52nd Post: American Idol – 40 Singers

American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It initially aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to April 7, 2016, for 15 seasons. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when a revival of the series began airing on ABC.

It started as an addition to the Idols format that was based on Pop Idol from British television, and became one of the most successful shows in the history of American television. The concept of the series involves discovering recording stars from unsigned singing talents, with the winner determined by American viewers using phones, Internet, and SMS text voting.

In 2023, I thought the final three (Megan Danielle, Colin Stough and Iam Tongi) were popularity favorites rather than having the best vocals. Tongi ended up winning. I thought We Ani had by far the best voice. The Jersey “Idol” contestant is no stranger to national TV, having competed on “The Voice” in 2016, making it all the way to second runner-up. At the time, she competed as Wé McDonald. Both “Idol” and “The Voice” have highlighted the sizable difference between Ani’s high-pitched speaking voice and deeper singing voice. An example of hers is a cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way” (https://youtu.be/zbD2NRR5XL4).

The winners of the first nineteen seasons, as chosen by viewers, are:

Kelly Clarkson (2002) “Greatest Hits” (https://youtu.be/sB1YL6qzD5c) (RQ 10). Most successful with 15 Grammy nominations and 25M records sold.

Ruben Studdard (2003) “Sorry” (https://youtu.be/fRuzeZKYN-I) (RC 10). Clay Aiken was second but more successful including one platinum album.

Fantasia Barrino (2004) “Greatest Hits” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC5BFB0A96759A167). She also has been successful with three Grammy nominations. Also, Jennifer Hudson has won two Grammys but was eliminated from the competition.

Carrie Underwood (2005) “Best of” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8Azn9c5KxlZR7mU0aY4NZI-j1iQQshtd). She is second to Kelly with 7 Grammy nominations and 9 CMAs. She also has sold 23M records.

Taylor Hicks (2006) “Idol Performance Compilation” (https://youtu.be/8gKLrXZNQu0)

Jordin Sparks (2007) “Greatest Hits” (https://youtu.be/g8lFXzcZJ7Y).

David Cook (2008) “Best Love Songs” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLPbtdpukiW_FrI8ARSwXShjG2k70X7Qk)

Kris Allen (2009) “Nonstop Songs” (https://youtu.be/MTnE6YvDOHs)

Scotty McCreery (2011) “Hits Collection” (https://youtu.be/lUVigaiu768).

Lee DeWyze (2010) “Winning Song” (https://youtu.be/E-BHypuw_2w).

Phillip Phillips (2012) “Greatest Hits” (https://youtu.be/9wSZ5OhEZRo).

Candice Glover (2013) “Greatest Hits” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKo3PnTgZu1NLce6shTa7d8tQpCss8Q5D).

Caleb Johnson (2014) “Fighting Gravity” (https://youtu.be/kxDyjZ1aFEI).

Nick Fradiani (2015) “Mix Playlist” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=RDEMH1WHLu4yDaLwgZ_ed6bw3w&playnext=1).

Trent Harmon (2016) “Mix Playlist” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=RDEMqrw7Koe2yaNEin3w1FeT5Q&playnext=1).

Maddie Poppe (2018) “Greatest Hits” (https://youtu.be/w8BZ3eD0Z8U).

Laine Hardy (2019) “Full Idol Performances and Judges Comments” (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmgxIqmMRxshZtcSqYSE5vesN9u9ACoE).

Just Sam (Samantha Diaz) (2020) “All Idol Performances” (https://youtu.be/ef1Gh4SVga8).

Chayce Beckham (2021) “Official Video Summary” (https://youtu.be/hwRSxthuP-I).

Noah Thompson (2022) “Talent Recap” (https://youtu.be/O2EG26X2EdQ).

American Idol employs a panel of vocal judges who critique the contestants’ performances. The original judges, for the first through eighth seasons, were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, singer and choreographer Paula Abdul, and music executive and manager Simon Cowell. The judging panel for the last three seasons on Fox consisted of singers Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr. The sixteenth season brought three new judges: singers Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. The first season was hosted by radio personality Ryan Seacrest and comedian Brian Dunkleman, but Seacrest has been the sole master of ceremonies since the second season.

The success of American Idol has been described as “unparalleled in broadcasting history”. A rival TV executive said the series was “the most impactful show in the history of television”. It became a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars. According to Billboard magazine, in its first ten years, “Idol has spawned 345 Billboard chart-toppers and a platoon of pop idols, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert, Gabby Barrett and Jordin Sparks while remaining a TV ratings juggernaut.”

For an unprecedented eight consecutive years, from the 2003–04 television season through the 2010–11 season, either its performance show or result show was ranked number one in U.S. television ratings.

2022: Singers given tickets to Hollywood that look like possible winners:

2021: Chayce Beckham WINS!!

BRING BACK: (BAD CUT)