- Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24 1982) is an American pop singer from Texas. Clarkson made her debut under RCA Records after she won the highly publicized first season of the television series "American Idol" in 2002. She was originally marketed as a pop musician with her debut album "Thankful" (2003). With the release of her multi-platinum second album "Breakaway" (2004), Clarkson moved to a more pop rock-oriented style of music, …
- Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell (born 7 October, 1959) is an English artist and repertoire ("A&R") executive for Sony BMG in the United Kingdom, but is known as a judge on television programs such as "Pop Idol", "The X Factor", "American Idol" and "Britain's Got Talent". He is notorious for his unsparingly blunt and often controversial criticism of the contestants. He is known for combining activities in the television and music industries, …
- Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American pop country music singer who won the fourth season of "American Idol". She has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist. Her debut album, "Some Hearts", was certified 6x platinum, and is the fastest selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history.
- Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American television personality, jewelry designer, multi-platinum selling singer, and Emmy Award-winning choreographer. In the 1980s, Abdul rose from being a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team to being a sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era, then to being a Pop-R&B singer with a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
- Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken (born Clayton Holmes Grissom on November 30, 1978) is an American pop singer who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program "American Idol" in 2003. After placing second, RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album "Measure of a Man" was released in October 2003.
- Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks (born on December 22, 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American singer. On May 23, 2007, she was declared the winner of the sixth season of the reality television show "American Idol". At 17, this makes her the youngest winner in "American Idol" history. In addition, she is the only winner who is from the Southwestern United States, rather than the Southern United States
- Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. She first gained notice as one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX television series "American Idol". She went on to star as Effie White in the 2006 musical film "Dreamgirls", for which she won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a SAG Award, as well as two BET Awards.
- Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American pop singer who was the runner-up to Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of "American Idol" in 2006.
- Chris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry (born December 26 1979) is an American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist of Daughtry, a band he formed in 2006. He is also known as the fourth-place finalist on the highly publicized fifth season of "American Idol", rejected from the competition on May 10 2006. After his fallout from "Idol", his band's self-titled debut album sold more than 1 million copies after just 5 weeks of release.
- Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released two independent albums. He rose to prominence in the year 2006 as the winner of the fifth season of "American Idol". Upon winning the music competition, he was signed to Arista Records, …
- Blake Lewis
Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American singer and beatboxer who was the runner-up to Jordin Sparks on the sixth season of "American Idol".
- Randy Jackson
Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a Grammy Award-winning American rock bassist, singer, record producer and Emmy Award-nominated television and radio personality, now best known as a judge on "American Idol".
- Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer and songwriter who finished sixth on the fifth season of the Fox television series "American Idol". Despite being eliminated, Pickler signed a recording contract with the record company BNA Records, a country label owned by RCA Records and Sony BMG Music Entertainment in conjunction with "Idol" series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited.
- Antonella Barba
Antonella Lynette Barba (born February 8, 1987) is an American singer who placed fifteenth on the sixth season of "American Idol". She was eliminated before the top 12 were chosen. However Barba and fellow contestant Sanjaya Malakar achieved cult status, the two achieved worldwide popularity on the internet and gossip magazines. Barba was born in California to parents Vincenzo and Valerie, and raised in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.
- Sanjaya Malakar
Sanjaya Joseph Malakar (born Sanjaya Shekar Malakar on September 10 1989) was a finalist on the sixth season of "American Idol". Malakar gained national attention on "American Idol" advancing to 7th place with public votes, despite being badly received by the show's judges, particularly Simon Cowell.
- Ruben Studdard
Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) is an American pop/R&B/gospel singer who rose to fame as winner of the second season of the "American Idol" television program.
- Elliott Yamin
Elliott Yamin (born Efraym Elliott Yamin on July 20, 1978) is an American singer who is known for being the third-place finalist on the fifth season of "American Idol".
- Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine (born March 18 1979) is the lead singer and the guitarist for the rock group, Maroon 5. Levine was born in Los Angeles, California to Patsy Noah and Fred Levine; Levine has one brother, Michael, a stepsister, Julia, and two half siblings, Sam and Liza, from his father's remarriage to Lisa. Lisa and Fred Levine own two fashion stores geared toward men. Because of this, Levine claims he's always been ahead of the fashion curve.
- Jessica Sierra
Jessica Ann Sierra (born November 11, 1985 in Tampa, Florida) is an American singer and was the tenth-place finalist on the fourth season of "American Idol". She was the third finalist eliminated, on March 30 2005.
- Bo Bice
Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr. (born November 1, 1975 in Huntsville, Alabama) is an American singer and musician who came in second in the fourth season of "American Idol". He is well known for his deep baritone style of singing, his control vibrato, and a unique style incorporating soul, country, blues and rock.
- Amy Adams
Amy Christina Adams (born July 25, 1979 in Kansas City, Kansas) is an American singer who is best known as the tenth-place finalist on the third season of the television series "American Idol". Adams was born in Kansas City and presently lives and works in Bakersfield, California as a professional makeup artist. Adams auditioned for "American Idol" in Atlanta, Georgia and was a member of the third group of semifinalists.
- Ace Young
Brett Asa "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He came to national recognition upon appearing on the fifth season of "American Idol", although he was eliminated from the competition on April 19 2006, finishing in seventh place. He's named after his maternal great grandmother and hall of fame baseball player George Brett, and hails from the same home town as Jessica Biel and former American Idol contestant Samantha Cohen.
- Melinda Doolittle
Melinda Marie Doolittle (born on October 6, 1977) is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of "American Idol". Prior to her appearance on "American Idol", Doolittle worked as a professional back-up singer for, among others, Michael McDonald, Kirk Franklin, Aaron Neville, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Alabama, Jonny Lang, and Vanessa Bell Armstrong.
- Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Monique Barrino (born June 30 1984), or simply Fantasia, is a Grammy nominated, award-winning, American pop, R&B, soul singer and Broadway actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the television series "American Idol" in 2004. Her first album, "Free Yourself", was a commercial success, earning her three Grammy nominations and selling over 2.1 million copies.
- Lakisha Jones
LaKisha Ann Jones (born January 13, 1980) placed fourth on the sixth season of "American Idol".
- Chris Richardson
Christopher Michael Richardson (born February 19, 1984) is an American singer who finished in the top six on the sixth season of "American Idol". He was eliminated on May 2, 2007.
- Chris Sligh
Charles Christopher Sligh (born April 13 1978) was a finalist on the sixth season of "American Idol". He was eliminated from the competition on March 28, 2007 finishing in tenth place.
- Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo (born June 16, 1987 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American singer and Broadway actress. She was the second place finalist to winner Fantasia Barrino on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series "American Idol", narrowly missing the win by about 2% (approximately 1.3 million votes) out of over 65 million votes.
- Constantine Maroulis
Constantine James Maroulis (born September 17, 1975 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rock singer, actor, and writer who was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Pray for the Soul of Betty and the sixth-place finalist on the fourth season of the popular reality television series "American Idol". He was eliminated from "American Idol" on April 27, 2005.
- Paris Bennett
Paris Ana'is Bennett (born August 21, 1988 is an American singer. She came to national recognition as a contestant on the fifth season of the reality television talent show, "American Idol", and was eliminated from the competition on May 3, 2006, finishing in fifth place. On May 8, 2007, Paris Bennett released her debut album "Princess P" on 306 Entertainment/TVT Records
- Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini is a singer/songwriter, actor who rose to fame in 2002, as the first runner-up on the debut season of the television show “American Idol”. His father, Eldrin Bell, is a former Atlanta Chief of Police. His mother, Kathy Pepino Guarini, was a journalist for WTVM TV in Columbus, and later for CNN. Guarini was raised by his mother and stepfather Jerry Guarini in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
- Haley Scarnato
Haley Suzanne Scarnato (born July 15, 1982) is an American singer who was the 8th place finalist on the 6th season of "American Idol"
- William Hung
William Hung (Traditional Chinese: 孔慶翔, Simplified Chinese: 孔庆翔, Cantonese Yale: Hung2 Hing3 Cheung4, Pinyin: Kǒng Qìngxiáng) (born January 13, 1983) is an American college student who gained fame in early 2004 as a result of his off-key audition performance of Ricky Martin's hit song "She Bangs" on the third season of the television series "American Idol".
- Bucky Covington
William Joel "Bucky" Covington III (born November 8, 1977) is an American Country Music Singer. He originally came to fame when he arrived at 8th place on the 5th season of "American Idol". In early 2006, he was the 5th contestant to be eliminated from the final 12. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records, and released the single, "A Different World", on January 16, 2007.
- Phil Stacey
Joel Philip Stacey (born January 21 1978) is an American singer and a top 6 finalist on season 6 of "American Idol". He auditioned in Memphis. He was eliminated from the competition, alongside Chris Richardson, on May 2, 2007
- Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe (born July 9, 1949 (age 58) in the Wirral) is an English television and film director and producer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows "Pop Idol" and "American Idol" as well as creating, executive producing and being a judge for "So You Think You Can Dance".
- Mario Vazquez
Mario Adrian Vazquez (born June 15, 1977) is a Puerto Rican-American singer from The Bronx, New York. He competed on American Idol's fourth season which aired on the FOX network in early 2005.
- Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller (born May 17 1960 in Hastings, England) is an English record and television producer who was known as the manager of the Spice Girls and S Club 7, as well as the creator of the Idol series, first seen as Pop Idol and over 50 other versions including "American Idol", "Australian Idol", "Canadian Idol", and "World Idol".
- Kimberly Caldwell
Kimberly Ann Caldwell (born February 25, 1982 in Katy, Texas) is an American singer best known for being a contestant on the second season of Fox Network's singing competition television show, "American Idol" and as a talk show host on the TV Guide Network. On Amerian Idol, she was the sixth finalist eliminated and finished in seventh place. Kim Caldwell first sang publicly at the age of five at beauty pageants.
- Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Dawn Locke (born January 3 1978 in Hartsville, Tennessee) is an American adult contemporary pop/R&B singer and plus-size fashion model. In recent years, Locke has had five consecutive top 10 Adult Contemporary hits, including two #1 songs. She gained fame with her participation in the 2003 "American Idol" television series, and is currently garnering media attention for her participation in "Celebrity Fit Club".