Reality singing competition American Idol is one of the most successful shows in history. It was first aired in 2002 and has had eighteen seasons so far.

There have been eighteen American Idol winners so far. Some of the winners have taken the world by storm with their successful music careers.

American Idol Winners So Far: Where Are They Now?

Since its debut in 2002, the self-acclaimed reality singing competition series has brought forth incredible stars. Talk of the likes of Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, and many more.

You may be wondering what happened to all of the American Idol winners. That is what you are about to find out.

Kelly Brianne Clarkson – Season 1, 2002

American pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson was the very first winner of the American Idol show. This was way back in 2002 where she went and signed with RCA Records.

Kelly’s debut album was Thankful in 2003, and in 2004 she released her multi-platinum second album, Breakaway.

This singer is quite successful, with more than 56 million albums globally. She has made millions of dollars since her win.

Ruben Studdard – Season 2, 2003

One of the biggest hits for Ruben Studdard after he won the show was sorry for 2004. It received massive viewing from fans all over the world.

Ruben’s first album, Soulful, was No. 1 on the Billboard 200. From its title track, Ruben became Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Grammy.

He has not only specialized in RnB, for in 2004, but he also went on to release a gospel album. He has since been releasing R&B albums through his label, J Records, no longer worked with him since December 2007.

Fantasia Barrino – Season 3, 2004

Incredibly, Fantasia won the American Idol when she was just 19. Her music career took a high note since then and made her have a diverse career.

Fantasia has several studio albums, releasing the last one in 2019. She has not just been making music but has also been making appearances on TV shows as a guest.

Fantasia is one of the best female RnB artists in history with a very successful music career. She has her reality TV show, which aired in 2010, known as Fantasia for Real.

Carrie Underwood – Season 4, 2005

If you are an avid gospel lover, then you know about the song Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood. Since she won the American Idol show in 2005, she chose to focus on gospel music.

Carrie’s career has taken a flight thanks to her incredible country vocals. She has seen sales of over 60 million of her albums worldwide; this is in addition to her seven Grammys.

This incredible artist has dozens of hit singles, thanks to her best-selling albums. Lest I forget to point out that she entered the 2010 Guinness World Record for being the No. 1 country female artist in the U.S.

Taylor Hicks – Season 5, 2006

American singer Taylor Reuben Hicks gained international fame after winning the fifth season of American Idol. Thereafter, Taylor signed with Arista Records and released his debut album in December 2006. 

What stands out about Taylor is his incredible and outstanding energetic stage performances. He has numerous albums since he won, but he is no longer signed with Arista Records.

In 2017 Taylor released his single Six Strings and Diamond Rings. He also co-owns Saw’s Juke Joint restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jordin Sparks – Season 6, 2007

American Idol is not such a bad platform after all. It is the best, for it has showcased Jordin Sparks to the world since her triumph when she was just 17.

Jordin Sparks was such a sensation such that she featured Chris Brown in her self-titled album.  Tattoo and No Air feat Chris Brown were some of Sparks’ biggest hits.

She put on hold her music career to pursue acting, starring in the 2010 Broadway musical. This was followed by the movie Sparkle, which she co-starred with the late Whitney Houston.

David Cook – Season 7, 2008

Though David Cook, a Southern rocker, did not wish to participate in the show, to begin with, he ended up winning in 2008. He released his debut single, The Time of My Life, which made it at No. 3 in the Billboard Hot 100.

In November 2008, his album sold over one million copies. David did not stop releasing more albums and singles after his win.

Recently, David played Charlie Price in “Kinky Boots” on Broadway. He has also released an EP which he titled “CHROMANCE.”

Kris Allen – Season 8, 2009

It was a shocker when Kris Allen took down Adam Lambert on the show’s eighth season. It was a stiff competition, to say the least.

Kris went on to release his debut album who’s single, “Live Like We’re Dying,” was a massive hit. In 2016, Kris was on his fifth studio album, which he titled Letting You In.

He has been on tour severally promoting his albums. Kris has not done so badly with himself since his win in 2009.

Lee DeWyze – Season 9, 2010

Lee DeWyze is an Illinois singer-songwriter who was crowned the winner of the show in 2010. After winning, DeWyze signed with RCA Records and went on to release his debut album titled Live It Up sometime in November 2010.

He has so far released multiple albums and EPs. In 2020, DeWyze released his latest single, Victims of the Night.

His voice has also been used in a number of TV shows such as The Walking Dead and Nashville. This singer is quite famous in Hollywood and in the music industry.

Scotty McCreery – Season 10, 2011

Scotty McCreery’s triumph in the show made his songs I Love You This Big and The Trouble with Girls making it big in the charts.

 Scotty had a platinum-selling debut named Clear as Day that made it to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He is extremely successful, having sold millions of records in the world.

He has definitely done himself well over the years through his label dropped him. McCreery is also an author, having published his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, in May 2016.

Phillip Phillips – Season 11, 2012

Phillip Phillips performed his debut single, “Home,” during the season 11 finale. It made him come out the winner. What is even more incredible is the single became multi-platinum. 

After that, Phillip released his debut album, The World from the Side of the Moon, which came at no. 2 on the Billboard charts. In 2014, he had his second album, Behind the Light.

He was hit by a significant money-related lawsuit that made him put his career on hold. Phillips, later on, resumed releasing his latest album, Collateral, in 2018.

Candice Glover – Season 12, 2013

After a long win of male winners, Candice Glover broke the cycle by taking the lead in season 12. She was the first female winner since Jordin Sparks won in 2007.

In 2014, she released her debut R&B album, titled Music Speaks. Candice was not into the album because she said she had been rushed into releasing it, and it was not the real her.

She took a break for four years before releasing her first single, My Mistake, in 2017. In the following year, 2018, Candice released another single, Break Me.

Caleb Johnson – Season 13, 2014

After winning season 13, Caleb Johnson signed with the Interscope Record label. He then dropped his debut album, Testify though his label did not promote the album; hence he chose to part ways with it.

This North Carolina-born rocker has not made it big in the charts after his win. His Testify album had 10-tracks on it but only manage to sell 28,000 copies. 

Caleb has not released more music for a while after parting ways with Interscope Records.

Nick Fradiani – Season 14, 2015

Nick Fradiani was the 14^th winner of the American Idol show. After his win, he dropped his debut music video single, named Beautiful Life. 

A year later, Nick released his first album, Hurricane, whose sales were 5,000 copies in the first week. He felt that his label, Big Machine Records, was not doing him justice and dropped it in January 2017.

Apart from singing, Nick is also an actor. He has starred in the musical A Bronx Tale in 2020.

Trent Harmon – Season 15, 2016

Sometimes after winning season 15, Trent Harmon released his first single named Falling. He has since produced his first album, You Got ‘Em All, in 2018.

The Mississippi native has been focusing on his music career over the years. His latest single is, She’s My Heaven, which he released recently.

Trent chose not to do a full-length album; rather he went for a self-titled five-song EP.

Maddie Poppe – Season 16, 2018

When the American Idol show returned in 2018, Maddie Poppe took the crown.  Her runner-up Caleb Lee Hutchinson became her boyfriend!

Before American Idol, Maddie had already released an album. That means she was not new to the music business.

Though she has not made it big in the music industry, Maddie has not given up her music career. In 2019 she released an album, Whirlwind, whereby her instrumental abilities were showcased.

Laine Hardy – Season 17, 2019

Laine Hardy displayed a confident delivery in the 17^th season of the American Idol show. He ended up winning the season over Alejandro Aranda.

This Louisiana country singer’s single, Flame, was meant to celebrate his major win. He then went on for a fall tour.

In the spring of 2020, Laine released two singles in spring. He had so much in store, but the coronavirus pandemic made him put everything on hold.

Samantha ‘Just Sam’ Diaz – Season 18, 2020

The last season of American Idol saw Samantha crowned the winner. It was not an easy competition because everyone on the season, including judges and contestants, operated remotely.

Despite it all, Samantha took down Arthur Gunn, emerging the winner. She has not yet stepped on her career, but she has incredible plans for the future.

Conclusion

Evidently, American Idol has been the best singing competition so far. At least it made some of its winners incredibly famous.

So far, you have an idea of what most of the winners have been up to. Interestingly, apart from music, some of them have joined the acting world.