Since the first season in the early 2000s, only 23 singers have held the title of American Idol. Among those were stars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, who sold millions of albums, won Grammy Awards, and produced songs like “Before He Cheats” and “Stronger.” But what about the losers? Unlike the list of winners, the losers’ list is nearly endless. With countless singers not even getting a chance to audition, which “loser” of American Idol went on to have the most successful career – let’s take a look.
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On January 17, 2006, season 5 of American Idol kicked off with Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson hoping to find the next superstar. Throughout the season, stars like Taylor Hicks became frontrunners alongside Katherine McPhee. Hicks ultimately won the competition. Although going on to release two studio albums, there was one singer from season 5 who would become the most successful loser in American Idol history. And it wasn’t McPhee.
Making it into the Top 4 on American Idol, Chris Daughtry was eliminated before making it into the final two. Not letting that moment define the rest of his career, the singer continued to explore rock music with his self-titled debut album. That album sold one million copies in only five weeks. And within nine weeks, it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
Singer Turns ‘American Idol’ Loss Into EGOT
With a career spanning two decades, Daughtry received the chance to collaborate with stars like Slash, Chad Kroeger, Vince Gill, Carlos Santana, and others. But Daughtry wasn’t the only success to come from losing American Idol.
Before Daughtry took his chance on American Idol, Jennifer Hudson auditioned for season 3. Getting support from the judges, Hudson made it into the Top 7. Although Fantasia Barrino barely beat Diana DeGarmo to win the season, Hudson proved that success has many paths.
While expanding her career in music, Hudson traveled to Hollywood to star in films like Monster, Sing, and Dreamgirls. Having dabbled in film, talk shows, and even Broadway, the singer crossed a milestone only a few ever achieve.
Throughout her career, Hudson won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. For those who win all four, they are labeled a EGOT winner. A major title only held by a select few, Hudson became the youngest woman to win the award.
Although winning American Idol brought singers a mountain of success, Daughtry and Hudson proved that you don’t need the crown to build a legendary career.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/American Idol 2011/Getty Images)
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