The Complete List of 'American Idol' Winners: Where Are They Now?
American Idol has launched some incredible careers. But, let’s face it, there are probably a few winners that you forgot even existed.
We all know what became of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, but what about the others? As the iconic competition series gears up for its 15th and final season, ET is looking back at what ever happened to those forgotten Idol victors.
PICS: The Complete List of ‘American Idol’ Winners
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1. Kelly Clarkson (2002)
Today, Clarkson is a three-time GRAMMY winner with seven studio albums under her belt. Her latest, Piece by Piece, was released in 2015 and scored her two new GRAMMY nominations.
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2. Ruben Studdard (2003)
He’s still making music! Studdard released a covers album, his sixth studio effort, in 2014. Around the same time, fans watched the 6'3 singer drop 119 pounds on NBC’s The Biggest Loser.
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3. Fantasia Barrino (2004)
Known now simply by her first name, Fantasia has stayed busy over the last decade. She released four studio albums, starred in a Lifetime movie about herself, and appeared on Broadway. The GRAMMY-winner is expected to release a new solo album in 2016.
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4. Carrie Underwood (2005)
Ms. Underwood – now, Mrs. Mike Fisher – went on to become American Idol’s most successful alum to date. The country cutie is arguably one of the genre’s biggest stars and the only artist to score six consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. She’s a seven-time GRAMMY winner and an 11-time ACM Award winner.
WATCH: Carrie Underwood Then and Now! See the Sweet Moment She Won 'Idol'
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5. Taylor Hicks (2006)
Believe it or not, Hicks has remained one of the highest-earning Idols in recent years. According to Forbes, the 39-year-old has scored big paydays with his Las Vegas residency, tour dates, and his co-ownership of an Alabama BBQ restaurant called Saw’s Juke Joint. Recently, Hicks accompanied Dierks Bentley on stage with his harmonica for CBS Sports’ Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest, and he performed in the Hollywood Christmas Parade.
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6. Jordin Sparks (2007)
Sparks also went on to be one of the more successful winners of the franchise, with three studio albums and a leading role in Whitney Houston’s final film, Sparkle. Though she didn’t win, Sparks did score a GRAMMY nomination for her collaboration with Chris Brown, “No Air,” back in 2009. Sparks released her third studio album, Right Here, Right Now, in 2015 amid a highly publicized new romance with rapper Sage the Gemini.
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7. David Cook (2008)
After releasing two albums with RCA Records, Cook split from the label in 2012 and re-located to Nashville, Tennessee. (Fun fact: Cook co-wrote country singer David Nail’s hit single, “Kiss You Tonight.”) He released Digital Vein, his first independent release since pre-Idol, in 2015.
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8. Kris Allen (2009)
In one of the most surprising upsets in Idol history, Allen topped Adam Lambert for the season eight title. His debut single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” became a hit in 2009, but he made major headlines for a devastating car crash in 2013 that rendered him almost unable to play music. Thankfully, Allen recovered and released his third studio album, Horizons, in 2014. Now, in 2016, Allen is expecting his second child with his high school sweetheart-turned-wife.
READ: Aww! Kris Allen’s Music Once Made His Baby Cry
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9. Lee DeWyze (2010)
DeWyze split from RCA Records just one year after winning Idol and releasing his debut album, which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200. His 2013 album, Frames, showed off more of the singer’s folk roots, but didn’t make much of a splash on the charts. But if you watch The Walking Dead, you probably heard DeWyze’s voice and didn’t even know it! His “Blackbird Song” was featured in season four of AMC’s hit drama.
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10. Scotty McCreery (2011)
At just 17 years old, McCreery became the series’ youngest male winner and second youngest winner overall (after Sparks, also 17 at the time of her victory). Since then, McCreery has become a certifiable star in the country music world, all while attending college at North Carolina State University. His third studio album, featuring the single “Southern Belle,” is due out early this year.
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11. Phillip Phillips (2012)
Phillips’ career was given a boost when his Idol coronation song, “Home,” was selected as the theme for NBC’s Olympics coverage, among other TV projects. Even Idol picked up one of Phillips’ tracks, with “Gone, Gone, Gone” serving as the season twelve send-off song. He’s released two studio albums post-Idol, but filed a bombshell lawsuit against 19 Recordings in early 2015. In court docs obtained by ET, Phillips called his contract with 19 “oppressive.”
In happier news, Phillips tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Hannah Blackwell, in October 2015.
READ: Phillip Phillips Explosive Post-'Idol’ Lawsuit
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12. Candice Glover (2013)
Glover’s debut album, Music Speaks, was released in 2014, but failed to produce a hit single. Glover claims to be working on a follow-up album via social media posts, but seems to be keeping busy performing at corporate and professional sporting events.
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13. Caleb Johnson (2014)
Johnson wasted no time getting his debut album, Testify, on the market, releasing it less than three months after his coronation. Moving along at breakneck speed, Johnson parted ways with his label less than nine months later. “I want to find the right home and the right team of people that are going to get behind my music and really do something,” he told Billboard at the time. “What’s the point of doing it if the [label] isn’t going to do anything?”
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14. Nick Fradiani (2015)
Fradiani’s first single, “Beautiful Life,” co-written by Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba, barely cracked the Billboard Hot 100 in May of last year, and we’re still waiting for that debut album.
American Idol’s 15th and final season kicks off on Wednesday, Jan. 6 on Fox. Will you be watching?
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