Tag: American Idol (51-60 of 176)

Jan 10 2012 03:50 PM ET

'American Idol' alum Casey Abrams gets a record deal: Watch his celebratory music video here

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In case you haven’t been keeping track, a whole slew of record deals have come out of American Idol season 10.

Winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina both scored contracts and currently have albums on the chart (in fact, McCreery’s Clear As Day was awarded platinum certification yesterday), as does fourth-place finalist James Durbin.

Haley Reinhart, who finished in third, is currently working on her debut with Interscope, Pia Toscano, despite a ninth-place rank, scored a contract as well, and Stefano Langone (who’s apparently dating Ms. Reinhart) signed a management deal with 19 Entertainment.

But a record deal has continually evaded one of season 10′s buzziest (and most talented) contestants: Casey Abrams. Well, all that changed yesterday: EW has confirmed that Abrams is now signed with Concord Records, the jazz label that is also home to Esperanza Spalding, Carole King, and Kenny G.

Casey, who growled, scatted, and plucked his upright bass to a sixth-place finish, was clearly excited (and a little nervous) about the news, so he made a video to express himself.

Check out the totally delightful clip below: READ FULL STORY »

Dec 20 2011 02:53 PM ET

David Archuleta to serve Mormon mission

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American Idol runner-up David Archuleta will take a break from his singing career to serve a two-year proselytizing mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The contestant from the 2007-2008 season made the announcement during a Christmas concert Monday in downtown Salt Lake City, according to the Deseret News. The 20-year-old Miami native, who grew up in Murray, Utah, said he’s not quitting music, but feels a strong call to serve the church. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 6 2011 03:08 PM ET

Kris Allen talks to EW about working on his second album: What does he need to prove this time around?

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Image Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

EW caught up with American Idol season 8 winner Kris Allen on the Trevor Live red carpet this weekend, and the singer told us that he is hard at work on his second album, a follow-up to his 2009 self-titled release.

“We’ve moved past the writing process mostly and have moved onto the recording portion,” Allen says. “I’ve been working a lot with Tim Pagnotta, who produced and wrote some of the last Neon Trees album.”

The singer says that he’s particularly excited about a new track called “Out Alive,” which he believes “has possible single potential,” though it’s too soon to tell.

Allen has a quite a bit to prove with his sophomore post-Idol record. The charming but decidedly low-key songster’s debut sold about 329,000 copies (less than half of season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment), and it only spawned one real hit: the Script cover “Live Like We’re Dying.” (Although, if you ask me, his reggae-tinged Idol coronation song could have been pretty popular if they’d actually released it as a single.)

Other Idol winners who have earned lackluster sales — like Lee DeWyze, Ruben Studdard, and Taylor Hicks — have been unceremoniously dropped from their labels, but RCA/Jive must see something in Allen to give him this second chance. Recording a full album is not a cheap affair, but I do have to wonder whether Allen’s sales will justify the financial commitment.

What do you think? Has the buzz around Kris Allen worn off, or are you still excited about the onetime champ? What do you want to hear on his new album? And will he ever be able to achieve sales on the level of say, fellow Idol Scotty McCreery?

Read more:
EW Exclusive: Kris Allen performs a ‘reggae’ acoustic ‘No Boundaries’
‘American Idol’ roundup: New videos from Haley Reinhart, James Durbin, and Daughtry!
Adam Lambert on VH1′s ‘Behind the Music’: His struggle with his sexuality

Nov 17 2011 02:31 PM ET

'American Idol' roundup: See new videos from Haley Reinhart, James Durbin, Anoop Desai, and Daughtry!

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If you, like me, are an American Idol junkie and love to follow the careers of former contestants to see who has the grit to make it in a cruel post-Idol world, November has been a fun month.

Not only have Season 10 non-winners Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, and James Durbin (affectionately referred to as “The Durbs” by EW’s Dalton Ross) all released new music videos, but fellow contestant Paul McDonald recorded a surprisingly un-Twilight duet with his wife Nikki Reed, and older faces like Anoop Desai, Didi Benami, and Chris Daughtry have given us new music as well.

Below, check out Haley and Casey’s “Baby It’s Cold Outside” duet, which they recently told me “reminds you of the fireplace,” James Durbin’s fiery video for debut single, “Love Me Bad,” Anoop Desai’s sad but pretty “Want Your Love,” Daughtry’s live concert video of hard-rocking “Renegade,” and a quick preview of  dismissed-too-soon Didi Benami’s new project with singer-songwriter Keaton Simons. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 14 2011 05:34 PM ET

Newlyweds Paul McDonald and Nikki Reed record duet: Listen here!

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Image Credit: Charley Gallay/WireImage.com

There’s nothing like young love.

In “Now That I’ve Found You” a song sung by season 10 American Idol contestant Paul McDonald and his brand-new wife, Twilight actress Nikki Reed, the duo offer up a sweet ode to romance.

With McDonald writing the melody and Reed penning the lyrics, the song isn’t stand-out memorable, but it sure is a nice treat and makes for some easy listening, making me think of picnics in the park and summer walks. The bluegrass-feeling tune (loving that harmonica!) stays in McDonald’s folk and country wheelhouse, with Reed providing some welcome back-up.

Take a listen below: READ FULL STORY »

Nov 2 2011 09:00 AM ET

'Idol' alums Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams record 'Baby It's Cold Outside': Hear a preview here!

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Image Credit: Interscope

Season 10 of American Idol featured two of the jazziest contestants the show has ever hosted: Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams. The two growlers wowed audiences with their soulful performances, and their scat-tastic duet on “Moanin’” proved to be one of the highlights of the entire season.

Naturally, Haley and Casey didn’t want to let a good thing go, so they reunited to record the smooth Christmas classic “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which will be available for download on November 21.

You’ll have to wait until that day to hear the full track, but here on the Music Mix, we’ve got an exclusive 90-second preview of the seasonal anthem, which Abrams says “reminds you of the fireplace.” He lauds the track for being a “straight up a jazz standard” with “no four-on-the-floor bass drum.”

For the next 24 hours, give the sweetly sung song a listen below. After that, it’s gone! READ FULL STORY »

Oct 21 2011 04:21 PM ET

Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze both dropped by their record label: For 'Idol', what a difference a year makes

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Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox

American Idol Season 9 runner-up Crystal Bowersox has split with label RCA/Jive, a rep for the singer confirmed yesterday to TVLine.

Bowersox, whose debut album Farmer’s Daughter sold 210,000 copies (compared to Idol winner Lee Dewyze’s Live It Up, which moved just 168,000 copies.), said, “For not having any radio play and any great promotion, I think I’ve done pretty well on sales … I’m able to provide a good, comfortable life for my family, and that’s what I wanted out of it.” She says that she expects that her second album will be released independently.

Reports of Bowersox’s split arrive just two weeks after news that Lee DeWyze had been dropped by RCA as well. Apparently, Season 9 of American Idol, which many viewers felt was lackluster edition, just didn’t produce a bankable star. (Although, technically, the jury’s out on third-place finisher Casey James, who just released his debut country single “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night.” He seems to be Season 9′s last hope.)

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Image Credit: Frank Micelotta/Fox/Picture Group

Meanwhile, Season 10′s top two finishers, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, both of whom are managed by Interscope and signed to Mercury Nashville, are both kicking off their careers with decidedly healthier results.

In its first two weeks on the chart, Scotty McCreery’s Clear As Day has sold a strong 285,000 copies, while Lauren Alaina’s Wildflower managed to sell 69,000 copies (the best female country debut since 2006) in its debut last week. HITS Daily Double predicts that those titles will sell an additional 65,000 and 30,000, respectively, this week. Not too shabby for a couple of teens!

Perhaps the better numbers are a result of country audiences more willingly buying whole albums than pop listeners, or perhaps Scotty and Lauren benefited from October release dates, rather than the more competitive mid-November (Lee) and December (Crystal) dates of their predecessors. Or maybe audiences just like them more—after all, Scotty and Lauren fit into the smiley, bright-eyed, big-dreaming mold of American Idol better than the more subdued Bowersox and DeWyze.

Whatever the reason, McCreery and Alaina (and hopefully Haley Reinhart one day soon!) are re-establishing American Idol as a brand that can produce stars—so long as they aren’t named Pia Toscano, of course. She just never really happened, did she?

What do you think? Will Bowersox and DeWyze find success on the indie circuit? Will McCreery and Alaina experience career longevity? Sound off about all your favorite Idol-ites in the comments below!

Read more on EW.com:
Lauren Alaina debuts in fifth place on the Billboard 200
 ‘American Idol’ roundup: Four new music videos from non-winners: What do you think?
 Scotty McCreery sings the national anthem at the World Series

Follow Grady on Twitter: @EWGradySmith

Oct 20 2011 12:39 PM ET

Irish pop act Westlife announce 'amicable' split

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Image Credit: Getty Images

Many Irish eyes won’t be smiling today with the news that Westlife have split up. In a statement on their official website, the long-running pop act announced  their intention to go their separate ways following a farewell tour next year. The Irish quartet described the split as “entirely amicable.”

The boy band — who were signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco label until leaving the company earlier this year — never broke big here. But in Ireland and Great Britain they enjoyed a string of enormous hits including 1999′s “Swear It Again,” the first of the Westlife’s 14 U.K. chart-toppers.

In all, the group have have sold 44 million records around the world.

Read more:
20 Best Boy Bands Ever

Oct 16 2011 02:50 PM ET

'American Idol' roundup: Four new music videos from non-winners: What do you think?

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It’s always fun to follow the careers of American Idol contestants who don’t win the show.

Most of them fade into relative obscurity once the American Idols LIVE! tour wraps, but some score record deals and go on to have fruitful careers in the music biz.

Season 9 contestant Casey James came in third place on the show, but he was quickly signed to Sony Music Nashville, and with his just-released music video for extra smooth country single “Let’s Don’t Call it a Night,” he’s making his best effort to stay relevant post-Idol. (The single currently sits at number 43 on the country chart.)

Check out James’ video below, along with new-ish new music videos from Siobhan Magnus, Josh Gracin, and Brooke White’s duo Jack and White. Which ones sound/look best to you? READ FULL STORY »

Oct 12 2011 02:10 PM ET

Scotty McCreery sells 197,000 copies in first week: How does he stack up against other 'Idol' winners?

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Apparently, you love him this big!

Scotty McCreery’s debut disc Clear As Day debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 this week, selling 197,000 copies in its first week.

That makes McCreery, 18, the first American Idol winner to top the chart since Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard’s Soulful opened at number one back in 2003. It also provides the Idol franchise a much-needed success story.

McCreery’s strong sales week improves greatly upon the 39,000 debut tally that Lee Dewyze’s Live It Up notched last year, as well as the 80,000 first week sales of Kris Allen’s self-titled 2009 offering.

Of course, McCreery didn’t sell as many albums as past winners Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson, but considering the current state of the record industry, the fact that David Cook and Jordin Sparks’ sophomore albums both recently floundered, and the musical irrelevance of Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks these days, Idol was in dire need of a fresh star, and it looks like it’s got one with McCreery. READ FULL STORY »

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