List of American Idol alumni album sales in the United States (Redirected from Top-selling American Idol alumni in the United States)

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.

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
Some Hearts
(November 15, 2005)
Arista Nashville

7,450,000
9× Platinum
Peak: #2
Carnival Ride
(October 23, 2007)
Arista Nashville

3,400,000
4× Platinum
Peak: #1
Play On
(November 3, 2009)
Arista Nashville

2,300,000
3× Platinum
Peak: #1
Blown Away
(May 1, 2012)
Arista Nashville

1,853,200
3× Platinum
Peak: #1
Storyteller
(October 23, 2015)
Arista Nashville

752,100
Platinum
Peak: #2
Cry Pretty
(September 14, 2018)
Capitol Nashville

534,000
Platinum
Peak: #1
My Gift
(September 25, 2020)
Capitol Nashville

628,000
Gold
Peak: #5
My Savior
(March 26, 2021)
Capitol Nashville

293,000
N/A
Peak: #4
Denim & Rhinestones
(June 10, 2022)
Capitol Nashville

120,000
Peak: #10
2. Kelly Clarkson
(season 1, winner)
14,150,000
Thankful
(April 15, 2003)
RCA

2,800,000
2× Platinum
Peak: #1
Breakaway
(November 30, 2004)
RCA

6,355,000
6× Platinum
Peak: #3
My December
(June 26, 2007)
RCA

858,000
Platinum
Peak: #2
All I Ever Wanted
(March 10, 2009)
RCA

1,004,000
N/A
Peak: #1
Stronger
(October 24, 2011)
RCA

1,129,000
Platinum
Peak: #2
Wrapped in Red
(October 29, 2013)
RCA

942,000
Platinum
Peak: #3
Piece by Piece
(March 3, 2015)
RCA

284,000
Gold
Peak: #1
Meaning of Life
(October 27, 2017)
Atlantic

68,000
Gold
Peak: #2
When Christmas Comes Around...
(October 15, 2021)
Atlantic

106,000
Peak: #22
Chemistry
(June 23, 2023)
Atlantic
3. Chris Daughtry
(as Daughtry)
(season 5, 4th place)
7,204,000
Daughtry
(November 21, 2006)
RCA

5,040,000
6× Platinum
Peak: #1
Leave This Town
(July 14, 2009)
RCA

1,357,000
Platinum
Peak: #1
Break the Spell
(November 21, 2011)
RCA

513,000
Gold
Peak: #8
Baptized
(November 19, 2013)
RCA

270,000
Gold
Peak: #6
Cage to Rattle
(July 17, 2018)
RCA

24,000
N/A
Peak: #10
Dearly Beloved
(September 17, 2021)
Dogtree
Peak #50
4. Clay Aiken
(season 2, runner-up)
5,069,000
Measure of a Man
(October 14, 2003)
RCA

2,786,000
2× Platinum
Peak: #1
Merry Christmas with Love
(November 16, 2004)
RCA

1,416,000
Platinum
Peak: #4
A Thousand Different Ways
(September 19, 2006)
RCA

531,000
Gold
Peak: #2
On My Way Here
(May 6, 2008)
RCA

165,000
N/A
Peak: #4
Tried and True / Steadfast
(June 1, 2010) / (March 26, 2012)
Decca / Universal

80,000 note 1
N/A
Peak: #9 / #120
5. Fantasia Barrino
(season 3, winner)
3,332,000
Free Yourself
(November 23, 2004)
J Records

1,839,000
Platinum
Peak: #8
Fantasia
(December 12, 2006)
J Records

530,000
Gold
Peak: #19
Back to Me
(August 24, 2010)
J Records

490,000
N/A
Peak: #2
Side Effects of You
(April 23, 2013)
RCA

300,000
Peak: #2
The Definition Of...
(July 28, 2016)
RCA

32,000
Peak: #6
Christmas After Midnight
(October 6, 2017)
Concord

Peak: #193
Sketchbook
(October 11, 2019)
Rock Soul

10,000
Peak: #62
6. Ruben Studdard
(season 2, winner)
2,644,000
Soulful
(December 9, 2003)
J Records

1,792,000
Platinum
Peak: #1
I Need an Angel
(November 23, 2004)
J Records

483,000
Gold
Peak: #20
The Return
(October 17, 2006)
J Records

238,000
N/A
Peak: #8
Love Is
(May 19, 2009)
Hickory Records

50,000
N/A
Peak: #36
Letters from Birmingham
(March 13, 2012)
Shanachie

17,000
N/A
Peak: #150
Unconditional Love
(February 4, 2014)
The Verve Music Group

6,000
N/A
Peak: #46
Ruben Sings Luther Vandross
(March 9, 2018)
SEG Music

N/A
N/A
Peak: n/a
7. Scotty McCreery
(season 10, winner)
2,264,000
Clear as Day
(October 4, 2011)
Mercury Nashville

1,166,000
Platinum
Peak: #1
Christmas With Scotty McCreery
(October 16, 2012)
Mercury Nashville

382,000
Gold
Peak: #4
See You Tonight
(October 15, 2013)
Mercury Nashville

269,900
N/A
Peak: #6
Seasons Change
(March 16, 2018)
Thirty Tigers

97,800
Gold
Peak: #7
Same Truck
(September 17, 2021)
Thirty Tigers

N/A
Peak: #86
8. Kellie Pickler
(season 5, 6th place)
1,557,000
Small Town Girl
(October 31, 2006)
BNA

900,000
Gold
Peak: #9
Kellie Pickler
(September 30, 2008)
BNA

470,000
N/A
Peak: #9
100 Proof
(January 24, 2012)
BNA

90,000
N/A
Peak: #7
The Woman I Am
November 11, 2013
Black River Entertainment

47,000
N/A
Peak: #19
9. David Cook
(season 7, winner)
1,510,000
David Cook
(November 18, 2008)
RCA

1,380,000
Platinum
Peak: #3
This Loud Morning
(June 28, 2011)
RCA

133,000
N/A
Peak: #7
Digital Vein
(September 18, 2015)
InGrooves Music

11,000
N/A
Peak: #35
10. Phillip Phillips
(season 11, winner)

1,495,000
The World from the Side of the Moon
(November 19, 2012)
Interscope

1,033,000
Platinum
Peak: #4
Behind the Light
(May 19, 2014)
Interscope

123,000
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
Jennifer Hudson
(September 30, 2008)
Arista

839,000
Gold
Peak: #2
I Remember Me
(March 22, 2011)
Arista

459,000
Gold
Peak: #2
JHUD
(September 23, 2014)
RCA

61,000
N/A
Peak: #10
12. Jordin Sparks
(season 6, winner)
1,313,000
Jordin Sparks
(November 20, 2007)
Jive

1,056,000
Platinum
Peak: #10
Battlefield
(July 21, 2009)
Jive

190,000
N/A
Peak: #7
Right Here, Right Now
(August 21, 2015)
Louder Than Life
N/A
Peak: #161
13. Adam Lambert
(season 8, runner-up)
1,173,000
For Your Entertainment
(November 23, 2009)
RCA

863,000
Gold
Peak: #3
Trespassing
(May 15, 2012)
RCA

197,000
N/A
Peak: #1
The Original High
(June 16, 2015)
Warner Bros Records

52,000
N/A
Peak: #3
Velvet
(March 20, 2020)
Empire Records

N/A
Peak: #89
High Drama
(February 24, 2022)
BMG
14. David Archuleta
(season 7, runner-up)
1,156,000
David Archuleta
(November 11, 2008)
Jive

765,000
Gold
Peak: #2
Christmas from the Heart
(October 13, 2009)
Jive

246,000
N/A
Peak: #30
The Other Side of Down
(October 5, 2010)
Jive

67,000
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
N/A
Peak: #28
No Matter How Far
(2013)
E1 Music

5,000
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
Goldmine
(June 19, 2020)
Warner Music Nashville
1,000,000
Platinum
Peak: #4
16. Mandisa
(season 5, 9th place)
928,000
True Beauty
(July 31, 2007)
Sparrow

226,000
N/A
Peak: #43
It's Christmas
(October 14, 2008)
Sparrow

64,000
N/A
Peak: #85
Freedom
(March 24, 2009)
Sparrow

152,000
N/A
Peak: #83
What If We Were Real
(April 5, 2011)
Sparrow

270,000
N/A
Peak: #66
Overcomer
(August 27, 2013)
Sparrow

140,000
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
Josh Gracin
(June 15, 2004)
Lyric Street

703,000
Gold
Peak: #11
We Weren't Crazy
(April 1, 2008)
Lyric Street

86,000
N/A
Peak: #33
Redemption
(November 8, 2011)
Average Joe's

4,000
N/A
Peak: N/A
18. Taylor Hicks
(season 5, winner)
768,000
Taylor Hicks
(December 12, 2006)
Arista

705,000
Platinum
Peak: #2
The Distance
(March 10, 2009)
Modern Whomp

52,000
N/A
Peak: #58
19. Bo Bice
(season 4, runner-up)
757,000
The Real Thing
(December 13, 2005)
RCA

673,000
Gold
Peak: #4
See the Light
(October 23, 2007)
StratArt

62,000
N/A
Peak: #150
3
(May 18, 2010)
Saguaro Road

11,000
N/A
Peak: #154
20. Elliott Yamin
(season 5, 3rd place)
696,000
Elliott Yamin
(March 20, 2007)
Hickory Records
RED Distribution

527,000
Gold
Peak: #3
Sounds of the Season
(October 14, 2007)
Hickory Records

81,000
N/A
Peak: #32
My Kind of Holiday
(October 7, 2008)
TRP Records,
Fontana Distribution

27,000
N/A
Peak: #162
Fight For Love
(May 5, 2009)
Hickory Records

49,000
N/A
Peak: #26
Let's Get to What's Real
(March 27, 2012)
E1/Purpose Music Group

2,000
N/A
Peak: N/A

^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:

Rank Former Contestant Total Sales Albums
21. Katharine McPhee
(season 5, runner-up)
475,000
22. Lauren Alaina
(season 10, runner-up)
459,500
23. Bucky Covington
(season 5, 8th place)

did not chart
436,000
24. Blake Lewis
(season 6, runner-up)
413,000
25. Kris Allen
(season 8, winner)
401,600
26. William Hung
(Season 3, Auditioner)

242,000
  • Inspiration (2004) #34 — 200,000
  • Hung for the Holidays (2004) did not chart — 35,000
  • Miracle: Happy Summer from William Hung (2005) did not chart — 7,000
27. Kimberley Locke
(season 2, 3rd place)

241,000
28. Crystal Bowersox
(season 9, runner-up)
230,000
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
  • Live It Up (2010) #19 — 153,000
  • Frames (2013) #116 — 3,000
  • Oil & Water (2016)
32. Diana DeGarmo
(Season 3, Runner-Up)

168,000
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
37. Jason Castro
(Season 7, 4th Place)

105,000
  • Jason Castro (2010) #18 — 54,000
  • Who I Am (2010) #198 — 18,000
  • Only a Mountain (2013) did not chart — 20,000
38. Allison Iraheta
(Season 8, 4th Place)
103,000
39. Melinda Doolittle
(season 6, 3rd place)

091,000
40. Casey James
(season 9, 3rd place)

077,000
41. Chris Sligh
(season 6, 10th place)
064,000
  • Running Back to You (2008) #190 — 54,000
  • The Anatomy of Broken (2010) did not chart — 10,000
42. LaToya London
(Season 3, 4th Place)

058,000
43. Phil Stacey
(season 6, 6th place)
058,000
44. Mario Vazquez
(season 4, Top 12)
056,000
45. George Huff
(season 3, 5th place)

52,000
  • Miracles (2005) did not chart — 29,000
  • George Huff (2009) did not chart — 4,000
46. Brooke White
(season 7, 5th place)

048,000
47. Carly Smithson
(as a part of We Are the Fallen)
(Season 7, 6th Place)

041,000
48. Jessica Sanchez
(Season 11, Runner-up)

38,000
49. Kristy Lee Cook
(season 7, 7th place)
032,000
50. Candice Glover
(Season 12, Winner)

027,000
51. Casey Abrams
(season 10, 6th place)
27,000
52. Constantine Maroulis
(season 4, 6th place)

25,000
53. Caleb Johnson
(season 13, winner)

024,000
54. Paris Bennett
(season 5, 5th place)

22,300
  • Princess P (2007) #133 — 22,000
  • A Royal Christmas (2008) did not chart — 300
55. R. J. Helton
(season 1, 5th place)

022,000
56. John Stevens
(Season 3, 6th Place)

021,000
  • Red (2005) did not chart
57. Michael Johns
(season 7, 8th place)

020,000
58. Jasmine Trias
(season 3, 3rd place)

014,000
59. Jimmie Allen
(season 11, Hollywood)

013,800
60. Ace Young
(season 5, 7th place)

010,000
61. LaKisha Jones
(season 6, 4th place)

007,000
62. Nick Fradiani
(season 14, winner)
005,000
63. Danny Noriega
(season 7, semi)
005,000
64. Trent Harmon
(season 15, winner)
004,500
65. Jim Verraros
(season 1, 9th place)
004,300
  • Rollercoaster (2005) did not chart
  • Do Not Disturb (2011) did not chart
66. Carmen Rasmusen
(season 2, 6th place)
003,100
67. Kimberly Caldwell
(season 2, 7th place)
003,000
68. Ayla Brown
(season 5, Top 16)
003,000
69. Corey Clark
(season 2, 9th place)

002,600
70. Tim Halperin
(Season 10, Semifinal)
002,000
  • Rise and Fall (2011) did not chart
71. Jon Peter Lewis
(Season 3, 8th Place)
001,600
  • Stories from Hollywood (2006) did not chart — 1,100
  • Break the Silence (2008) did not chart — 500
72. Michael Sarver
(season 8, 10th place)
001,000
  • Michael Sarver (2010) did not chart
73. Josiah Leming
(season 7, Hollywood round)
001,000
  • Come On Kid (2010) did not chart
74. Kree Harrison
(season 12, runner-up)
000900
  • This Old Thing (2016) did not chart

This page was last updated at 2023-06-17 21:51 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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