{"key":"19377","name":"Kelly Clarkson","bio":"Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, TX) is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Clarkson recorded her debut album with RCA Records after having won the highly-publicized first season of the television series American Idol in 2002. Though originally marketed as a pop musician, she eventually developed a more rock-oriented image. Her debut album, Thankful, was released in 2003 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with almost 300,000 copies sold in its first week, now certified double platinum with over 4.5 million copies sold. Her first single, A Moment Like This, broke the record for largest leap to #1, shooting from #52 to #1, where it remained for two weeks. The second single, Miss Independent, was also a success, hitting #1 on the US Top 40 Mainstream chart and remaining there for six weeks. Further singles Low and The Trouble With Love Is were released but failed to mimic the success of her previous songs. However, Low managed to become a hit in Canada and reached #2. To date, Thankful has been certified 2x Platinum in the United States, Platinum in Canada and Gold in Australia.Her second studio album, Breakaway, was released in 2004 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and also at #3 in the UK album charts. It is her biggest selling album to date, selling over 6 million copies in the US and 15 million worldwide, making it the most successful album released so far by an American Idol alumnus. The first single in the US, Breakaway, peaked at #6 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #22 in the UK. Arguably her biggest single from the album, Since U Been Gone followed and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the UK singles chart, marking the beginning of a successful worldwide music career for Clarkson. It won a Grammy award in 2006 for \"Best Female Pop Vocal Performance\". Behind These Hazel Eyes was the next single, reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK chart. Because Of You was then released to huge sucess, hitting #1 in 5 countries, peaking at #7 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK singles chart. Clarkson\u2019s final single, Walk Away, peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #21 on the UK singles chart. The album has been certified multi-platinum in at least 6 countries, going 7x Platinum in Ireland, 6x Platinum in the US and Australia, 5x Platinum in the UK and Canada, and 3x Platinum in New Zealand. The album won a Grammy award in 2006 for \"Best Pop Vocal Album.\"Clarkson\u2019s third album, entitled My December, was released in 2007. It peaked at #2 on the US and UK album charts. Her first single, Never Again, was released worldwide and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the UK singles chart. She then released Sober in America, which did not perform as well on the charts as Never Again, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. One Minute was subsequently released in Australia, peaking at #36 on the Australian singles chart. Don\u2019t Waste Your Time followed, peaking at #14 on the Australian singles chart. The album's somewhat disappointing performance may be attributed to ongoing negative press and poor publicity. Nonetheless, My December has been certified Platinum in the US, Australia and Canada, and Gold in the UK and Ireland.Clarkson\u2019s fourth album titled All I Ever Wanted was released in early 2009. Debuting at #1, it received favourable reviews from critics worldwide. The lead single, My Life Would Suck Without You, advanced from #97 to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its first week of release, breaking the record for the largest leap to the position in chart history. This marks the second time Clarkson has broken that record, the first time being with her single A Moment Like This. My Life Would Suck Without You also reached #1 in the UK charts, making it her first #1 there. Her second single from the album, I Do Not Hook Up, peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #36 on the UK singles chart. The third single from the album, Already Gone, was released on August 11, 2009 in America and the 21st in Australia. It has so far peaked at #12 in Australia, #15 in Canada, #23 in New Zealand, #66 in the UK, #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 8 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary songs chart. All I Ever Wanted was announced as the fourth single from the album and was released on March 9, 2010. All I Ever Wanted has charted at #1 in the US, #2 in Australia and Canada, #3 in the UK and #6 in New Zealand, selling over 1.2 million copies worldwide so far. The album received a 2010 Grammy nomination for \"Best Pop Vocal Album.\"Mr. Know It All, the first single from Clarkson\u2019s fifth album Stronger, debuted on August 30, 2011 during a live webcast hosted by the singer. The song was sent to radio for adds immediately after and was made available for download on September 5, 2011. It has since peaked in the top 20 of singles charts worldwide, including a #1 peak in South Korea, #1 in Australia, #4 in the UK, and #10 in the US, thus becoming her ninth top ten hit overall in the US. Stronger was released worldwide on October 24, 2011, charting at #2 in the US, #5 in the UK, #3 in Australia, and #4 in Canada. Stronger is her fifth consecutive album to debut within the top 3 in the US and has sold over a million copies worldwide since its release. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) was released in early 2012 to massive success; it became Clarkson's third #1 and tenth top-ten hit overall in the US, and likewise peaked in the top ten of countries worldwide. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) has since become Clarkson's biggest radio hit to date in the US and even topped the Billboard Dance charts, making Clarkson the only artist in history to have a #1 on Hot 100, Pop, Country, HAC, AC & Dance charts. Dark Side has since been announced and released as the album's third single worldwide.In a career spanning over a decade, Clarkson has accumulated ninety-one number ones on the Billboard charts and eleven international number one singles, and has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. She is known for her vocal versatility and range. Her music has mainly dealt with themes of heartbreak, independence, and self-empowerment for women and young teens. Apart from her work in music, Clarkson has also ventured into television and film. Clarkson's film debut was in the romantic musical From Justin to Kelly (2003) and she also appeared in American Dreams as Brenda Lee, in Reba, on The Voice as a guest advisor, on Duets as a mentor and judge. Clarkson's musical work has also gained her numerous accolades, including three Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, two American Country Awards, and a Women's World Award. In 2012, Clarkson was ranked nineteenth on VH1's list of \"100 Greatest Women in Music.\" In 2013, Clarkson was ranked number 105 on Joel Whitburn's \"Top 500 Artists Of All Time,\" number 5 on both \"Top Billboard 200 Female Artists\" and \"Adult Contemporary Artists,\" number 27 on \"Top Billboard 200 Artists,\" and number 75 on Billboard's \"Hot 100: Top 100 Artists.\" Billboard also ranked Clarkson as the 14th-best-selling artist of the 2000s and one of the top 200 album sellers of the Nielsen SoundScan era at number 187.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/19377_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"400,000 - 600,000"}

{"key":"1047","name":"Daughtry","bio":"Daughtry is a rock band from the McLeansville, North Carolina area that former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry formed in 2006. They're perhaps best known for their top 40 hits \"It's Not Over\" and \"Waiting for Superman\", those songs along with others receiving strong international airplay. Daughtry's self-titled debut album was released on November 21, 2006 by RCA and 19 Entertainment and quickly sold over a million copies. The band has incorporated influences from post-grunge artists as well as contemporary hard rock and alternative singer-songwriter music.Chris Daughtry (born December 26, 1979) is an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was the fourth-place finalist on the highly publicized fifth season of American Idol, eliminated from the competition on May 10, 2006. After his fallout from Idol, he was given a record deal by RCA Records. His self-titled debut album sold over 300,000 copies it's first week, and, with more than one million copies sold after just five weeks of release, 'Daughtry' became the fastest selling debut rock album in history.In the ninth week of release for 'Daughtry', the album also reached number one on the Billboard charts. Chris Daughtry is the third most successful American Idol contestant in the history of the show in terms of record sales, listed just behind Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood (who both won their seasons). He is the most successful contestant from his own season and also the most successful non-winner or non-runner up artist ever. At the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony, he was nominated for 4 awards, including 'Best Rock Album' as well as 'Best Rock Song' for \"It's Not Over\".Though Chris Daughtry, the lead singer of the band, is a talented songwriter, he still has collaborated with several other outside songwriters. These include LIVE's Ed Kowalczyk, Fuel's Carl Bell, Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down, Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Brent Smith of Shinedown, and SR-71 singer Mitch Allan. The group has also notably underwent huge tours over the past several years.Chris Daughtry wrote or co-wrote ten of the twelve songs on the debut album. His fellow bandmates include guitarist Josh Steely, guitarist Brian Craddock, and bassist Josh \"JP\" Paul. Former members include guitarist Jeremy Brady, who left the band in January 2007 to join a small North Carolina based group, and drummer Joey Barnes. Former Guns N' Roses member and musical legend Slash makes an appearance on the song \"What I Want\", playing lead guitar.'Leave This Town', coming out on July 14, 2009, was the second album released by Daughtry. The album debuted at #1 and quickly sold 269,000 copies. It didn't take long for the album to be RIAA certified as platinum.The first single off Daughtry's third album was \"Renegade\". The song was posted on September 15, 2011, to their official website. (Renegade Songfacts).Band lineup:Chris Daughtry \u2013 lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar (2006\u2013present)Josh Steely \u2013 lead guitar, backing vocals (2006\u2013present)Josh Paul \u2013 bass guitar, backing vocals (2006\u20132012, 2013\u2013present)Brian Craddock \u2013 rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2007\u2013present)Elvio Fernandes \u2013 keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (2011\u2013present)Current touring membersJamal Moore \u2013 drums, percussion (2014\u2013present)Former membersJeremy Brady \u2013 rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2006\u20132007)Joey Barnes \u2013 drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals (2006\u20132010)Robin Diaz \u2013 drums, percussion (2010\u20132014)Former touring membersAndy Waldeck \u2013 bass guitar, backing vocals (2012\u20132013)Brandon Maclin \u2013 drums, percussion (2014)Website: http:\/\/www.daughtryofficial.com\/","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/1047_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"150,000 - 300,000"}

{"key":"19994","name":"Adam Lambert","bio":"Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an actor and singer-songwriter from San Diego, California, United States. He is known for his full-control three-octave (B2-B5) vocal range, expert vibrato and dynamic, piercing and robust belting and falsetto which allows him to stretch up to the fifth octave. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol, with 'The Times' and other publishers identifying Lambert as the first openly gay pop\/rock artist to launch a career on a major label in the U.S.Lambert released his debut album, 'For Your Entertainment', in November 2009, via RCA Records\/19 Recordings. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 in December 2009, selling 198,000 copies in the United States in the first week. To date, he is the first American Idol contestant to headline a world-wide tour in support of a debut album. As of January 2011, For Your Entertainment had sold more than 1.2 million copies worldwide. In 2010, Lambert was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for \"Whataya Want from Me\". His single \"If I Had You\", also from that album, has additionally received major critical and commercial acclaim, Emboldened by his passionate fan-base, Lambert released his second studio album, 'Trespassing', in the U.S. on May 15th, 2012. Lambert served as an executive producer on the album, which the Better Than I Know Myself Songfacts reports him saying that it takes his fans on \"an exciting journey through the past two years\" of his life. The American Idol runner-up added, \"It's been a transformative period and I really wanted to make music from what I've experienced. All these songs honestly explore the ups and downs of my reality.\"In terms of his vocal talents, Adam Lambert has been compared to past glam rock and hard rock legends such as Queen's Freddie Mercury, Sweet's Brian Connolly, and The Who's Roger Daltrey. British rocker Brian May has had this to say about Adam\u2019s voice: \"I\u2019m not easily moved to jelly by male vocalists\u2026 but Adam\u2019s voice reaches out with sensitivity, depth, maturity, and awesome range and power which will make jaws drop all around the world\u2026 no doubt about it. The world of Rock has a bright new star.\"Website: http:\/\/www.adamofficial.com\/us\/home","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/19994_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"75,000 - 150,000"}

{"key":"94204","name":"Tori Kelly","bio":"Tori Kelly first rose to attention when her cover of Frank Ocean\u2019s \u201cThinkin Bout You,\u201d went viral, racking up over 22 million views. To date, her YouTube channel boasts over ONE MILLION YouTube Subscribers with over 89 million views. Now, two EP\u2019s later Handmade Songs, which Kelly self-penned, produced, mixed and released, and Foreword, she plans to release her first full length debut this spring. Kelly co-wrote \u201cNobody Love\u201d off her 2015 Spring debut alongside Rickard Goransson and Max Martin. Martin says, \"After hearing Tori sing, we felt so inspired that we had no choice but to get involved. It\u2019s been such a pleasure to be a part of her journey.\u201d She also co-wrote with such vets as Savan Kotecha, Toby Gad, Claude Kelly, Chuck Harmony, Wolf Cousins, and Ed Sheeran. The album, she says, does not depart from her soulful roots. \u201cIt\u2019s like a marriage between that soulful urban thing and a mainstream pop vibe. It was hard to get to that place, but once we had \u2018Nobody Love,\u2019 I knew we\u2019d cracked the code. It felt seamless.\u201dWorking with one of the most successful hit makers in the industry is a long way from Kelly\u2019s early years making songs in her bedroom and posting them online. Born and raised in Temecula, California, Kelly is the daughter of musicians, her dad is a singer and bassist and her mom plays piano and saxophone. She sites early influences like gospel singer Crystal Lewis, Jill Scott, Jeff Buckley, and Maxwell.Over the past year and a half, Kelly has sold out shows in several major cities (including The Troubadour and The Roxy in Los Angeles, the Bowery Ballroom and Gramercy Theatre in New York City, and Bush Hall in London), headlined a nine-city sold-out U.S. tour, and supported Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith on tour.\u201cI'm excited to get out and play for people. That's always the dream.\u201d","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/94204_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"5011","name":"Carrie Underwood","bio":"Carrie Marie Underwood, born March 10, 1983, is an American country pop singer-songwriter from Checotah, Oklahoma. She rose to fame after winning the 4th season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood has since sold over 14 million albums and over 20 million singles worldwide, won several Grammy Awards, including the coveted Grammy for Best New Artist in 2007, multiple American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year in 2007, and several Billboard Music Awards, including the 2006 Album of the Year for Some Hearts. In additional, she's won multiple Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Country Music Association (CMA) Awards and has become the first and only woman in History to win the coveted ACM Entertainer of the Year award twice (2009\/2010). She's also, as of May 2011, the most successful American Idol winner in the US, having sold over 12.3 million albums and over 18.5 million album tracks in the country.Her debut album, entitled Some Hearts, hit store shelves on November 15, 2005. It was the largest selling album in 2005 and 2006 on any of the US charts. It was also the best selling debut album by a solo female country music artist in history and the best selling album by an American Idol contestant in the United States. It debuted straight to #1 on the Country music charts, peaking also at #2 on the Billboard 200, going 7x Platinum to date. It has sold over 7 million copies in the US to date. Her first single, Inside Your Heaven, debuted straight at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the Billboard Pop 100 and the Canadian singles chart. The second single, Jesus, Take The Wheel, was released in October 2005 and reached #1 on the Country charts and #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Some Hearts, the third single, was released, also in October 2005, for adult contemporary radio. It reached #12 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Radio chart. The fourth single, Don't Forget To Remember Me was released in March 2006 and peaked at #2 on the Country chart, also peaked #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. In August 2006, Before He Cheats was released, peaking in the top 10 in 12 charts across the US and Canada including #1 on the Country charts in both the US and Canada, #4 on the Canadian Hot 100 and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wasted was the sixth and final single from Some Hearts. It was released on February 6th 2007 and reached #1 on the Country charts in the US and Canada, and made it to #35 on the Canadian Hot 100 and #37 on the US Billboard Hot 100.In April 2007, Underwood recorded I'll Stand By You as a charity single for the show Idol Gives Back. It sold 124,000 on the first days of it's release, taking it to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.Carrie's second studio album, entitled Carnival Ride, was released October 23rd 2007 and debuted on the Billboard 200 at #1, selling 527,000 copies, giving Underwood her first #1 album. It also peaked at #1 on the Candian and American Country album charts and on the Canadian album chart. It has sold over 3 million copies in the US to date and was certified triple Platinum. The first single, So Small, was released on August 14th and made it to #1 on the US Country singles chart. It also made it to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the Canadian Hot 100. The second single, All-American Girl, was released on December 18th 2007 and went to #1 on both American and Candian country charts. It also reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Last Name was released on April 8th 2008 and it also went to #1 on the US country chart and #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her 6th top 20 hit on the Billboard. In April 2008, Underwood recorded Praying For Time for the show Idol Gives Back, which reached #10 on the Hot Digital Songs chart and peaked at #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The fourth single from Carnival Ride was Just A Dream and was released on July 21st 2008. It went to #1 on the Country chart in the US and #2 on the Canadian country chart. It also peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The fifth and final single, I Told You So, was released on February 2nd 2009 and peaked at #2 on the US country charts. It reached #1 on the Canadian country charts and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.Carrie recorded a cover version of Home Sweet Home by M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce. It was released on iTunes, where it went straight to #1. It also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #21.Cowboy Casanova is the lead-off single to Underwood's third studio album, Play On. The single was released on September 14th 2009. It reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs, #2 on the Canadian Radio & Record Country Singles, #11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Canadian Hot 100. The second single, Temporary Home, was released as a single on December 14th 2009 and has peaked at #21 on the Country Radio & Record Singles in the US and #37 in Canada. Play On was released on November 3rd 2009. It peaked at #1 on the US Billboard 200, US Billboard Top Country Albums and Canadian Top Country Albums charts, while just missing the top spot at #2 in the Canadian Albums chart. Play On also made a surprising entrance to the UK album charts, at #93. To date, the album has sold over 2 million copies in the US (double Platinum) and over 2.5 million copies worldwide.\"Good Girl,\" the first single from Carrie Underwood's fourth studio album was co-penned by the American Idol winner with Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley. It will be released to country radio on February 23, 2012.See Good Girl Songfacts for more.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/5011_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"21447","name":"Jordin Sparks","bio":"Jordin Brianna Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American pop\/R&B recording artist, singer-songwriter, and actress from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in history. She followed her American Idol victory with the release of her self-titled debut album in 2007, which has gone platinum and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Sparks' single, No Air is the highest selling single by any American Idol contestant, selling about 4 million digital copies worldwide. Due to the success of her debut album and its four top 20 singles, she has received numerous awards and nominations including an American Music Award in 2008 and her first Grammy nomination in 2009.Sparks' second album Battlefield was released in July 2009 worldwide and debuted at #7 in the U.S., three spots higher than her first album. The album's lead single, also titled Battlefield, peaked in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her third top 10 single and fifth consecutive top 20 single. Sparks is the only Idol contestant to have their first five singles reach the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. \"Battlefield\" has sold almost 2 million copies worldwide. Sparks has sold over 9 million singles worldwide to date, making her one of the most successful idol winners. Battlefield's second single, S.O.S. (Let the Music Play), was her first song to top the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play making it her first U.S. number one single.Sparks followed her success in 2010 by making her debut on Broadway. Sparks starred as Nina Rosario in the Tony Award winning broadway musical, In The Heights. In October 2010, Sparks confirmed that she has begun work on her anticipated third studio album. It's expected to be released in 2011. No title has been confirmed yet.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21447_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"75,000 - 150,000"}

{"key":"21176","name":"David Archuleta","bio":"David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American pop\/R&B singer. On May 21, 2008, he became the runner-up on the seventh season of American Idol receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes. Archuleta's first single \"Crush\" was released on August 1 2008, which debuted on Billboard in the No. 2 spot and stayed strong on the iTunes charts for both the song and music video as No. 1.Early lifeDavid Archuleta was born in Miami, Florida, to Jeff Archuleta and Lupe Marie, a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras. Archuleta has four siblings. Archuleta's family moved to the Salt Lake Valley, to the city of Sandy, Utah, when Archuleta was six. He currently resides in Murray, Utah, where he is a student at Murray High School.Archuleta started singing at age six, inspired by a Les Mis\u00e9rables video. \"That musical is what started all of this,\" he said. He started performing publicly at age 10 when he participated in the Utah Talent Competition singing \"I Will Always Love You\" by Dolly Parton; he received a standing ovation and won the Child Division.Archuleta was inspired by watching both Tamyra Gray and Kelly Clarkson to \"see what performing and really getting into a song was like\" during the beginning weeks of the premiere season of American Idol. He later made his television debut, at eleven years old, singing \"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going\" on a Jenny Jones show for future Latino stars alongside season one finalist A.J. Gil. Through A.J. Gil he was able to meet and sing for Gray who had sung the song on American Idol as well as Clarkson (that year's winner) and Justin Guarini (the runner up).Musical influencesArchuleta's mother is from Honduras, and much of the music he listened to as a child was Latin-influenced including watching his mom sing at events with her sisters. She also \"was big on dancing\" according to Archuleta, and would \"make\" him dance to traditional music with his older sister. He also listened to jazz music, he said, from his father's collection as well as gospel, pop, rock and \"soulful music.\" In a later interview, he revealed that his father was a jazz musician. Archuleta also said he enjoys Broadway musicals.On his American Idol \"Fast Facts\" page, Archuleta cites his musical influences as Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams. When asked to list his top pop artists, he cited Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Kirk Franklin, and Robbie Williams. Like Elliot Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta tries to infuse his pop selections with a soulful vibe.Star SearchIn 2003, at age 12, Archuleta sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search. He ended up as the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2. On one episode, he sang against then-11-year-old Alexandr\u00e9a Lushington, who also became a \"top 20\" semi-finalist on American Idol alongside Archuleta. Around the second year of being on Star Search he started focusing on the lyrics, \"I didn't even pay attention to the lyrics when I was 12, 13\".Archuleta's competing on Star Search led to appearances on The Jenny Jones Show and CBS' The Early Show, and meeting the finalists from American Idol's first season, for whom he performed a spontaneous a cappella rendition of \"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going\" from Dreamgirls, and received enthusiastic praise from Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. The year after Star Search he found out he had partial vocal paralysis but declined risky surgery and has said he feels he is almost fully recovered. He limited his singing for specific occasions like Stadium of Fire, the Independence Day celebration at Brigham Young University Stadium.American IdolArchuleta won his ticket to the Hollywood final auditions (with a performance of John Mayer's \"Waiting on the World to Change\") with the help of idol judge, Randy Jackson, who sang the background \"waiting\" in the song. (at the San Diego tryouts held at Qualcomm Stadium July 30 and July 31, 2007) He was 16 during the Hollywood auditions (where he sang Bryan Adams' \"Heaven\" and Gnarls Barkley's \"Crazy\" to unanimous praise) and because he was not yet 18, had to attend school while a part of American Idol's seventh season. His parents were there because he was a minor. Archuleta also took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments when he accompanied himself on piano for his performances of \"Another Day in Paradise\" and \"Angels.\"A Los Angeles Times article speculated why Archuleta avoided singing the first verse of \"Imagine\": because \"of his religion (Mormonism), he's unlikely to espouse the song's agnostic ideal . . . with the line about 'no religion too.'\" Archuleta did, however, sing the entire song on Good Things Utah when he was 13. During his first performance of Imagine on American Idol, when asked by judge Randy Jackson why he didn't sing the first verse, Archuleta said the third verse was his favorite because it has \"a great message.\"In the finale he sang \"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,\" \"In This Moment\" and \"Imagine.\" Judge Simon Cowell declared that Archuleta won the evening and even David Cook, who ultimately won, thought Archuleta would win: \"I have to concede it, the kid came out all three songs and nailed it,\" said Cook. In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. During the finale show, both Archuleta and fellow finalist Cook appeared in separate but nearly identical commercials for the game franchise Guitar Hero, mimicking a Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21176_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"40,000 - 75,000"}

{"key":"36028","name":"Kris Allen","bio":"Kris Allen (Kristopher Neil Allen) (born June 21, 1985 in Jacksonville, Arkansas, US) is the winner of the popular television series 'American Idol' Season 8, from Conway, Arkansas. Kris' passion for music began when he taught himself to play the guitar at age 13, and he has since learned the piano, viola and ukulele. His talents and soulful voice have given him the opportunity to perform at numerous music venues as well as the chance to share his gifts and faith with many of the underprivileged and oppressed people of the world. His travels to Spain, Morocco, Thailand, Burma, Mozambique and South Africa have influenced his music and inspired him to share it with others. Kris debuted his first full-length CD, \"Brand New Shoes\", in September 2007. The album spotlights his musical capabilities in songwriting, guitar, piano and vocals. Kris is known for his laid-back and unassuming personality, yet his music is full of depth, energy and soul.Some of his influences include Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Matchbox 20, and John Legend.On 20 May 2009, Kris Allen was crowned the champion of American Idol 2009.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/36028_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"20,000 - 50,000"}

{"key":"21336","name":"Phillip Phillips","bio":"Phillip Phillips (born September 20, 1990 in Leesburg, Georgia, USA) is an American singer and winner of American Idol season 11.Phillips grew up in Leesburg, Georgia and went to Lee County High School. He graduated Albany Technical College, but had to miss the graduation ceremony due to being on American Idol.Phillips auditioned for American Idol in Savannah, Georgia. He auditioned by singing the Stevie Wonder song \"Superstition.\" The judges then asked him to audition with his guitar where he performed Michael Jackson's \"Thriller.\" He made it to the Hollywood rounds and later to Las Vegas round.On February 23, 2012, Phillips was chosen as one of the Top 24 semi-finalists. For the semi-finals, he performed \"In the Air Tonight\" by Phil Collins. He was one of the top five male vote getters and advanced to the Top 13. After the Top 13 performance night, Phillips was taken to a doctor for possible kidney stones. The Home Songfacts reports that after advancing to the final, Phillips was declared the winner on May 23, 2012. He won with a record breaking total vote count of 132 million.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/21336_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"150,000 - 300,000"}