American Idol

American Idol is a competition-reality television show created by Simon Fuller to discover the next musical talent in the United States. Inspired by the British series Pop Idol, American Idol debuted in June 2002 and entered its ninth season in January 2010. American Idol boasts a global following and remains one of the most popular reality television shows in the United States. Since its debut, the series has successfully launched the musical careers of a number of young women including season winners Kelly Clarkson (season one), Fantasia Barrino (season three), Carrie Underwood (season four), and Jordin Sparks (season six), as well as finalist Jennifer Hudson (season three).

The American Idol program identifies the musical talent through a series of nationwide talent searches. Each year, up to 100,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 28 audition for a spot in the competition. Competitors are then narrowed down to 12 finalists who sing weekly for the votes of the U.S. public. Hosted by television personality Ryan Seacrest, American Idol showcases the contestants’ talent with weekly themed competitions intended to highlight musical ability, personality, and marketability within the music industry. Idol judges Paula Abdul (seasons one to eight), Simon Cowell (seasons one to nine), Ellen DeGeneres (season nine), Kara DioGuardi (seasons eight and nine), Steven Tyler (season ten addition), and Randy Jackson act as music industry experts and provide various critiques of the contestants’ performances. The final decision, however, as to who stays and leaves the competition is left to the viewership. At the conclusion of each show, viewers are provided a voting window of two hours where they have the opportunity to cast their votes via phone or text message. Results are revealed the following evening and the contestant with the lowest number of votes leaves the competition. The winner of American Idol[Page 62]receives a $1 million recording contract with a major record label and is managed by 19 Management.

American Idol‘s female contestants have enjoyed great success in the music and film industries. Clarkson won the first competition and continues to dominate the musical charts. She and Underwood remain the only two American Idol winners to sweep all three of the major music awards in one season, respectively the American Music, Billboard, and Grammy Awards. To date, Underwood is one of the best-selling contestants to emerge from the show. She has sold more than 9.6 million albums in the United States. Barrino, likewise, maintains a successful music, acting, and writing career. She recently published her memoirs titled Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, and after her lead role as Celie in the Broadway musical, The Color Purple, she was cast in the film adaptation of the play. Sparks's debut album went platinum in 2007, selling 2 million copies in the United States and she received an American Music Award in 2008. Finalist Hudson won an Academy Award for her role as Effie White in the film Dreamgirls. She has also starred in the Sex and the City film and The Secret Life of Bees. American Idol forever transformed popular culture in its nationwide search for musical talent and neither the music industry nor reality television will ever be the same.

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