Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox; Everett Collection; Fox
The contestants of American Idol still seemed to be in a state of disbelief when they showed up for our big Entertainment Weekly photo shoot (on stands now!). They couldn’t believe that the show they used to watch on TV in their living room was now starring… them! So we asked each of the Top 9 (including Pia before she was ousted) to name their favorite American Idol contestant of all-time, and the answers ranged from somewhat predictable (Scotty’s) to downright surprising (Casey’s and Stefano’s). Check out the video player after the jump to see all of their picks and then let us know: Who is your choice for the best American Idol contestant ever? Share your pick on the message board below. And for more reality TV news and views, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
Read more:
InsideTV Podcast: Are the judges to blame for Pia's shocking 'American Idol' exit?
'American Idol' exit Q&A: Pia Toscano tears up while discussing her 'amazing memories
'American Idol': 20 Early Exits
I thought for sure that James would say Adam because…well, obvious reasons. But yay for choosing David Cook! Stefano choosing Jordin is a bit of a huh?, and Casey, Adam for “Ring of Fire”? I’m sorry, but that’s still a WTF performance for me for him (sorry to get all Randy).
Angela, sure, Adam’s ROF performance was not for everyone, but that performance has really been singled out as what sent most fans over the moon for Adam…vocal perfection, hot, sizzling look. And, to this day, there’s never been anything like it on Idol.
I totally love Adam but that performance is still WTF for me. LOL! I still find it really disturbing despite seeing it performed like 5 times this past summer on tour. I think its the fire and swirling camara angles.
I’m with you, Jae. Adam is great, but ROF didn’t compute for me. That’s ok, though. I like the contestants who don’t play it safe, which is why I like Casey Abrams.
Ring of Fire is one of my favorite Idol (abd Adam) performances. In fact it was that performance which turned me on to Idol as a show (I’d ignored it up to then) and helped make me a Lambert fan. It is ithe contestants like Lambert who have great, unique voices and do interesting things artistically which keep me intrigued. Before Lambert, I hadn’t expected that to be possible on Idol.
Ring of Fire put Adam on the map. It showed that he was not the typical Idol and that was a good thing. Everybody and media outlet was talking about that performance. He was not trying to win Idol with that song he was trying to win a career. Well done Adam!
Adam + Mad World did it for me.
Who do I think is the best idol ever? In all honesty, I would have to say Adam Lambert.
I find him truly unsexy, but in that perfoemance, almost gross. None of you loves Adam Lambert as much as he loves himself.
Yes James Durbin, great answer-David Cook! Yeah baby! James had the best answer there.
Chris Daughtry!!!! Daughtry was amazing at Di– Clarks New Years Eve show. His music is awesome. James, Paul and Casey-follow Chris’s smarts and you will have a awesome career. Chris is one smart singer.
I have three favorites with Adam being one. Kelly and Jennifer Hudson are the other two. All great vocalists.
Somebody needs to stop Nigel Lythgoe. He says next year they might make changes. What might happen is: voters will still vote and there will be a bottom 3 but then the judges get to pick who goes home out of the bottom 3. Imagine how that would be like: the judges left out Lauren Turner, Kendra Chantelle and Colton Dixon. He said maybe to that idea. Nigel, if you do that I will not watch your show next year.
He is ridiculous! I’m very annoyed with the way people are taking this Pia elimination. During Lyndsey Parkers interview with Nigel-he said he has always known the voting results. He said Pia was NEVER a frontrunner according to the voting results. If you know that information Nigel then stop disrespecting the viewers. By thinking about changing your show you are disrespecting us viewers.
Best Idol ever?? No doubt about it, Clay Aiken, and the song that proved it was “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” Talk about a show stopper and water cooler moment! Of course, he had many of those moments, like “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, “Solitaire”, “To Love Somebody,” and just about everything else.
Adam’s personality is annoying. He said on twitter: Pia has one of the best voices on this season and makes me think voters aren’t focusing enough on vocal/musical ability. Um Adam, maybe you and Pia’s other fans should have voted more for her then you DIPSHI*. She got less votes than Jacob and Stefano, so what does that tell you.
@T: If Adam’s so annoying, why are you following his twitter and why would what he thinks matter to you anyway ???? You sound like the Dipsh*t.
I am a HUGE Adam fan and hated ROF. Mad World will always be my favorite performance of his.
ROF was vocal perfection and visual fire crackers to me. Funny because when Adam toured in Nashville he sold out the Ryman Auditorium in nothing flat! He was fantastic there and the whole tour.
That performance by Adam was one of my all-time favorites on the show. Still haven’t seen a performance (by another contestant) to equal that one. Adam had a few more! I think that he may be the greatest Idol Contestant ever!
My favourite Adam performance was MJ’s Black or White
I have also watched Blake Lewis’ You Give Love a Bad Name over and over on YouTube.
Ring of Fire is when a lot in the music industry started calling him the best Idol ever. That’s when the critics started to really talk notice.
That’s funny since Adam copied his Ring of Fire arrangement from Dilana on Rock Star Supernova a couple of years before. She was the runner up on that show too.
Adam did acknowledge Dilana in one interview.
Mike before you make blanket statements like that perhaps you should listen to Dilana’s version. It’s on YouTube and sounds nothing like Adam’s. Adam stated that he liked her middle eastern vibe on ROF and he went with that. The two versions are entirely different.
No they aren’t.
Kelly you just confirmed what I said. Adam acknowledged that his version is based on her middle eastern-vibed version. Sure he then added his “Adam-ness” to it, but if you’ve heard Johnny Cash’s original version of the song you have to admit that without Dilana’s arrangement Adam never would have done the song, much less in that way. BTW I do like Adam’s better than Johnny’s.
rof used dilana just like cook used cornell for billiejean and kris used the fray’s heartless. overall adam was the best rearranger of songs ever seen on that show. cook was so formulaic and kris is just so mediocre.
Mike have you even heard Dilana’s ROF? He might have used the musical arrangement as a foundation but vocally the two versions are very very different. Dilana’s vocal arrangement is more like Cash’ original.
how can you say David Cook was formulaic? Did you hear his arrangement of “Always Be My Baby” and “The World I Know”? He’s brilliant. Adam’s run on AI was more formulaic – ballad one week followed by “rock” the next one.
@Mike If Adam’s version of ROF is a copy, then Kris Allen’s Heartless is a copy of the Fray’s version. But it’s not, you say? Even though Kris admitted in an interview his was influenced by theirs, it’s not a copy. You shouldn’t say Adam’s ROF was a copy when it was influenced by someone. Double standard much.
Why is everyone arguing over a non-issue? It’s a covers-only show; practically EVERY arrangement is a copy. The difference is that the creative, forward-thinkers–like Adam and David Cook–had the sense to choose the arrangements that were off the beaten path and made statements about them as artists. Casey’s following a similar trajectory, though I don’t think he’s yet lived up to his potential. Still my fave this season, though.
Johnny Cash was probably rolling in his grave when heard Adam performed ROF
I haven’t heard the Dilena version of ROF. I was just saying that Adam mentioned her performance in an interview and said that he really liked it. He probably didn’t copy it exactly , but he may have been inspired by it, along with some other influences. He was giving Dilena props, which I thought was cool. @Swimmer: Some of Johnny Cash’s final work was done with Trent Reznor. He was more open-minded than you think.
ROF was polarizing and made people talk. That was the most important thing at that time… And for those who think it was gros, ROF is a very sexy song, even in the country version.
David Cook had me at “Hello”. His version was awesome! The best Idol performance ever!
Adam admitted that his version was based on Dilanna’s because her version went over really well. Kris’s version of Heartless is really nothing like the Fray’s version. I’m tired of people who are constantly dogging Kris. They were probably the most dynamic final two of any Idol season and whichever guy won, ensured that Idol would have another winner to be proud of.
Casey and Adam’s ROF makes perfect sense. Have you seen Casey’s videos? He’s a visionary (and needs to keep showing that on Idol). ROF was completely a different take (although I thought Adam lifted that from another artist but whatever). Casey doing a rock song with an acoustic bass–pretty different. Casey is into new musical ideas, and Adam’s ROF showed him that new stuff could work on AI. Cool
ROF was pure artistry IMO. I don’t think JOhnny Cash would roll in his grave, I think he would have loved the innovation of what Adam did. Top Adam’s vocal anyone??? No way.
My absolute favorite is Adam Lambert. No one EVER will be able to match his musical talent. He has pipes like no one before or after him. My second favorites would be David Cook and Chris Daughtry. All the others never perked up my ears or gave me chills. Adam gave me chills – and he still does. Darn, that man can sing his heart out.
Adam is a pale attempt at Clay Aiken who is the best singer ever on Idol.
Heh. I think Adam was attempting to be as unlike Clay as possible.
Stop this, Pia is better singer than both of them!
Pia is not better than Clay for sure.No way Jose. She is very good, though.
I am with you about Adam. He changed the show forever and he continues to be utterly amazing.
Adam changed everything for me on IDOL. No one compares and I was a huge Clay Aiken fan until I saw and heard Adam live. ROF was awesome and the studio version is even better. I am absolutely convinced that negative comments a about Adam deal with his persona and people can’t look past that. His tour was unbelievable. I was also a huge Daughtry and David Cook fan. I still think they’re great. I love Kelly and Carrie, but no one sings live like Lambert. Adam is honest, open and charitable. People take what he does too seriously. I will now vote for Casey on this show. The country boy will probably win (he’s awful), but oh well.
There will never be another Idol like Adam Lambert ever! The man is tops. I also like Clay Aiken, and Fantasia. The pick of the crop is Adam. He is the best male singer ever! Some are jealous of his talent.
The first time I watched Adam sing ROF I was so “WTH is he doing.” But then on repeated internet viewing I really fell in love with it. I liked the middle eastern vibe, kind of mysterious and intoxicating. It is my second favorite Adam performance of the season. It also made everything Adam did after that during the season seem pretty normal.
Im aghast reading comments that pia is better than the other idols. WTF, think hard morons…. Pia is just a nobody yet.
I’m not a country music fan, but whatever the mentor’s name (was it Randy?), the look on his wife’s face was priceless. From that moment on, I knew Adam was going to have a great career. He just riled that old lady’s feathers all up and you can’t get better than that. Rock on Adam Lambert!!!!
Um, Randy Travis, he’s kind of famous, even if you aren’t a country music fan. And he’s still a lot more famous than litte Adam lambert from San Diego and his little Ring Of Fire on American Idol.
@songsungblue Randy Travis is only famous inside the country music world. The same way some country fans don’t know who Rihanna is today. He certainly been well known universally, like say Madonna or Johnny Cash. I agree completely that Glambert isn’t as well known, but let’s not knock someone from not knowing who the hell some random country dude is.
“Randy Travis is only famous inside the country music world. The same way some country fans don’t know who Rihanna is today.”
oh honey, you are so far off base, it’s humorous.
i was a kid growing up with pop music, andi knew who Randy Travis was. he is an ICON. and i have listened exclusively to country music since high school (i’m 35 now) and i know who Rihanna is. i can even sing several of her songs. she’s everywhere.
you need to broaden your mind a little bit.
Everyone knows who RT is….but whether we like him or NOT is another matter. That guy acts like he has a stick up his rear…….
I only know Randy Travis from American Idol. Sorry but I don’t live in the USA.
Angela, I definitely agree with you on ROF! Unbelivably AWFUL! And that’s what Casey thinks is a great performance? Hmm… strange!
The way Adam did ROF was brilliant. Casey knows how genius it was and obviously people are still talking about it even today!!
@Angela: I thought also that James would say Adam since he is copying all of Adam’s moves.
Ring of Fire was one of Adam’s most talked about performances. Adam loved that some people loved it and some hated it. Yep, he has the “IT” factor.
At the beginning of the season James gave an interview where he said when he saw Adam performing with KISS & Queen he wished he could be up there doing that. I think James just doesn’t want to be compared to Adam anymore because it didn’t work out that well for him.
The ROF number is a bit weird for at first, but now i guess..yeah..that, the Sam Cooke song and Feeling Good are his best performances.
Others are: Fantasia’s Summer Time, Shiobhan’s Paint It Black, Dave Cook’s Bilie Jean, Constantine’s Bohemian Rhapsody, LaToya’s All by Myself, Pia’s I’ll Stand by You, Blake’s Time of the Season..and all of the songs Melinda Doolittle and Elliott Yamin sang on the show.
i also like JenHud, Bo Bice, KatMcPhee and (heck, lemme say it) Taylor Hicks whenever they performed.
Megan Joy!!
LOL Haley Scarnato! JUST KIDDIN, even though she was fun. What a train wreck though!!!!!!!!!!
Jordin Sparks? Fantasia? Kris Allen? Really? Jordin just sounds like most other lightweight R&B singers now and Fantasia’s abused her celebrity to being reduced to a “reality” show to sell what few tracks she can. And did Kris Allen do anything worthy after the left the show? They don’t even mention him…. Why not Jennifer Hudson, who didn’t win but went onto greatness? Where’s the love for Chris Daughtry? KRIS ALLEN???
Maybe when they watched the show in previous seasons, the singers they chose were the best. I liked Jordin as well as Fantasia. I’m not as crazy about Kris Allen as 2 years ago. I think they like Jennifer Hudson’s current work with her music but not so with her time on American Idol. These singers were just the first thing on their mind when the question was asked.
Daughtry is good. Don’t get the Fantasia thing. I’d agree with Jennifer Hudson. Kris Allen? Don’t get that one at all. That’s kind of funny actually.
Fantasia is one of the best performers that has ever graced that show. Right up there with Adam Lambert. There have been tons of great singers, but those two are amazing performers.
This is true. When they were ON the show, Fantasia and Adam were unparalleled performers.
Fantasia and Adam were freak shows.
and YOU’RE a frek, alex
Well Kris Allen did release platinum selling single Live Like We’re Dying. He did a few songs on Idol that were better than the original including Heartless. He did have a highly successful world tour. He is always awesome to his fans so I would choose Kris Allen as well. It’s ok if you don’t like him but it’s not cool to disrespect the fans that do.
lol Kris had a “highly successful world tour”? When did this happen?
This has to be a joke about Kris having a world tour. He headline a few dates and could only get 500 people to show up. Then he opened for others. Geez. That guy had not done much of anything.
Love Kris Allen. Agree with Lauren. Saw Kris Allen at the Borgata in Atlantic City. A lot more than 500 showed up. “Beth”, you never stop, do you?
When he toured in Asia and the United States. I was there in Atlantic City as well and it was sold out. If u dunno what you’re talking about please don’t comment.
World tour? lol You guys are so delusional. And the only success he had with a single was LLYWD. The truth was a horrible failure.
lol – kris could barely scrap 100 people together for his solo gigs most of the time, including his last two solo gigs. they were giving away tickets to that borgata show
“Mike” touring Asia and the US is a “world tour”. hahaha ok then. He opened for Keith urban, life house and Maureen 5. When he was on his own he was barely selling out 500 people venues. There were even a couple time where he didn’t get 200 people to show up. I’m sure that he had some shows that went well and good amount of people showed up (Alantic City) but lol at what you are trying to say he did.
@Mike He toured a few places in Asia and that’s it. Asia + a few places in the US does not equal the world. And in actuality, the only places he went in Asia were places American Idol is extremely popular. Did he go to the UK or anywhere in Europe? How about Australia or New Zealand? Nope.
The fact is, Kris had only one sold out show the entire time he “headlined” and on average got maybe 500 a show otherwise. His album hasn’t even gotten gold status, and only one of his single did well, there other two tanking so very hard. In comparison, Kelly has had multiple platinum singles and albums, sells more internationally than any other Idol (including Adam Lambert who also sells decently worldwide), and who is a household name all over the globe. People in the US don’t even know Kris’s name, except perhaps that he lost to Adam Lambert. Hell, most media in other countries think Lambert won his season. If he isn’t as successful or popular as someone from his own season, he cannot even compare to one of the two most successful Idols ever.
If you like Kris more, that’s fine, but don’t try to claim he’s a mega-success, especially in comparison to Kelly Clarkson.
lol
Ross? Is that u? lmao
Kris had more than one sold out headlining show — I can rattle off 4 or 5 off the top of my head, and there were probably more. I’ve been to several of his headlining shows, and I can say that at the ones I was at, there were easily more than 500 people there. I’d also like to point out that he was playing mainly venues with capacities of 500-1000, so to say “only 500 people showed up” isn’t the insult some of you are trying to make it, since he wasn’t playing venues where thousands of people could show up.
I think it says a lot about his talent that Keith Urban, Maroon5 and Lifehouse asked Kris to open for them. If they didn’t want him on their tours, they could have easily said no. Keith Urban in particular loves Kris and has said several times he’d like to record with him.
Adam Lambert is “a household name all over the globe? Is that right?
I don’t think so.
I love it when Adam’s fans talk about his “sold out world tour.” You would think he sold out stadiums – or even arenas. First, he didn’t sell out every venue, so it isn’t true. Second, here in the US he played places like the Cape Cod Melody Tent, in Hyannis, MA. A summer theatre in the round. And then, worldwide, he played mostly clubs and small theatres.
Adam Lambert got famous post Idol for being on all the talk shows and 20-20 type shows, talking about being gay. It had nothing to do with music. Let’s be honest. Besides which, Idol has pushed him and given him all the opportunities and the build up from the get-go. When he was on the show, and after. Seems he should be a multi-platinum album seller and singles seller, and an “international superstar” – but is he? No. He’s just doing better than Kris. Well, I’m not surprised, but obviously, he’s not doing as well as anyone hoped.
He got all the publicity, but it will be interesting to see how long he can ride that wave.
As for singles, Kris’s single was doing much better than Adam’s as everyone knows, until Adam mentored on American idol. Another big publicity break handed to him by 19. Then and only then did his single sales come close to matching Kris’s. And big deal, he had another single that sold – not super well.
@annie People are saying he was barely able to fill venues that hold 500. And I could rattle off 4 to 5 times he wasn’t even able to do that. And I hope he works with Keith Urban. We can only hope it’s as good as collaboration with Jamie Fox… wait.
@songsungblue
I was in Europe for 4 months and people definitely knew who Adam Lambert was. IIHY played in clubs all the time and I tried to get tickets to his show in German, but it was sold out in a couple days. NO ONE knew who kris was. Being in college right now, I could mention Kris’ name and 9 out of 10 times get a confused look. People don’t even know Kris sings LLWD.
Also LLWD was not doing MUCH better than wwfm. It was doing slightly better, but was also released a couple months before wwfm was. If we are going to go that route though, how did the truth do? How did iihy do?
@songsungblue No one can claim Adam is a household name (and no one did), but he is certainly well-known internationally. He’s more of a name than almost any other contestant the past few years. Certainly more than Kris Allen.
And people saying Adam didn’t sell out everywhere, that’s completely true, but even his not sold out shows were like five times the number of people who went to Kris’s shows. Just look at the stats from shows. Both Kris and Adam pulled in thousands in say Asia, but only one continued his tour around Europe and the Pacific. Adam’s had more singles released worldwide in more countries than any Idol since Kelly. That’s just fact.
I’m not trying to downplay Kris’s success, I think he showed a lot of promise on the show. But the fact is that he’s not been as successful in terms of tour or sales to his runner-up, and to state otherwise would be delusional.
revisionist history going on with the Kris Allen fans I see. Kris had about three gigs in the far east straight after his win. Also Kris and Adam started out being booked at the same size venues – like the Borgata, but kris ticket sales were so poor he was downsized to smaller venues because it was not financially viable. If you are only pulling in 6k tickets sales for a gig, then it is impossible to sustain. Adam’s tour became a 70+ date US headlining tour with around 95% od tickets sold. Kris ended up being a support act, often to bands that were less of a draw than Adam and the occaional accoustic headlining gig in supper clubs most of which still did not sell out.
Adam DID sell out every show he played in the US. Which were around 1-4k people. I’m not sure about Europe, but I did try to get tickets on a couple of different occasions and couldn’t.
Alison
It is you who is doing the revisionist history. None of Kris’s headlining gigs were ever switched from where they were originally booked at. I remember that one of the shows where he opened for BNL ended up being moved to a smaller venue because of poor sales. But that says more about BNL’s fanbase.
And his gigs were not at “supper clubs” they were at nightclubs — actual music venues where bands play every freaking night. No different from 99% of musicians trying to make a living.
Kris’s tour didn’t do as well as Adam’s. That’s clear. Adam sold out most of his shows — good for him! He is a great live performer and deserves to be successful. But if Kris’s tour had been losing money, they would have cancelled dates or pulled him off the road (like they had to do with Jordin’s last tour, for instance) — instead, dates were added. The production costs for Kris’s tour were probably pretty low — there was no elaborate staging or costumes, and his crew was small — 5 band members (including Kris), a couple of techs and a couple of tour mgrs (including his assistant). The merch sales were reportedly very strong. So I wouldn’t be shocked if the tour broke even or actually made a bit of money. We’ll probably never know this unless 19 releases the numbers, but would they have sent Kris out on a tour in the fall if they lost money on his summer shows? I can’t say for sure, but I would doubt it.
@Milly can you please post links for your so called stats?
@Alison the only dillusional fans are the Adam Lambert fans that think he is so much better than Kris. Adam never went platinum. Kris and Adam both have a platinum single. Kris and Adam both had successful tours. So again I ask when every other winner and runner-up has gone platinum except for seasons 8 and 9, how is Adam so much better than Kris when compared to numbers they seem to be on the same field.
@Beth, No disrespect sista but you can not sat that guy had not done much of anything….How about all the Theme Parks and Dog Shows. He is appearing at Runways with his Dog, that in itself is a millionaire’s project lady.
Joanne, sorry, I think I was unclear in my earlier comment – I didn’t mean venues were switched for his headlining tour, I meant that they had to book smaller venues for later dates after the opening dates sold so badly.
If you are drawing 6k from a show that has two bands to pay before you even think about the venue and promoter and stuff you are losing money and the few headlining gigs he did get later on were all tiny, 500 seater affairs.
@mike, Adam’s album never went platinum, but it still sold 500k more than Kris Allen’s. Kris Allen has a platinum single in the US, Adam has a platinum single, a gold single and a gold album, both of which have sold over 800k. Adam had a 70+ date headlining tour with an average gate of about 2.5k and 95% percent sales, Kris had a tiny headlining tour that was selling around 600 tickets (on a good day).
And that is before we even look outside the US.
>>So again I ask when every other winner and runner-up has gone platinum except for seasons 8 and 9
That is simply not true. David Archie didn’t go platinum, in fact I think the only runner-up that has gone platinum might be Clay Aiken (and Daughtry ofc but he was not a runner-up)? That was a completely different era both for AI (height of popularity) and album sales (people still bough albums).
Clay Aiken has 2 albums that were multi platinum. No maybe about it. One went triple platinum. He is the only runner up to go platinum and the only one to sell over 7 million albums WW.
@@Beth… Theme Parks and Dog shows??? Wow you are so mean lady. Where exactly did you get that? How about you stop lying and tell the truth how magnificent of a vocalist Kris is. He can hit any note, he plays tons of instruments, and he is a nice human being who raises money for different charities and he plays at charity events. I have been to multiple shows of him and all were sold out, atleast 1000 people in each venues and he is not boring at all. He is very alive and entertaining on stage and very funny. He has sold tons of albums, platinum single and he is well known world wide. I have friends in Europe who want to see him do concerts over there. He is not what you say he is. He is a good christian and a happily married man who is very handsome and sexy.
sorry but you know that there is a billboard boxscore for shows people do. It’s stats for how many people came and how much money was made. You can look up Kris Allen’s boxscore to see how his shows did. People aren’t lying the boxscores aren’t very good…
Alex, I know Clay went platinum, the question was about whether any other runner up had reached platinum. I checked, the answer is no, so mike was lying when he claimed every winner and runner-up had gone platinum before season 8. Every WINNER had hit platinum – even taylor hicks got platinum certification – despite selling only 700k. Kris was the first winner who didn’t even achieve gold but Adam is the closest to platinum for a runner up since Clay.
Also, Clay’s sales are from a bygone era. Adam’s US sales aren’t that far behind Kelly & Daughtry for their latest albums and that is from far less radio play. Even the might Carrie Underwood has only just hit 2x platinum. Clay I think sold about 60k?
@Rita They’re getting it from his official show list lol. He’s done a number of shows at Six-Flags and recently did a Dog Show set in FL. Which, not surprisingly, has 200 few people in attendance than the number of people who went to the actual dog show. Jive releases this info, btw. You can look it up on his official site, the same way you can look up concert stats on Billboard’s boxscores, or AL’s on his site.
So you want to call someone out for disrespecting Kris Allen but it’s ok for you to disrespect Adam Lambert? So unless we like who you like then we should not have an opinion, correct? Kris worldwide tour…. that’s laughable! Was Kris also nominated for a Grammy Award? go take your poster of Kris, go outside & wish upon a star, then all your lies might come true!
RITA…face the truth, Kris is MARRIED. his marriage proposal to you ONLY happened in your DREAM…
get over it girl…and start living in reality, outside the world you and Kris live as a couple.
why do people always disrespect Kris Allen on EW he won over Lambert get over it already, plus “Live Like you Were Dying” sold more copies then any of the singles Lambert released!
Kris Allen has definitely done something worthy. His single Live Like We’re Dying has sold more than 1.6 million copies and went Top 10 in 3 different formats! He had a headlining U.S. tour (which drew more than 500 people at a lot of dates, BTW) and he opened for Keith Urban, Maroon5, Lifehouse and Barenaked Ladies, which gave him exposure to a lot of potential fans outside the Idol bubble. He’s currently working hard on his 2nd album. There have been all kinds of people tweeting about working with him on this new music. They are all full of praise for him as a singer and musician.
Not to mention, he is the nicest guy and is during all this charity work for music education in the schools. He has also done relief work in Haiti and in Africa since he won Idol.
I’m really tired of people insulting him — or any of the other Idols, for that matter. You don’t like someone’s music? That’s fine. But maybe you should do some research on their careers before you blindly dismiss them. The majority of the Idols who have finished in the Top 2 in any season have had at least some sort of success — just because they aren’t all big stars or you personally don’t like them or their music doesn’t mean they are failures or deserve to be insulted.
@Milly where did u get the info that only 500 people showed up. I have seen all his concerts on YouTube and there was never less that 10,000 there. Asia is on the other side of America so yea I’d consider that a World Tour.
(which drew more than 500 people at a lot of dates, BTW)…. you are bragging about this? The last couple of shows he wasn’t even able to get 200 people to show. A lot of times he had to give away tickets for free. I actually like Kris but people trying to say he is successful is hilarious.
@Mike you are hilarious!!! 10,000 people? LMFAO I can’t. There are hundreds of reports from critics and people at he concert that is supposed to seat 500 people and having only 200 or 300 people show up
His largest solo show pulled in around 2k, you’re right, but his average showing per venue was around 500. At some shows, he didn’t even pull in half the venue size. And completely ignoring his touring stats, he’s only had one successful song. If his next album fails to produce anything, he’ll be known as a one hit-wonder (if that, since most people don’t even know who sings LLWD). His album has failed to gain gold status and his latter two singles did very badly. He’s the second worst selling Idol winner after Lee, and that includes his platinum single (every Idol winner except Lee and Taylor have produced at least one platinum single, btw).
You’re doing him a diservice by hyperbolizing his successes. He’s an inventive artist, as shown on the show, but he’s not yet lived up to that outside it. I’d argue neither has Adam Lambert, who has been more successful post-show than Kris. Neither compare to David Cook sales wise the year before, even if Lambert is a little more well-known as a name around the world.
@Mike I got the numbers from the actual venue stats. He never pulled in 10k a show he was headlining alone. Perhaps when he was opening, but never for a headlining show. They never even booked him for venues that would hold that many. Like Lambert, his management was smart and went with smaller venues. Unlike Lambert, Kris had trouble filling those venues a lot of the time (there was one instance in TN where he barely reached 300 in a 700 capacity venue).
Kat
I was at his last headlining show. It was sold out. I’m guessing you weren’t there, since you have no clue about how many people were at the gig.
And I hate to break this to you, but promoters and/or radio stations give out free tickets to pretty much anyone’s concerts — they give out free tickets to Adam’s shows, Daughtry’s shows, Kelly’s shows, David Cook’s shows, etc. etc. etc. Just the other day I heard radio stations announce a contest to win tickets to U2 and Bon Jovi shows. And I won free tickets to a My Chemical Romance show a few months back. This isn’t something that is unique to Kris’s concerts.
I’m not going to claim Kris is this wildly successful artist or that he draws huge crowds to his show. I would agree that he isn’t a star. But neither is he this failure some of you want to try to make him out to be. He’s doing fine — in fact, he’s one of Jive’s most successful artists over the past year-and-a-half. Maybe you can argue that has more to do with Jive’s roster than with him, but it is still a fact.
There have been a lot of people who were so sure he’s get dropped by his label. Not only hasn’t that happened, he’s currently working on his 2nd album for Jive, which should be out this fall. Sorry if that disappoints/angers the haters…
They were giving out free tickets AT the concert. Kind of different then a radio station trying to get attention and people to call in.
Jive has the repetition of dropping people left and right. Some people have been dropped right before they release their album. We will see how Kris does, but I can almost guarantee that if Kris doesn’t sell well he will be dropped. Jive focuses on their big names that sell well. Now you tell me… Britney Spears vs Justin Timberlake… vs Kris Allen?
Mike you are beyond delusional. Three gigs in Asia straight after his album was released is not a world tour, it is a short promotional tour of asia. You are dreaming if you think he was playing to crowds of 10,000 every night – with the exception of Keith Urban, most of the acts he supported were drawing crowds smaller than for the Glamnation tour. Example – both Glamnation and BNL+Kris Allen were booked at the Warfield. Glamnation sold out two nights, Kris and BNL were DOWNSIZED to a smaller venue because ticket sales were so poor. Even when he supported Daughtry they only shifted 5k tickets, something the glamnation tour managed to do every time it was booked for a 5k venue.
Also this: “He had a headlining U.S. tour (which drew more than 500 people at a lot of dates, BTW) ”
Is simply not true. He had a headlining tour of a FEW gigs when he started out. Those gigs were only selling 5-600 tickets for 1,500 capacity venues and the headlining gigs dried up.
If kris is doing so well, why do his fans feel the need to lie about what he has done?
@alison
GET IT
Adam does charity work as well. DonorsChoose funds arts education in schools all over the country. Charity: Water provides fresh drinking water in areas that don’t have the infrastructure. As far as the World Tour he headlined (never had to open for anyone)he did most of Europe and many Asian countries.
You people do realize that anyone can afford Kris Allen for his/her wedding right? Of course if you want your guests to sleep at their tables and if you are serving cookies and coffee that is…. The guy gets 5-10K per gig…Geezzz people. No one knows who he is and he is not an entertainer…Period!
LOL Gareth you cruel! Funny but mean!
@sara Cruel and funny but also TRUE! I can’t stop imagining the guests LOL
Kris is a superstar compared to Lee.
@Mike… True Allen is a superstar compared to Lee… I think I can afford Lee for my kid’s birthday.
Many (like me) can’t STAND Chris (no personality) Daughtry! Ugh!
We are talking about American Idol finalists and even though I am not a Kris Allen , I will always cherish his singing on “heartless” and “she works hard for the money”.
One thing that surprises me is that in the show’s intro, they show little snippets of previous winners AND Adam Lambert. WTF? How come he’s the only non-winner who shows up in the intro to the show?
Chris Daughtry is in the intro! Best idol ever!
Adam Lambert was very good the year he competed. A few times he was over the top, but he knew how to present himself performance wise. And I thought Chris Daughtry was superb his year–he brought a whole different approach to each of his performances. I think that he’s been a huge influence on James Durbin as well as Adam Lambert.
Adam Lambert said he was influenced by David Cook and David Cook said he was influenced by Daughtry.
sorry…i might be in the minority here, but i just canNOT stand Daughtry, either. His voice is just sooooo bland, nothing disctinct about it. he sounds like many other rockers, the same as Dave Cook (remember: vocal wise).
my favorite rockers on AI remain to be Bo Bice, Constantine Marules (dunno the spelling), Carly (the Irish tattooed girl, forgot last name) and Adam Lambert. With the addition of James Durbin. Oh, and Michael Johns (is that the name? the Australian guy, who left the show too soon).
And another thing with Daughtry..AND Cook (come to think of it) are they look so smug. Simon pointed it out for Cook, early in the game, thus, he rather self introspected himself a little afterward. With Daughtry, i gotta admit i was kinda glad with the way Ryan kicked him off the show…mean and heartless, but it’s classic television.
They also show Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson.
Maybe you should get a new prescription for your glasses. Daughtry & Jennifer Hudson also show up. They are showing the winners and the most popular and successful.
If that’s the case, why is Lambert in there? He sure as hell isn’t anywhere never the most successful runner-ups. He doesn’t even have a Platinum cd, and it’s two years after his season, and how many trips to Idol to push him? The hype is in full swing, but he sure isn’t living up to it!
He is not the only non-winner shown. They show Adam, Daughtry, and Jennifer Hudson and they all deserve to be there based on what they have accomplished as a result of being in the AI competition. I think it sends a good message, you do not always have to win 1st place to succeed. Good for AI.
Popularity is too subjective. The three non-winners are all Grammy Nominees. My favorite is hands down Adam Lambert. His originality can’t be matched!
Fantasia is a Grammy winner. So is Carrie, I think. Not sure about other winners.
Yeah, Carrie has won five Grammy’s and Kelly has won two. They are the only winners and contestants to win a Grammy.
Chris Daughtry, Adsam Lambert and Jennifer Hudson are all shown in the intro. Adam isn’t the only non-winner in that.
he’s not, they also show chris daughtry and jennifer hudson.
It’s not surprising that Adam shows up so much associated with Idol. His manager is Simon Fuller who has made millions off the backs of the idols and will spend tons of $ to get Adam gigs on TV.
No idol has the money spent on promotion as Adam does yet Adam didn’t make platinum. Simon Fuller is still trying to push Adam and determined to make him a star…no matter if it is bought and paid for.
Rick you are such a jealous idiot. Simmon Fuller doesn’t spend tons of money on Adam…….Adam even financed his own 6 month tour.
Baby, in today’s music world, EVERY star is bought and paid for.
Think about it?? Why would Adam be up there?? Huh?? Maybe because he is one of the most noteworthy Idol contestants ever! Sure Carrie and Kelly are more famous – but next to them is Adam Lambert.
Kelly, Carrie, Adam, and this season, James Durbin and Pia Toscano. Haley Reinhart and Scotty McCreery’s jumping in my bias list as well.
WAKE UP U GUYS BO BUICE EAS THE BEST PERFORMANCE EVER!
Wake up so you can fix your spelling.
@anon-i-mouse, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry are in there too right beside him.
scottys ring of fire was AWSOME
Sorry. Scotty isn’t in the same league.
Kelly Clarkson is hands down the best. The second best is Kris Allen because of the group of people since the show allowed contestants to play their instruments and show more artistry, he was one of the few who showed flexibility, an ability to adapt and true artistry. Other have (like the runner up last year), but he showed it and WON! Plus, he did it all while being super nice.
where is Kris Allen now?
Kris has been on tour with Lifehouse. He may not be tearing up the charts, but he has a career, so good for him.
Kris is also working on his second album. It should be out summer or fall of this year and I can’t wait to hear it.
He’s in LA making his second album.
Kelly Clarkson and Kris Allen are hands down my favorites, though I’ve liked quite a few. Kris has been performing non-stop (not just a few shows) as both headliner and support to some top name bands. He’s also *actively* been involved in numerous charities such as Music Empowers and Tom’s Shoes. He’s not tabloid fodder, so you’ve probably missed all that. I’ll be going to see him headline closing night of the LA County Spring Fair next week.
about to get dropped from his label
kris isn’t seen in the media because nobody could care less about him, except for the 5 people posting here about him now.
@mike at least Mike will buy his album. I think he will just have to worry about anyone else buying it. He doesn’t even have any big names to back him up this time. Poor Kris :’(
Kat
You can say that until you are blue in the face, but he’s not getting dropped by his label anytime soon. He’s currently in L.A. working on his 2nd album — Kris has said it should come out in late summer/early fall.
Among the people he’s collaborating with on this album are the guy who produced the Neon Trees album, as well as songwriter/producers who have worked with (among others) Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Brown and Justin Bieber.
And just because he’s not in the gossip columns means nothing. Most musicians don’t live lives that get them in the tabloids or gossip columns — in fact, among the ex-Idols, the only ones I ever see in those publications are Carrie, Fantasia and Adam. For instance, I rarely see press that isn’t related to their actual concerts or album/single releases about Kelly or Chris Daughtry — that lack of press doesn’t seem to have hurt their careers. And NO, I’m not claiming Kris is anywhere near as successful as either Kelly or Chris, because he obviously isn’t. I’m just saying that showing up in tabloids/gossip columns has little to nothing to do with how successful you are.
Prolly grooming his dog????
He played the Dogapalooza Dog Show in Clearwater, Florida a few weeks ago. Tickets were $10. I didn’t bother to go.
Kris is no where near second best. I think Fantasia is second followed by Carrie then David Cook. Kris is maybe 7th best
I would say Kelly/Cook, followed by Adam, Carrie, Kris, and Tasia.
Lol!!! I don’t think Kris Allen will ever be accused of being the best anything. Aren’t you precious. Kelly yes, Kris no
To each his own to ms Kris yes Kelly no
I think Kris Allen is by far the best, also. Sorry, don’t get Kelly, though she seems like a good ol’ gal.
Kris must be something right, or else you and way too many other people on this site wouldn’t be so concerned about him.
Joanne,
You obviously don’t know jives reputation. They have dropped people RIGHT before an album releases. They focus on their big names. Considering they have people like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears you can see how that goes.
I didn’t say anything about being in gossip columns. People just have no idea who Kris Allen is. Look at his twitter followers or yt views or fb fans. People just don’t care.
Ok, I went and looked.
He’s got more than 250,000 followers on twitter and more than 750,000 on FaceBook. He’s got millions of views on YouTube (one single YT of LLWD alone has more than 3 million. )That doesn’t exactly scream “no one cares”
You may not be impressed by his sales, but the cold hard fact is that Kris is still one of Jive’s most successful artists since November 2009 (when his album was released). It’s not like Jive has so many big stars on their roster that they are going to drop someone who is among their Top 5 sellers in the past 18 months. Now, if album #2 doesn’t sell and/or his lead single off that CD tanks, maybe then Jive will drop him a year or so down the road. But as of right now, that isn’t likely to happen. I’m not saying it’s not impossible, but it’s unlikely.
Kris played an average guitar at best and only started playing piano two years prior. His voice was average but he was cute. Adam had the voice and personality that didn’t compare. It’s just little girls and old ladies won’t vote for guys like Adam. We’ll probably see another white guy win for the 4th year in a row. I’ll watch Adam’s Glam Nation Live instead of IDOL.
Adam
I liked Jacob Lusk’s analogy of why he chose Fantasia because of their similar backgrounds of singing in church and in choirs. He could relate to her more than the others.
There’s only one choice to this question and it is Adam Lambert. He has the best voice, largest range and was a consummate professional from the get go. Everyone else had to be coached, groomed, stylized and given stage presence and the star vibe. No one even comes close, nor I suspect, will anyone in the future. There is only one in a generation, and Adam is it.
huh?
Agree with you wholeheartedly about Adam!!!!! He’s in a whole different league than all the other singers.
Adam Lambert completely rocked my world in AI Season 8. I am decades beyond being a teeny-bopper but was totally blown away by each of his performances.
Adam Lambert is the best contestant to come from Idol ever! He is the whole package, great personality, great stage presence and the best vibes ever! There never will be anyone that can out sing Adam. He is a superstar. I will not compare him to anyone because he has no comparison.
Adam is the best male singer ever! He is the whole package.Handsome, humble, loves to entertain, and that VOICE! Even the Idol judges have commented that Adam is in a league of his own.
Kelly Clarkson and David Cook because they each championed what Idol became in their eras (pre and post instruments). Neither was EVER karaoke, both took big risks musically that paid off, and both were role models of future idol contestants in their eras whether those future contestants choose to admit it or not.
This is the best answer! ITA.
David Cook and Chris Daughtry. Both are much better than the show.
100% AGREE…David Cook is an amazing singer/songwriter musician and live in concert he is even better. Love Daughtry. Heard he is working on his next album as well!!! Two of the best for sure and definitely my favorites (Carrie, Kelly, & Jordin are also good)
I’d agree with Daughtry but Cook is rocker lite. If he was on Season 10 he would have already been voted off. Except for Archuleta season 7 was light in talent.
Obviously, you’ve never heard David Cook in concert.
I like Daughtry but on the show I found him a little dull. He sang really well but he after awhile he sang everything the same way and always seems sulky. Cook was a more exciting contestant, and way more versatile. After the show Daughtry’s style was not a problem because he didn’t need to go out of his wheelhouse anymore.
David Cook is anything but rocker lite when you see him perform live. He just did an acoustic show yesterday in Vegas and it was really good.
His new single comes out on April 19th and his album should be released in June.
You’re crazy. David Cook would win this season handily. In fact, I think half of the season 7 contestants are better than all of season 10.
Kelly Clarkson, first Amer. Idol
Will Young, first Pop Idol
Although not my cup of tea, Carrie Underwood, BUT her “Think Before you Cheat” song is my personal anthem.
For non-winners – Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert (if he will just record the right song), and I got sucked into Clay Aiken back in the day.
Clay Aiken? You admit to that?
The guys in my fraternity owe a debt of gratitude to Clay Aiken. They would bring girls back to the house, dim the lights, put on some Clay, and then get it on.
Darin……what alternate universe is that? What kind of freaky girls are those? Your frat brothers a little desperate?
Clay Aiken is awesome. People should come out of the closet and admit they like him. Be out and proud!
@Dean – I have to admit it. I own Measure of a Man and I played that CD over and over years ago. When Clay was competing on AI, his Bridge Over Troubled Water brought me to tears. Women loved Clay.
Many women still love Clay, he is amazing and an icon as much as AI try to ignore him.
Clay still has many fans. Just went to his last concert in Waterbury, CT. The place was packed, the crowd showed him the love and it wasn’t just women. There were people of all ages there and Clay gave us a great show. He is doing amazingly well for someone who receives no promotion or radio play.
Good to hear that about Clay. The last I heard he was on Broadway and haven’t heard what he’s been up to lately. So that’s great!
Go buy some of his latest albums. Clay Aiken is awesome!
LeeAnn–He filmed a special concert for PBS just a little over a year ago. The DVD is available at Amazon. He also toured with Ruben last summer and just finished another solo tour.