Who will become the next American Idol?
American Idol became an instant success when it launched in the United States in 2002. With millions of viewers tuning in each week to show their support, American Idol has quickly become one of the most popular shows in America. American Idol has launched several successful music careers for American Idol winners and contestants. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks are all successful musicians who won the crown of American Idol. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have both won several awards for their songs and albums. Runners-up Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Bo Bice, and Katharine McPhee are also launching successful careers in the music industry. Season Five’s, Chris Daughtry is currently the best-selling American Idol contestant who was neither the winner nor runner-up of his season. His album reached number 1 on the Billboard charts in its ninth week of release.
American Idol is currently in its sixth season and it is still as popular as ever. This year, over a hundred thousand people auditioned in seven cities across the United States in hopes of becoming the 6th American Idol. During the auditions the three main judges Simon Cowell (best known as the judge from the British television program Pop Idol), Paula Abdul (a recognized pop singer from the 1990’s and choreographer), and Randy Jackson (Grammy Award-winning record producer) select contestants to move on to Hollywood – the second round of auditions.
In Hollywood, the judges pick the top 24 singers who will move on to the next stage of the competition. The top 24 contestants perform a live song of his or her choice and receive critiques from the judges. Many singers often face intense criticism from the judges, especially from Simon Cowell, who is best known for being harsh and blunt in his critiques. At the end of each live episode, viewers at home vote for their favorite by calling a toll-free number or sending text messages to Fox. Every week the performer with the least amount of votes is eliminated until only the top 12 remains. The top 12 will then compete each week by singing songs chosen from different music genres until there are only 2 finalists left. At the end of the season, the singer with the most votes is crowned the new American Idol.
Who will you vote for? And who will be the next American Idol?
