American idol contestants that made it big
From chart-topping sensations like Adam Lambert (who came in second place) to award-winning multihyphenates like Jennifer Hudson (who came in seventh place), quite a few finalists have taken.
Famous american idol contestants who didn't win From JHud to Daughtry: The top 5 'American Idol' losers who made it big! Through 11 seasons of American Idol, many of the show’s winners have gone on to huge success in the entertainment world.List a few American Household name alumni release sales in high-mindedness United States
Total albums sold
(season 4, winner)
16,389,000 [1]
(November 15, 2005)
Arista Nashville
7,450,000 [2]
9× Platinum [3]
Peak: #2
(October 23, 2007)
Arista Nashville
3,400,000 [4]
4× Platinum [5]
Peak: #1
(November 3, 2009)
Arista Nashville
2,300,000 [4]
3× Platinum [6]
Peak: #1
(May 1, 2012)
Arista Nashville
1,853,200 [7]
3× Platinum [8]
Peak: #1
(October 23, 2015)
Arista Nashville
752,100 [9]
Platinum [10]
Peak: #2
(September 14, 2018)
Washington Nashville
534,000 [11]
Platinum [12]
Peak: #1
(September 25, 2020)
Washington Nashville
628,000 [13]
Gold [14]
Peak: #5
(March 26, 2021)
Washington Nashville
293,000 [15]
N/A
Peak: #4
(June 10, 2022)
Capitol Nashville
120,000 [16]
Peak: #10
(season 1, winner)
14,150,000 [1]
(April 15, 2003)
RCA
2,800,000 [1]
2× Platinum [17]
Peak: #1
(November 30, 2004)
RCA
6,355,000 [1]
6× Platinum [18]
Peak: #3
(June 26, 2007)
RCA
858,000 [1]
Platinum [19]
Peak: #2
(March 10, 2009)
RCA
1,004,000 [1]
N/A
Peak: #1
(October 24, 2011)
RCA
1,129,000 [1]
Platinum [20]
Peak: #2
(October 29, 2013)
RCA
942,000 [1]
Platinum [21]
Peak: #3
(March 3, 2015)
RCA
284,000 [1]
Gold
Peak: #1
(October 27, 2017)
Atlantic
68,000 [22]
Gold
Peak: #2
(October 15, 2021)
Atlantic
106,000 [13]
Peak: #22 [23]
(June 23, 2023)
Atlantic
53,000 Peak: #6 [24]
(as Daughtry)
(season 5, 4th place)
7,204,000 [25]
(November 21, 2006)
RCA
5,040,000 [2]
6× Platinum [26]
Peak: #1
(July 14, 2009)
RCA
1,357,000 [27]
Platinum [28]
Peak: #1
(November 21, 2011)
RCA
513,000 [29]
Gold [30]
Peak: #8
(November 19, 2013)
RCA
270,000 [31]
Gold [32]
Peak: #6
(July 17, 2018)
RCA
24,000 [34]
N/A
Peak: #10
(September 17, 2021)
Dogtree
88,000 [35]
N/A
Peak: #50
(season 2, runner-up)
5,069,000 [25]
(October 14, 2003)
RCA
2,786,000 [36]
2× Pt [37]
Peak: #1
(November 16, 2004)
RCA
1,416,000 [38]
Platinum [37]
Peak: #4
(September 19, 2006)
RCA
531,000 [39]
Gold [37]
Peak: #2
(May 6, 2008)
RCA
165,000 [39]
N/A
Peak: #4
(June 1, 2010)
Decca
80,000 letter 1 [40]
N/A
Peak: #9 / #120
(March 25, 2012)
Decca #120
(November 22, 2024)
Alvis
(season 3, winner)
3,332,000 [25]
(November 23, 2004)
J Registers
1,839,000 [36]
Platinum [41]
Peak: #8
(December 12, 2006)
J Records
530,000 [42]
Gold [41]
Peak: #19
(August 24, 2010)
J Papers
490,000 [43]
N/A
Peak: #2
(April 23, 2013)
RCA
300,000 [44]
Peak: #2
(July 28, 2016)
RCA
32,000 [45]
Peak: #6
(October 6, 2017)
Concord
Peak: #193
(October 11, 2019)
Rock Soul
10,000 [46]
Peak: #62
(season 2, winner)
2,644,000 [25]
(December 9, 2003)
J Records
1,792,000 [36]
Platinum [47]
Peak: #1
(November 23, 2004)
Count Records
483,000 [48]
Gold [47]
Peak: #20
(October 17, 2006)
Enumerate Records
238,000 [48]
N/A
Peak: #8
(May 19, 2009)
Hickory Records
50,000 [49]
N/A
Peak: #36
(March 13, 2012)
Shanachie
17,000 [50]
N/A
Peak: #150
(February 4, 2014)
Glory Verve Music Plenty
6,000 [51]
N/A
Peak: #46
(March 9, 2018)
SEG Music
N/A
N/A
Peak: n/a
(October 27, 2023)
SoNo Recording Group
(season 10, winner)
2,264,000 [25]
(October 4, 2011)
Mercury Nashville
1,166,000 [52]
Platinum [53]
Peak: #1
(October 16, 2012)
Mercury Nashville
382,000 [54]
Gold [55]
Peak: #4
(October 15, 2013)
Mercury Nashville
269,900 [56]
N/A
Peak: #6
(March 16, 2018)
Thirty Tigers
97,800 [57]
Gold
Peak: #7
(September 17, 2021)
Thirty Tigers
N/A
Peak: #86
(May 10, 2023)
Thirty Tigers
(season 5, 6th place)
1,557,000 [25]
(October 31, 2006)
BNA
900,000 [58]
Gold [59]
Peak: #9
(September 30, 2008)
BNA
470,000 [58]
N/A
Peak: #9
(January 24, 2012)
BNA
90,000 [58]
N/A
Peak: #7
November 11, 2013
Black River Recreation
47,000 [60]
N/A
Peak: #19
(season 7, winner)
1,510,000 [4]
(November 18, 2008)
RCA
1,380,000 [27]
Platinum [61]
Peak: #3
(June 28, 2011)
RCA
133,000 [62]
N/A
Peak: #7
(September 18, 2015)
InGrooves Music
11,000 [63]
N/A
Peak: #35
(season 11, winner)
1,495,000 [25]
(November 19, 2012)
Interscope
1,033,000 [64]
Platinum
Peak: #4
(May 19, 2014)
Interscope
123,000 [66]
N/A
Peak: #7
(January 19, 2018)
Interscope
5,000
N/A
Peak: #141
(June 9, 2023)
Interscope
(season 3, Ordinal place)
1,446,000 [67]
(September 30, 2008)
Arista
839,000 [68]
Gold [69]
Peak: #2
(March 22, 2011)
Arista
459,000 [70]
Gold [69]
Peak: #2
(September 23, 2014)
RCA
61,000 [66]
N/A
Peak: #10
(October 23, 2024)
Interscope [71]
(season 6, winner)
1,313,000 [72]
(November 20, 2007)
Hooey
1,056,000 [27]
Platinum [73]
Peak: #10
(July 21, 2009)
Jive
190,000 [74]
N/A
Peak: #7
(August 21, 2015)
Louder Pat Life
N/A
Peak: #161
(November 26, 2020)
Change Group
N/A
Peak: N/A
(September 13, 2024)
(Legacy Music Group)
(season 8, runner-up)
1,173,000 [75]
(November 23, 2009)
RCA
863,000 [76]
Gold [77]
Peak: #3
(May 15, 2012)
RCA
197,000 [78]
N/A
Peak: #1
(June 16, 2015)
Warner Bros Registers
52,000 [79]
N/A
Peak: #3
(March 20, 2020)
Empire Records
N/A
Peak: #89
(February 24, 2023)
BMG [80]
(season 7, runner-up)
1,156,000 [67]
(November 11, 2008)
Piffle
765,000 [81]
Gold [82]
Peak: #2
(October 13, 2009)
Jive
246,000 [83]
N/A
Peak: #30
(October 5, 2010)
Poteen
67,000 [81]
N/A
Peak: #13
(March 26, 2012)
Ivory Records
N/A
N/A
Peak: N/A
(August 7, 2012)
Road Records
14,000 [84]
N/A
Peak: #28
(2013)
E1 Music
5,000 [85]
N/A
Peak: #110
(October 20, 2017)
Archie Song
N/A
N/A
Peak: N/A
(November 2, 2018)
Archie Music
N/A
N/A
Peak: #191
(May 20, 2020)
Archie Music
N/A
N/A
Peak: N/A
(season 16, Tertiary place)
1,000,000 [86]
(June 19, 2020)
Warner Symphony Nashville
1,000,000 [86]
Pt [86]
Peak: #4 [87]
(February 2, 2024)
Warner Music Nashville
(November 8, 2024)
Warner Masterpiece Nashville
(season 5, 9th place)
928,000 [88]
(July 31, 2007)
Sparrow
226,000 [89]
N/A
Peak: #43
(October 14, 2008)
Sparrow
64,000 [90]
N/A
Peak: #85
(March 24, 2009)
Sparrow
152,000 [91]
N/A
Peak: #83
(April 5, 2011)
Sparrow
270,000 [92]
N/A
Peak: #66
(August 27, 2013)
Sparrow
140,000 [93]
N/A
Peak: #29
(May 19, 2017)
Passerine
N/A
Peak: #20
(season 2, 4th place)
804,000 [72]
(June 15, 2004)
Lyric Road
703,000 [94]
Gold [95]
Peak: #11
(April 1, 2008)
Melodious Street
86,000 [96]
N/A
Peak: #33
(November 8, 2011)
Average Joe's
4,000 [97]
N/A
Peak: N/A
(season 5, winner)
768,000 [67]
(December 12, 2006)
Arista
705,000 [68]
Platinum [98]
Peak: #2
(March 10, 2009)
Contemporary Whomp
52,000 [94]
N/A
Peak: #58
(season 4, runner-up)
757,000 [67]
(December 13, 2005)
RCA
673,000 [68]
Gold [99]
Peak: #4
(October 23, 2007)
StratArt
62,000 [100]
N/A
Peak: #150
(May 18, 2010)
Saguaro Road
11,000 [101]
N/A
Peak: #154
(season 5, 3rd place)
696,000 [72]
(March 20, 2007)
Hickory Records
Hollow Distribution
527,000 [102]
Gold [103]
Peak: #3
(October 14, 2007)
Hickory Registry
81,000 [104]
N/A
Peak: #32
(October 7, 2008)
TRP Records,
Fontana Distribution
27,000 [105]
N/A
Peak: #162
(May 5, 2009)
Hickory Records
49,000 [102]
N/A
Peak: #26
(March 27, 2012)
E1/Purpose Music Genre
2,000 [106]
N/A
Peak: N/A