Kelly Beats Carrie
Ever since Carrie Underwood won season 4 of American Idol, there was no question that she could very well rival the biggest Idol star at the time, Kelly Clarkson. Since then, both have soared to the top and stayed there, with Underwood overtaking Clarkson in total album sales (13,205,000 and 11,664,000 copies sold, respectively). But now the original Idol can claim the top spot in a different area.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kelly Clarkson’s single “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” is now the best selling American Idol single of all time, having now sold 3,510,000 copies, overtaking Carrie Underwood‘s massive hit “Before He Cheats” (at 3,509,000 sold). (The previous runner-up was Jordin Sparks’ “No Air.”)
This is especially impressive, considering “Stronger” has only been available for less than a year, while “Before He Cheats” was first released five years ago.
Jessica Sanchez In, Kellie Pickler Out
Not that long after Phillip Phillips was declared this year’s winner, contract details for the Top 2 leaked, revealing that the runner-up isn’t guaranteed a record deal, unlike in past years. But Jessica Sanchez has confirmed that she is indeed signed to a label: Jimmy Iovine’s Interscope, to be exact. A fan asked on Twitter if she has been signed yet, and Sanchez replied simply, “Yup. Interscope :)”
When asked about an album release date, Jessica told the LA Examiner, “We’ve been talking about the release date … probably sometime in October.” Usually, albums by the winners are released first, but more than likely Phillips will drop his in November or December, due to his surgery and recovery time having pushed everything back.
With all this talk of signing record deals, the same can’t be said for Kellie Pickler, who has been dropped from her label, Sony Music Nashville. “Kellie’s contract with Sony came to an end,” her manager Larry Fitzgerald told ABC News Radio, “and they mutually decided not to renew.” Pickler’s most recent album, 100 Proof, has received high praise from critics, but the style of the new songs may have turned off her fans; the album has only sold 74,000 copies, compared with 800,000 for her debut, Small Town Girl.
The Top Idol Album Sales
The music sales numbers from the past week are now available. Here is a list of the top Idols on the Billboard 200 chart, including Casey Abrams’ debut album, courtesy of USA Today:
Carrie Underwood‘s Blown Away at #23, Selling 15,000 units (Total Sales: 602,000)
Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger at #54, Selling 7,000 units (Total: 846,000)
Casey Abrams’ Simple Life at #87, Selling 4,000 units (Total: 4,000)
Adam Lambert’s Trespassing at #115, Selling 4,000 units (Total: 135,000)
Scotty McCreery’s Clear as Day at #133, Selling 3,000 units (Total: 1.079 million)
Haley Reinhart’s Listen Up! at #189, Selling 2,000 units (Total: 41,000)
While we’re on the topic of albums, Wal-Mart is selling exclusive EPs by each of the Top 5 contestants from season 11 that include never before released duets; two other exclusive releases focus on duets/trios and Top 10 highlights. The EPs are $5 each, which is a fantastic deal.
(Image courtesy of WENN)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
