List of American Idol alumni album sales in the United States

American Idol alumni album sales in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article provides a list of albums recorded by alumni of the popular American televised singing competition American Idol in the post-Idol career. It only lists main albums released in the alumni's post-Idol career. American Idol compilations, individual artist's pre-Idol recordings, EPs, and compilation albums are not listed here, however, the numbers in parentheses may include sales from these releases. For complete list of releases including those not listed here for each artist, please see their individual discography pages (linked here in the total number in parentheses). Sales figure listed are for U.S. only.

Artists with sales of 500,000 or more albums

This first list only includes contestants with at least 500,000 total album sales. Total albums sold listed in this pages for each artist is shown first. Certification status of album for units shipped in U.S. (Gold, Platinum, and/or Multi-platinum) is shown if awarded. The numbers in parentheses are for sales for all albums including EPs and compilations which may not be listed here.

More information Contestant Total albums sold, First album ...
Contestant
Total albums sold		 First album Second album Third album Fourth album Fifth album Sixth album Seventh album Eighth album Ninth album Tenth album
1. Carrie Underwood
(season 4, winner)
16,389,000[1]		 Some Hearts
(November 15, 2005)
Arista Nashville
7,450,000[2]
9× Platinum[3]
Peak: #2		 Carnival Ride
(October 23, 2007)
Arista Nashville
3,400,000[4]
4× Platinum[5]
Peak: #1		 Play On
(November 3, 2009)
Arista Nashville
2,300,000[4]
3× Platinum[6]
Peak: #1		 Blown Away
(May 1, 2012)
Arista Nashville
1,853,200[7]
3× Platinum[8]
Peak: #1		 Storyteller
(October 23, 2015)
Arista Nashville
752,100[9]
Platinum[10]
Peak: #2		 Cry Pretty
(September 14, 2018)
Capitol Nashville
534,000[11]
Platinum[12]
Peak: #1		 My Gift
(September 25, 2020)
Capitol Nashville
628,000[13]
Gold[14]
Peak: #5		 My Savior
(March 26, 2021)
Capitol Nashville
293,000[15]
N/A
Peak: #4		 Denim & Rhinestones
(June 10, 2022)
Capitol Nashville
120,000 [16]
Peak: #10
2. Kelly Clarkson
(season 1, winner)
14,150,000[1]		 Thankful
(April 15, 2003)
RCA
2,800,000[1]
2× Platinum[17]
Peak: #1		 Breakaway
(November 30, 2004)
RCA
6,355,000[1]
6× Platinum[18]
Peak: #3		 My December
(June 26, 2007)
RCA
858,000[1]
Platinum[19]
Peak: #2		 All I Ever Wanted
(March 10, 2009)
RCA
1,004,000[1]
N/A
Peak: #1		 Stronger
(October 24, 2011)
RCA
1,129,000[1]
Platinum[20]
Peak: #2		 Wrapped in Red
(October 29, 2013)
RCA
942,000[1]
Platinum[21]
Peak: #3		 Piece by Piece
(March 3, 2015)
RCA
284,000[1]
Gold
Peak: #1		 Meaning of Life
(October 27, 2017)
Atlantic
68,000[22]
Gold
Peak: #2		 When Christmas Comes Around...
(October 15, 2021)
Atlantic
106,000[13]
Peak: #22[23]		 Chemistry
(June 23, 2023)
Atlantic
53,000 Peak: #6 [24]
3. Chris Daughtry
(as Daughtry)
(season 5, 4th place)
7,204,000[25]		 Daughtry
(November 21, 2006)
RCA
5,040,000[2]
6× Platinum[26]
Peak: #1		 Leave This Town
(July 14, 2009)
RCA
1,357,000[27]
Platinum[28]
Peak: #1		 Break the Spell
(November 21, 2011)
RCA
513,000[29]
Gold[30]
Peak: #8		 Baptized
(November 19, 2013)
RCA
270,000[31]
Gold[32]
Peak: #6		 Cage to Rattle[33]
(July 17, 2018)
RCA
24,000[34]
N/A
Peak: #10		 Dearly Beloved
(September 17, 2021)
Dogtree
88,000[35]
N/A
Peak: #50
4. Clay Aiken
(season 2, runner-up)
5,069,000[25]		 Measure of a Man
(October 14, 2003)
RCA
2,786,000[36]
2× Platinum[37]
Peak: #1		 Merry Christmas with Love
(November 16, 2004)
RCA
1,416,000[38]
Platinum[37]
Peak: #4		 A Thousand Different Ways
(September 19, 2006)
RCA
531,000[39]
Gold[37]
Peak: #2		 On My Way Here
(May 6, 2008)
RCA
165,000[39]
N/A
Peak: #4		 Tried and True
(June 1, 2010)
Decca
80,000 note 1[40]
N/A
Peak: #9 / #120		 Steadfast
(March 25, 2012)
Decca#120		 Christmas Bells Are Ringing
(November 22, 2024)
Alvis
5. Fantasia Barrino
(season 3, winner)
3,332,000[25]		 Free Yourself
(November 23, 2004)
J Records
1,839,000[36]
Platinum[41]
Peak: #8		 Fantasia
(December 12, 2006)
J Records
530,000[42]
Gold[41]
Peak: #19		 Back to Me
(August 24, 2010)
J Records
490,000[43]
N/A
Peak: #2		 Side Effects of You
(April 23, 2013)
RCA
300,000[44]
Peak: #2		 The Definition Of...
(July 28, 2016)
RCA
32,000[45]
Peak: #6		 Christmas After Midnight
(October 6, 2017)
Concord
Peak: #193		 Sketchbook
(October 11, 2019)
Rock Soul
10,000[46]
Peak: #62
6. Ruben Studdard
(season 2, winner)
2,644,000[25]		 Soulful
(December 9, 2003)
J Records
1,792,000[36]
Platinum[47]
Peak: #1		 I Need an Angel
(November 23, 2004)
J Records
483,000[48]
Gold[47]
Peak: #20		 The Return
(October 17, 2006)
J Records
238,000[48]
N/A
Peak: #8		 Love Is
(May 19, 2009)
Hickory Records
50,000[49]
N/A
Peak: #36		 Letters from Birmingham
(March 13, 2012)
Shanachie
17,000[50]
N/A
Peak: #150		 Unconditional Love
(February 4, 2014)
The Verve Music Group
6,000[51]
N/A
Peak: #46		 Ruben Sings Luther
(March 9, 2018)
SEG Music
N/A
N/A
Peak: n/a		 The Way I Remember It
(October 27, 2023)
SoNo Recording Group
7. Scotty McCreery
(season 10, winner)
2,264,000[25]		 Clear as Day
(October 4, 2011)
Mercury Nashville
1,166,000[52]
Platinum[53]
Peak: #1		 Christmas With Scotty McCreery
(October 16, 2012)
Mercury Nashville
382,000[54]
Gold[55]
Peak: #4		 See You Tonight
(October 15, 2013)
Mercury Nashville
269,900[56]
N/A
Peak: #6		 Seasons Change
(March 16, 2018)
Thirty Tigers
97,800[57]
Gold
Peak: #7		 Same Truck
(September 17, 2021)
Thirty Tigers
N/A
Peak: #86		 Rise & Fall
(May 10, 2023)
Thirty Tigers
8. Kellie Pickler
(season 5, 6th place)
1,557,000[25]		 Small Town Girl
(October 31, 2006)
BNA
900,000[58]
Gold[59]
Peak: #9		 Kellie Pickler
(September 30, 2008)
BNA
470,000[58]
N/A
Peak: #9		 100 Proof
(January 24, 2012)
BNA
90,000[58]
N/A
Peak: #7		 The Woman I Am
November 11, 2013
Black River Entertainment
47,000[60]
N/A
Peak: #19
9. David Cook
(season 7, winner)
1,510,000[4]		 David Cook
(November 18, 2008)
RCA
1,380,000[27]
Platinum[61]
Peak: #3		 This Loud Morning
(June 28, 2011)
RCA
133,000[62]
N/A
Peak: #7		 Digital Vein
(September 18, 2015)
InGrooves Music
11,000[63]
N/A
Peak: #35
10. Phillip Phillips
(season 11, winner)
1,495,000[25]		 The World from the Side of the Moon
(November 19, 2012)
Interscope
1,033,000[64]
Platinum[65]
Peak: #4		 Behind the Light
(May 19, 2014)
Interscope
123,000[66]
N/A
Peak: #7		 Collateral
(January 19, 2018)
Interscope
5,000
N/A
Peak: #141		 Drift Back
(June 9, 2023)
Interscope
11. Jennifer Hudson
(season 3, 7th place)
1,446,000[67]		 Jennifer Hudson
(September 30, 2008)
Arista
839,000[68]
Gold[69]
Peak: #2		 I Remember Me
(March 22, 2011)
Arista
459,000[70]
Gold[69]
Peak: #2		 JHUD
(September 23, 2014)
RCA
61,000[66]
N/A
Peak: #10		 The Gift of Love
(October 23, 2024)
Interscope[71]
12. Jordin Sparks
(season 6, winner)
1,313,000[72]		 Jordin Sparks
(November 20, 2007)
Jive
1,056,000[27]
Platinum[73]
Peak: #10		 Battlefield
(July 21, 2009)
Jive
190,000[74]
N/A
Peak: #7		 Right Here, Right Now
(August 21, 2015)
Louder Than Life
N/A
Peak: #161		 Cider & Hennessy
(November 26, 2020)
Disrupt Group
N/A
Peak: N/A		 No Restrictions
(September 13, 2024)
(Legacy Music Group)
13. Adam Lambert
(season 8, runner-up)
1,173,000[75]		 For Your Entertainment
(November 23, 2009)
RCA
863,000[76]
Gold[77]
Peak: #3		 Trespassing
(May 15, 2012)
RCA
197,000[78]
N/A
Peak: #1		 The Original High
(June 16, 2015)
Warner Bros Records
52,000[79]
N/A
Peak: #3		 Velvet
(March 20, 2020)
Empire Records
N/A
Peak: #89		 High Drama
(February 24, 2023)
BMG[80]
14. David Archuleta
(season 7, runner-up)
1,156,000[67]
 David Archuleta
(November 11, 2008)
Jive
765,000[81]
Gold[82]
Peak: #2		 Christmas from the Heart
(October 13, 2009)
Jive
246,000[83]
N/A
Peak: #30		 The Other Side of Down
(October 5, 2010)
Jive
67,000[81]
N/A
Peak: #13		 Forevermore
(March 26, 2012)
Ivory Records
N/A
N/A
Peak: N/A		 Begin.
(August 7, 2012)
Highway Records
14,000[84]
N/A
Peak: #28		 No Matter How Far
(2013)
E1 Music
5,000[85]
N/A
Peak: #110		 Postcards in the Sky
(October 20, 2017)
Archie Music
N/A
N/A
Peak: N/A		 Winter in the Air
(November 2, 2018)
Archie Music
N/A
N/A
Peak: #191		 Therapy Sessions
(May 20, 2020)
Archie Music
N/A
N/A
Peak: N/A
15. Gabby Barrett
(season 16, 3rd place)
1,000,000[86]		 Goldmine
(June 19, 2020)
Warner Music Nashville
1,000,000[86]
Platinum[86]
Peak: #4[87]		 Chapter & Verse
(February 2, 2024)
Warner Music Nashville		 Carols and Candlelight
(November 8, 2024)
Warner Music Nashville
16. Mandisa
(season 5, 9th place)
928,000[88]
 True Beauty
(July 31, 2007)
Sparrow
226,000[89]
N/A
Peak: #43		 It's Christmas
(October 14, 2008)
Sparrow
64,000[90]
N/A
Peak: #85		 Freedom
(March 24, 2009)
Sparrow
152,000[91]
N/A
Peak: #83		 What If We Were Real
(April 5, 2011)
Sparrow
270,000[92]
N/A
Peak: #66		 Overcomer
(August 27, 2013)
Sparrow
140,000[93]
N/A
Peak: #29		 Out of the Dark
(May 19, 2017)
Sparrow

N/A
Peak: #20
17. Josh Gracin
(season 2, 4th place)
804,000[72]		 Josh Gracin
(June 15, 2004)
Lyric Street
703,000[94]
Gold[95]
Peak: #11		 We Weren't Crazy
(April 1, 2008)
Lyric Street
86,000[96]
N/A
Peak: #33		 Redemption
(November 8, 2011)
Average Joe's
4,000[97]
N/A
Peak: N/A
18. Taylor Hicks
(season 5, winner)
768,000[67]		 Taylor Hicks
(December 12, 2006)
Arista
705,000[68]
Platinum[98]
Peak: #2		 The Distance
(March 10, 2009)
Modern Whomp
52,000[94]
N/A
Peak: #58
19. Bo Bice
(season 4, runner-up)
757,000[67]		 The Real Thing
(December 13, 2005)
RCA
673,000[68]
Gold[99]
Peak: #4		 See the Light
(October 23, 2007)
StratArt
62,000[100]
N/A
Peak: #150		 3
(May 18, 2010)
Saguaro Road
11,000[101]
N/A
Peak: #154
20. Elliott Yamin
(season 5, 3rd place)
696,000[72]		 Elliott Yamin
(March 20, 2007)
Hickory Records
RED Distribution
527,000[102]
Gold[103]
Peak: #3		 Sounds of the Season
(October 14, 2007)
Hickory Records
81,000[104]
N/A
Peak: #32		 My Kind of Holiday
(October 7, 2008)
TRP Records,
Fontana Distribution
27,000[105]
N/A
Peak: #162		 Fight For Love
(May 5, 2009)
Hickory Records
49,000[102]
N/A
Peak: #26		 Let's Get to What's Real
(March 27, 2012)
E1/Purpose Music Group
2,000[106]
N/A
Peak: N/A
Close

^Note 1 Aiken's album, Tried & True was re-packaged and re-released by Decca under the new name, Steadfast, concurrent with his appearance on The Celebrity Apprentice in 2012

Artists with sales of less than 500,000 albums

The following is a list of other American Idol alumni album sales and reflects that commercial success can be achieved through association with American Idol and with post-Idol promotion, although the degree of success varies considerably. This list only includes contestants who have numbers available, and again does not include EPs, American Idol compilations, or pre-Idol recordings, numbers in parentheses however may include sales from these releases:

More information Rank, Former Contestant ...
Rank Former Contestant Total Sales Albums
21. Katharine McPhee
(season 5, runner-up)
 475,000[67]
22. Lauren Alaina
(season 10, runner-up)
 459,500[67]
23. Bucky Covington
(season 5, 8th place)
did not chart		 436,000
24. Blake Lewis
(season 6, runner-up)
 413,000[72]
25. Kris Allen
(season 8, winner)
 401,600
26. William Hung
(Season 3, Auditioner)
 242,000
  • Inspiration (2004) #34 — 200,000[116]
  • Hung for the Holidays (2004) did not chart — 35,000[117]
  • Miracle: Happy Summer from William Hung (2005) did not chart — 7,000[117]
27. Kimberley Locke
(season 2, 3rd place)
 241,000[72]
28. Crystal Bowersox
(season 9, runner-up)
 230,000[72]
29. Danny Gokey
(season 8, 3rd place)
 204,000
30. James Durbin
(season 10, 4th place)
 194,000
31. Lee DeWyze
(season 9, winner)
 178,000
32. Diana DeGarmo
(Season 3, Runner-Up)
 168,000[125]
33. Justin Guarini
(season 1, runner-up)
 146,000
34. Haley Reinhart
(season 10, 3rd place)		 143,500
35. Colton Dixon
(season 11, 7th place)
 128,000
36. Tamyra Gray
(season 1, 4th place)
 123,000[118]
37. Jason Castro
(Season 7, 4th Place)
 105,000
38. Allison Iraheta
(Season 8, 4th Place)
 103,000[132]
39. Melinda Doolittle
(season 6, 3rd place)
 091,000[133]
40. Casey James
(season 9, 3rd place)
 077,000[52]
41. Chris Sligh
(season 6, 10th place)
 064,000
  • Running Back to You (2008) #190 — 54,000[134]
  • The Anatomy of Broken (2010) did not chart — 10,000[135]
42. LaToya London
(Season 3, 4th Place)
 058,000[118]
43. Phil Stacey
(season 6, 6th place)
 058,000
44. Mario Vazquez
(season 4, Top 12)
 056,000[136]
45. George Huff
(season 3, 5th place)
 52,000
  • Miracles (2005) did not chart — 29,000[118]
  • George Huff (2009) did not chart — 4,000[133]
46. Brooke White
(season 7, 5th place)
 048,000[137]
47. Carly Smithson
(as a part of We Are the Fallen)
(Season 7, 6th Place)
 041,000[139]
48. Jessica Sanchez
(Season 11, Runner-up)
 38,000
49. Kristy Lee Cook
(season 7, 7th place)
 032,000[140]
50. Candice Glover
(Season 12, Winner)
 027,000[141]
51. Casey Abrams
(season 10, 6th place)
 27,000[142]
52. Constantine Maroulis
(season 4, 6th place)
 25,000[143]
53. Caleb Johnson
(season 13, winner)
 024,000[144]
54. Paris Bennett
(season 5, 5th place)
 22,300
55. R. J. Helton
(season 1, 5th place)
 022,000[118]
56. John Stevens
(Season 3, 6th Place)
 021,000[118]
  • Red (2005) did not chart
57. Michael Johns
(season 7, 8th place)
 020,000[133]
58. Jasmine Trias
(season 3, 3rd place)
 014,000[118]
59. Ace Young
(season 5, 7th place)
 010,000[100]
60. LaKisha Jones
(season 6, 4th place)
 007,000[133]
61. Nick Fradiani
(season 14, winner)		 005,000[146]
62. Danny Noriega
(season 7, semi)		 005,000[147]
63. Trent Harmon
(season 15, winner)		 004,500[148]
64. Jim Verraros
(season 1, 9th place)		 004,300[118]
  • Rollercoaster (2005) did not chart
  • Do Not Disturb (2011) did not chart
65. Carmen Rasmusen
(season 2, 6th place)
 003,100[118]
66. Kimberly Caldwell
(season 2, 7th place)
 003,000[91]
67. Ayla Brown
(season 5, Top 16)
 003,000[149]
68. Corey Clark
(season 2, 9th place)
 002,600[118]
69. Tim Halperin
(Season 10, Semifinal)
 002,000[150]
  • Rise and Fall (2011) did not chart
70. Jon Peter Lewis
(Season 3, 8th Place)
 001,600
  • Stories from Hollywood (2006) did not chart — 1,100[118]
  • Break the Silence (2008) did not chart — 500[151]
71. Michael Sarver
(season 8, 10th place)
 001,000[152]
  • Michael Sarver (2010) did not chart
72. Kree Harrison
(season 12, runner-up)
 000900[153]
  • This Old Thing (2016) did not chart
Close

References

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