Season 1Undoubtedly the most popular and best-known of all the "American Idol" winners, Kelly Clarkson was just another singerwaitress from Texas when she first faced the "Idol" judges back in 2002. Back then, neither the bigwigs at FOX or the contestants themselves knew what would face them as the weeks of competition passed. As a matter of fact, "Idol" was a summer replacement that was not expected to do well.Still, it was a surprise to all when the show blew up the summer of 2002 with such force that the finale was viewed by an estimated 50 million people. Down to the wire were Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini. When Clarkson's name was called, so began a career that has encapsulated 11 million-selling singles, 6 CD's and 62 awards from 133 nominations and counting. She is currently awaiting the release of her latest production, a daughter due in June 2014 with husband Brandon Blackstock.

Season 2Coined "The Velvet Teddy Bear", Ruben Studdard grabbed the hearts of "American Idol" viewers and didn't let go. He won the contest over runner-up Clay Aiken by only 134,000 votes out of 24,000,000 cast in the May 2003 finale, becoming the second American Idol winner. His album "Soulful" topped the one million mark before it was released into stores. "Soulful" debuted at number one on Billboard that month, selling over 400,000 copies in its first week. It also scored the second highest first-week sales of any American Idol winner.Studdard changed gears from RB to Gospel with his second album, "I Need An Angel" and released four CD soon after. Studdard appeared on "The Biggest Loser" as its first celebrity contestant during the show's 15th season in 2014.

Season 3Fantasia was certainly the most fabulous winner "American Idol" ever produced. In 2004 following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Her second album, "I See You" topped the Billboard RB chart for weeks following its release. But although Fantasia had the vocal ability, she just could not find her niche in the recording world. She soon found the notoriety she was looking for while playing the pivotal role of Ceile in "The Color Purple" on Broadway. In 2007 she won a Theater World award for her performance. She topped the charts once again in 2010 with "Bittersweet". Barrino has since returned to Broadway in the musical "After Midnight."

Season 4The fourth season of American Idol crowned Carrie Underwood as its winner in 2005, rounding out the top two with Bo Bice. Underwood has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist with over 12 million records sold and counting. She's won six Grammy Awards, sixteen Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards and eleven Academy of Country Music Awards.She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song with "There's A Place For Us." She has won the Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Award twice and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008.

Season 5Known as the oldest winner of "American Idol", Taylor Hicks was 29 years young when he won the crown in 2006. His fans were known as the "Soul Patrol" and Hicks was one of the few professional musicians to win the crown. After releasing his first CD, "Taylor Hicks", he was rewarded with a platinum record for over one million units sold. He has released three CD's since.In 2008 he performed on Broadway and the national tour of "Grease" playing Teen Angel. In 2012, Hicks opened Saw's Juke Joint, a barbecue and live music bar. In June 2012, Taylor Hicks began his residency at Bally's Las Vegas and in 2013, he moved to Paris Las Vegas. He was the first "Idol" winner in history to secure a long term residency in Las Vegas.

Season 6At age 17, Jordin Sparks became the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debut album was released later that year and was certified platinum by the RIAA. "Jordin Sparks" has since sold over two million copies worldwide. Sparks also branched out from music and tried her hand at acting. She guest-starred on the children's television shows "The Suite Life On Deck" and "Big Time Rush." In 2010, she made her Broadway debut in the musical, "In The Heights."In 2011, she starred with the late Whtiney Houston in the feature film, "Sparkle." She has released two albums since her win. Jordin has been involved with RB singer Jason Derulo and he wrote his hit song, "Marry Me" for her. She also appeared in the music video for the song.

Season 7In 2008, David Cook won "American Idol," beating out David Archuleta. On the Billboard chart week ending May 25, 2008, David Cook broke Billboard chart records previously set by The Beatles and Miley Cyrus. He had 11 songs debut on the Hot 100 that week. giving him the most songs by one artist on the Hot 100 in any week in the history of Nielsen SoundScan and the most of any era since The Beatles. He has since released two more CD's and mentored the remaining 9 contestants on "American Idol" in April of 2014. He continues to tour and write new music.

Season 8Kris Allen was the winner of the eighth season of "American Idol." His first big chart record was the now-iconic song, "Live Like We're Dying." The song remained on the charts for the better part of 2009 and has since sold over two million copies. Allen was the first married "AI" winner and the first contestant to have his win questioned. Allen and Adam Lambert were virtually neck and neck throughout the ending weeks of the competition. In the end, there were less than a million votes separating their win. He has released two albums thus far with a new one scheduled sometime in 2014.

Season 9Known as the quiet "Idol", Lee DeWyze won the 2010 competition. Never falling in the bottom three throughout his run on the show, DeWyze came down to the wire with Crystal Bowersox before taking it all. After the show ended, DeWyze released a cover of U2's "Beautiful Day." Since then, he has parted ways with 19 EntertainmentSony Music and signed with a new label, DeWyze released "Frames" and penned a song that was used on "The Walking Dead". The "Walking Dead" tune called "Blackbird Song" was a hit on Spotify.

Season 10Scotty McCreery won the tenth season of American Idol in 2011. His debut album, "Clear as Day" was released later that same year and was certified platinum. It included the country music hits "I Love You This Big" and "The Trouble with Girls". He later released a holiday album titled, "Christmas with Scotty McCreery" and released his third album, "See You Tonight" in 2013. McCreery won an American Country Award as Best New Artist and won the same category at the American Academy of Country Music Awards. He currently attends North Carolina State University.

Season 11There was nothing that would have set Phillip Phillips apart from his other 2012 "Idol" competitors, except of course his unique name. What Phillips brought to the "Idol" table was his consistency. His work progressed quietly from week to week and by the end of the series, his winning seemed a sure bet. Phillips' coronation song "Home" became the best selling of all coronation songs, selling over 4 million copies. He released his debut album, "The World from the Side of the Moon" and it was soon certified platinum. Phillips suffered from a congenital kidney condition that flared up throughout the competition. As soon as the show was over, Phillips had reconstructive surgery done on his kidney. Since then, Phillips has scored big with three more singles on the Billboard charts, "Gone, Gone, Gone," Where We Came From" and "Raging Fire."

Season 12In 2013, Candice Glover became the first female "American Idol" winner since Jordin Sparks in 2007. The third time was a charm for Glover, who had previously auditioned for and performed in Season 9 and Season 11 before finally breaking through in Season 12. Glover's debut album, "Music Speaks," and her debut single "I Am Beautiful" were available for pre-order "I Am Beautiful" reached number 33 on the Billboard RB chart. Her second single was called "Cried."