Idol: Where are they Now?

January 18, 2012 | by Joseph Brownell

Idol kicks off its 11^th season this week on FOX and the past 10 seasons have spawned some legitimate stars (Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood) but also some contestants whose albums are probably collecting dust in some warehouse (Sanjaya Malakar and Justin Guarini). Then there were the contestants who are somewhere in the middle, some poised for fame, others still on the pop culture radar. We’ve caught up with some of our favorite contestants from past seasons to see what projects they have in the works.

Kellie Pickler: Some wondered if the ditzy act during season 5 was just an act and while Pickler has found moderate success in country music, she has yet to have that breakthrough hit. That may all be changing with the release of her third abum, 100 Proof, later this month. While the autobiographical first single, Tough, failed to make a major impact on country radio, the title track is hitting airwaves now and is quite possibly the best song Pickler has ever recorded. The initial press for the album is positive and Pickler has touted the album as the first she has had creative and production input on. Produced by Frank Lidell (Lee Ann Womack, Miranda Lambert) this album could be the one to take Pickler to the top of the charts.

Adam Lambert: Season 8 runner-up found initial success with the release of his first album, For Your Entertainment, embarking on the headlining Glam Nation Tour in 2010. 2011 saw the release of a live album from that tour and promises of a new single/album. Better Than I Know Myself finally saw the light of day months after promised and was slightly disappointing. Overshadowed by the nightclub altercation with Finnish boyfriend, Sauli Koskinen, the single’s chorus teased a musical path similar to the P!nk-penned hit, Whataya Want From Me, but failed to deliver in its verses. The single is not currently in the Billboard Hot 100. His sophomore album, Trespassing, is due in March 2012.

Clay Aiken: Season 2 runner-up had a trio of moderately successful albums before being dropped by his record label in 2010. Aiken has appeared on Broadway, come out of the closet and had a child in between. Aiken released Bring Back My Love, his first original music since 2008, in late December of 2011. Released independently, the single may mark the beginning of a new album, but in the meantime Aiken can be found on this season of Celebrity Apprentice, premiering on NBC in February.

Brooke White: Season 7 contestant Brooke White gained fans with her renditions of Dolly Parton’s Jolene and The Beatles’ Let it Be and prior to Idol released an album with covers of Coldplay’s Yellow and Aerosmith’s Dream On. Post-Idol Brooke found moderate success as an indie-folk artist before teaming with Jack Matranga to form the duo Jack and White. Their first EP Gemini was released in 2011. White has recently announced she’s pregnant with a baby girl but still has a follow-up EP with Matranga set to come out this month.

 

 

Season 10: Both Idol champ and runner-up, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, have released country albums since the conclusion of season 10. While they’ve made a minor impact on country radio neither has produced a song that could be considered a hit. But what about the rest of last season? Sure, we saw some changes with the judges but could Idol be on a path to capitalize on its name and try to insure that all contestants walk away with deals?

Pia Toscano, a rumored favorite at first before stalling on the ballad highway, released a failed single last year. James Durbin released his debut album to dismal sales. Casey Abrams and Stefano Langone have each received deals in the past couple weeks. The only real contestant I’m waiting to hear music from is Hailey Reinhart, who received unfair criticism and was the one of the most developed contestants in recent Idol history.

Is Idol going to continue this trend with Season 11 dealing out more record deals than Carter had liver pills; throwing massive amounts of sh*t against the wall just to see what sticks? I hope not but the only way to really know is to tune in this week and start the 5 month journey.