1. Allison Iraheta has been discreetly making her way through the music industry since her fourth place finish on season eight. She is now the lead singer of Halo Circus and has been part of Rickey Minor’s house band.
2. This has lead her to performances on Idol, Dancing Withthe Stars, and The Four. And she is now one of the backup singers on Kelly Clarkson’s Meaning of Life Tour!
3. Fans were shocked when Haley Reinhart finished in second on season 10. But she signed a record deal with Interscope Records shortly after. Her first album was released to critical acclaim! She later became the first Idol alum to sing at Lollapalooza. Since then, she has performed multiple covers with Postmodern Jukebox and headlined a US tour in 2017.
4. While Danny finished in third place on the eighth season of Idol, his real rise to stardom didn’t come until years later. He signed with RCA Nashville at first before he moved musical direction to Christian music in 2011. His second full-length album was released in 2014. That and his following Christian singles have led to a GMA Dove Award and a Grammy nomination.
5. Another Idol contestant who has made her name in Christian music is Mandisa. She was on the fifth season of the show but only made it to ninth place. Mandisa is one of only a few Idol alumni to win a Grammy Award, for her album Overcomer. She has also been nominated for numerous GMA Dove Awards.
6. If you don’t remember anything about Elliott Yamin on Idol, you definitely still remember his song “Wait For You.” And that’s saying a lot! The hit single reached #13 on the US charts. To remind you, he finished third on the fifth season of the show. Elliott has since released four studio albums and two Christmas collections.