Many country artists have hit the public eye after competing on American Idol; Carrie Underwood, Lauren Alaina, and Scotty McCreery being three of the biggest. Oh and don’t forget frequent country music collaborator, Kelly Clarkson! Find out what a handful of notable country contestants are up to now!
Season 5’s favorite Southern Belle has since released her own albums, become a reality TV star, and now has her own daytime talk show, Pickler & Ben! Though Kellie only made her way into the Top 6 on Idol, there was nothing stopping her from accomplishing success after leaving the show!
Bucky Covington
Another former contestant on Season 5, Bucky left Idol right before Pickler did, placing eighth. The singer went on to sign a deal in 2006 before releasing his debut album in 2007, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart. Now, the singer-songwriter is also busy focusing on raising his daughter while working on music.
Skylar Laine
Making her way to the Top 5 of Season 11 on Idol, Laine then moved to Nashville and signed with a management company. Though that didn’t go through, she still pursues her dream by playing in shows and writing music.
Danny Gokey
Representing the Top 3 in Season 8, Danny barely missed winning the competition. That didn’t stop him from performing and writing music! After Idol, the singer signed a record deal and released a debut single, “My Best Days Are Ahead Of Me” in 2009. Gokey’s lyrics spoke true in 2014 when he released his second album and welcomed a baby girl!
Casey James
Another Top 3 finalist, curly-haired Casey competed on Season 9. After leaving the show he signed a record deal and released an album. Though he has since continued to write and sing, in 2015 he split from his record label. In the years since, James has became a husband and father.
Kree Harrison
The 12th season runner up, toured with American Idol Live! after the season was over. She is currently busy pursuing her Nashville dreams. Fun fact about Kree: she was once roommates with Maren Morris!
Josh Gracin
Following Kelly Clarkson’s winning season on Idol, Josh made it to the top four. He scored three big hits following the release of his debut album, “Nothing To Lose” being his first No. 1. The former contestant is still very much on the Nashville scene, check out our August 2017 interview with him here.
Be sure and share the whereabouts of these former American Idol contestants with other fans!
