Central POP

1. Kelly Clarkson, 9,836,000. The Season 1 winner this week becomes the first Idol contestant to land two #1 albums. All I Ever Wanted was preceded by her 2003 debut, Thankful. Both albums contained #1 singles, “My Life Would Suck Without You” and “A Moment Like This,” respectively. But Clarkson’s best-seller is her sophomore album, Breakaway. The 2004 album spawned four top 10 hits, including “Since U Been Gone” and “Because Of You.” It’s the only album by an Idol contestant to feature four top 10 hits. The album also brought Clarkson two Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album.

2. Carrie Underwood, 9,408,000. The Season 4 winner is the only Idol contestant who has won (or even been nominated for) a Grammy as Best New Artist. Underwood has won a total of four Grammys, more than any other Idol contestant. She has also sold more albums than any other country singer in Idol history. Underwood’s debut album, Some Hearts, spawned three top 20 hits: “Inside Your Heaven” (which hit #1), “Jesus, Take The Wheel” and “Before He Cheats.” While Some Hearts stalled at #2, her sophomore album, Carnival Ride, opened at #1 with first-week sales of 527,000.

3. Clay Aiken, 4,896,000. The Season 2 runner-up has sold more albums than any other male singer in Idol history. Aiken has also sold more albums than any other singer who didn’t win the competition. His debut album, Measure Of A Man, opened at #1 with first-week sales of 613,000. That’s still the record for the biggest weekly sales tally of any Idol contestant’s album. The album included two top 10 hits: the #1 “This Is The Night” and a cover of the Carpenters’ hit “Solitaire.” Aiken also had a million-seller with Merry Christmas With Love, the best-selling holiday album by an Idol contestant.
4. Daughtry, 4,413,000. Chris Daughtry, who finished fourth in Season 5, has sold more albums than any other rock artist in Idol history. He has also sold more than any other Idol performer who didn’t make the final round, and more than any other Idol performer who went on to form a group. The band’s debut album, Daughtry, is the only album by an Idol contestant to climb to #1 (as opposed to debut at #1). It first hit the top spot in its ninth week. The album spawned four top 20 hits, “It’s Not Over,” “Home,” “Over You” and “What About Tonight.” Daughtry’s tally includes an EP that sold 9,000 copies.

5. Ruben Studdard, 2,487,000. The Season 2 winner has sold more albums than any other African American contestant in Idol history. He’s also the only artist on this list who was born outside the U.S. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany, while his father was stationed there in the U.S. Army. Studdard’s debut album, Soulful, bowed at #1 with first-week sales of 417,000 copies. It featured two top 10 hits, “Flying Without Wings” and “Sorry 2004.” Studdard’s sophomore album, the gospel-oriented I Need An Angel, hit #20. His third release, the R&B-focused The Return, hit #8

6. Fantasia, 2,309,000. The Season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino, shed her last name and became a star. She hit #8 with her debut album, Free Yourself. The album featured four Hot 100 hits, including the #1 “I Believe.” Her follow-up album, Fantasia, reached #19. Like Clay Aiken (who played Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot), Fantasia has made her mark on Broadway. She played Celie in The Color Purple in 2007.

7. Jordin Sparks, 1,053,000. The Season 6 winner reached #10 with her debut album, Jordin Sparks. It featured four top 20 hits, “This Is My Now,” “Tattoo,” “One Step At A Time” and “No Air,” a duet with Chris Brown. This tally also includes an EP which has sold 49,000 copies.

8. David Cook, 1,029,000. The Season 7 winner reached #3 with his sophomore album, David Cook. It spawned a #3 hit, “The Time Of My Life,” as well as a top 20 follow-up, “Light On.” This tally also includes Cook’s pre-Idol debut album, Analog Heart, which has sold 2,000 copies.

9. Kellie Pickler, 990,000. Pickler, who finished sixth in Season 5, reached #9 with both her debut album, Small Town Girl, and her follow-up, Kellie Pickler. Pickler is from North Carolina, a state that produced three other top-selling Idol contestants-Clay Aiken, Daughtry and Fantasia.

10. Josh Gracin, 780,000. Gracin, who finished fourth in Season 2, reached #11 with his debut album, Josh Gracin. The album spawned three chart hits, including “Nothin’ To Lose,” which made the top 40. Gracin’s tally also includes his follow-up album, We Weren’t Crazy.

11. Bo Bice, 735,000. The Season 4 runner-up reached #4 with his debut album, The Real Thing. It included the #2 hit, “Inside Your Heaven.” Bice’s tally also includes his follow-up album, See The Light. Bice is from Alabama, a state that has produced two Idol winners, Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard (though he was born in Germany, he grew up in Birmingham, Ala.).

12. Taylor Hicks, 719,000. The Season 5 winner reached #2 with his debut album, Taylor Hicks. It featured his #1 hit, “Do I Make You Proud,” and a remake of the Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It To The Streets,” which was a hit a few months before Hicks was born in 1976. Hicks’ tally also includes The Distance, his new album, and Early Works, a collection of pre-Idol recordings.

13. Jennifer Hudson, 669,000. Hudson finished seventh in Season 3. No other Idol contestant who was voted off so early has sold 500,000 albums. Her debut album, Jennifer Hudson, reached #2 and won a Grammy for Best R&B Album. It featured her top 30 hit “Spotlight.” Hudson also won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls.

14. David Archuleta, 665,000. The Season 7 runner-up reached #2 with his debut album, David Archuleta. It featured the #2 hit “Crush,” which has sold 1,642,000 downloads.

15. Elliott Yamin, 630,000. Yamin, who finished third in Season 5, reached #3 with his debut album, Elliot Yamin. It featured his top 15 hit, “Wait For You.” Yamin’s tally also includes two holiday titles, Sounds Of The Season and My Kind Of Holiday.

Only based on US Sales
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