in Spartanburg. Troopers say he ran off the road, into a building and hit a 54-year-old man working in the shop.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ex-american-idol-contestant-caleb-kennedy-age-17-charged-in-fatal-dui-crash-030443892.html

 

Absolutely heartbroken by this news. 

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pezgirl7

pezgirl7

26 minutes ago, twilightzone said:

The poor victim and his loved ones.  I have zero sympathy for Kennedy.  How stupid and reckless.  He should be tried as an adult and deserves to go to prison and any wrongful death lawsuits.

I'm sure he will be. A video stated he was drunk driving, but the articles only mention vaping. The Fox articles says "he was vaping at the time of the crash. He took a hit of the vape pen and started feeling the side effects when driving." I'm a little confused on how he can be charged with a DUI for vaping. Vaping is not illegal, unless he was vaping alcohol or an illegal substance. Either way, it's just a sad situation. I remember really liking his original song that he sang on the show, and thought he had a future as a song writer.

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tomorrowgirl

tomorrowgirl

On 2/9/2022 at 1:48 PM, pezgirl7 said:

I'm sure he will be. A video stated he was drunk driving, but the articles only mention vaping. The Fox articles says "he was vaping at the time of the crash. He took a hit of the vape pen and started feeling the side effects when driving." I'm a little confused on how he can be charged with a DUI for vaping. Vaping is not illegal, unless he was vaping alcohol or an illegal substance. Either way, it's just a sad situation. I remember really liking his original song that he sang on the show, and thought he had a future as a song writer.

He was vaping marijuana.  SC: Ex-'American Idol' took marijuana before crash, warrant says (wyff4.com)  

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Vermicious Knid

Vermicious Knid

Remember William Hung, who had maybe the the most improbable career to come from AI? Well he currently lives in Las Vegas and is trying to make it as a professional poker player. I know this because he was interviewed on KNPR's State of Nevada. No transcript unfortunately. Says he's been doing online entertainment and is also looking to expand that. He also performed She Bangs with Ricky Martin and says it was 'surreal'.

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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

American Idol’s Francisco Martin Drops “Nobody Listens to Me” Video
04/20/2022 mj santilli
https://www.mjsbigblog.com/american-idols-francisco-martin-drops-nobody-listens-to-me-video.htm 

Quote

Francisco Martin has released the music video for “Nobody Listens To Me,” the lead single from his debut EP Manic, out July 22nd.

After Francisco left American Idol season 18 in 2020 in the Top 5, the show’s record label, 19 Recordings signed the singer-songwriter to a record deal. He has been cranking out a steady stream of singles ever since.
*  *  *
“’Nobody Listens To Me!’ is an anthem for people who feel like they’re lesser than,” the singer said in a press release. “Validation and acceptance is something our generation struggles with, and I wanted to showcase that in the new music video.”
*  *  *
After his first-ever tour, and his first singles, Francisco realized he needed to be his authentic self in his music. To that end, he buckled down, working in his apartment at all hours of the night while facing complaints from the neighbors. He soon will release what he considers his first true artist statement, the upcoming 6 song Manic EP.

Throughout the EP, Francisco shares personal reflections on mental health, relationships, angst, and human disconnection in the age of connection. “This EP is close to my heart. I know it’s a risky move, but this is my truth. As long as I am an artist, I will continue to push the limits,” he said.
*  *  *
According to the press statement, before the recording session for “Nobody Listens To Me,” Francisco was feeling down about his music, and even considered canceling. His co-producer, Nick, urged him to channel his emotions into song. “It’s easy to feel like what you do doesn’t matter and people don’t take you seriously, but making this song helped me get out of a bad headspace. I hope when people hear it, it does the same for them,” Francisco said.
*  *  *
In 2021, Francisco released his first EP Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind featuring the singles “Swollen” featuring fellow season 20 singer Julia Gargano (close to 8 million streams across all DSPS, 6 million on Spotify) and “Wild Girl.” His most recent singles are “Bittersweet” and “If You Need Me.” Later, the singer embarked on a fall coast-to-coast tour, with season 19 Idol Hunter Metts as his opener.


Francisco Martin - Nobody Listens To Me! (Official Video)
Francisco Martin    Apr 20, 2022

 

Edited by tv echo
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