American Idol: Catching Up With The Reboot Winners

American Idol season 20 begins in February, and it’s time to catch up with the contestants who won since the show was rebooted by ABC in 2018. As many fans know, the show was revived following its cancellation by FOX in 2016. This upcoming season is sure to be a nostalgic season, as the show looks back on two decades of searches for superstars. The winners from the series’ original run are some of the biggest names in modern music, including season 1 champion Kelly Clarkson and season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood.

American Idol victory brought much success for other winners as well. Ruben Studdard (season 2), Fantasia Barrino (season 3), Jordin Sparks (season 6), David Cook (season 7), and Scotty McCreery (season 10) became household names after winning the competition. Many singers who placed first on the show have released albums with impressive record sales. Some have made their Broadway debuts, to rave reviews.

When American Idol was revived, Ryan Seacrest returned as the host, and Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan became the new judges. They are responsible for discovering some of the best talent that American Idol has ever seen. They breathed new life into the competition and wanted to send AI singers to Hollywood whose careers might extend far beyond the show. They found exactly what they were looking for in the four most recent winners, Maddie Poppe, Laine Hardy, Just Sam, and Chayce Beckham. All four have been busy making music and touring since their American Idol victories. They’ve retained the popularity and success that they gained on the show, and they are going strong as they look to the future.

Maddie Poppe

Folk singer Maddie took the American Idol crown during the first season of the reboot in 2018 when she was 20 years old. Maddie, a native of Clarksville, Iowa, auditioned with “The Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie, an unconventional choice that won over the judges. Later, during the finale, she sang the song again, in a duet with Kermit the Frog. Throughout the season, Maddie from AI impressed everyone with her musical skills, by playing guitar, piano, and ukulele. Since they both appeared on the show, Maddie has been dating Caleb Lee Hutchinson, the runner-up from her season, and they are still together today. In 2019, Maddie released her first studio album, Whirlwind, followed by her 2020 holiday EP, Christmas From Home.

Most recently, in November and December 2021, Maddie traveled around the country on her “Maddie Poppe’s Acoustic Christmas 2021” tour, continuing a tradition that she began in December 2020. She made an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, singing “O Holy Night” to support the album. On New Year’s Eve, she performed with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She also performed a show on January 21 at the Bridge View Center Theatre in Ottumwa, Iowa. In a January 2022 Instagram post, Maddie from American Idol shared a picture of herself and Caleb, writing, “We wrote a song together. About you.” Fans will have to wait and see what this means, but hopefully, Maddie will be releasing new music soon.

Laine Hardy

Livingston, Louisiana native and country singer Laine first auditioned for American Idol in 2018, but only made it to the Top 50 before being eliminated by the judges. Although he did not intend to join the show again, the judges encouraged him to audition when he accompanied his friend Ashton Gill on the guitar during her audition. He earned a ticket to Hollywood for the 2019 season, and this time, 18-year-old Laine won the competition. His coronation song “Flame” was released in May 2019, and he embarked on a 13-date United States tour in November and December 2019. In 2020, Laine from AI was a performer at a prestigious gig. He sang at the National Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Laine’s single “Memorize You” was released in May 2021, and it definitely became very popular after he sang it on The Bachelorette season 17, during a date between Katie Thurston and Blake Moynes. The tune became their song and was played throughout the season. Laine headlined the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour from July to November 2021. In July 2021, Laine released another single, “Authentic.” One of his greatest career milestones came on August 28, 2021, when he made his Grand Ole Opry debut.

That was followed by another important achievement, which was the release of Laine’s first album, “Here’s To Anyone,” which debuted on September 17, 2021. In December, he won the 2021 Country Now Award for Favorite Debut Album, saying that it was an honor to win a fan-voted award for his first album. In January 2022, Laine appeared at the Rose Parade, on the Louisiana Travel and Tourism float. According to his Instagram posts, Laine has some tour dates scheduled for 2022 as well.

Just Sam

Samantha Diaz, who is known by her stage name, Just Sam, is a singer-songwriter from Harlem, who won American Idol in 2020, at age 21. Before the show, Just Sam sang on the New York City subway trains in order to make money. This season of the show was unusual because the COVID-19 pandemic forced all of the contestants to perform from home. It was a unique experience that had never been done before. Something else that was groundbreaking was the fact that Just Sam was the first openly LGBTQ+ singer to win American Idol, although she did not mention her sexuality on the show.

Just Sam signed with Hollywood Records after she won the competition, and released her first single (a cover of Andra Day’s “Rise Up”), which had become her signature song after she sang it during her audition. She is no longer with the record label, and independently released a single, “Africando,” in March 2021. She performed the national anthem via a virtual performance that aired at Madison Square Garden for a New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls game in April 2021.

According to her Instagram account, in September 2021, Just Sam released another single, “Change” with Cat Clark. In October 2021, she participated in the Cameo Cares Benefit during which all proceeds from any requested Cameo videos went to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She took a break from Instagram and Facebook for 25 days in December 2021, but returned in January 2022 looking healthy and happy, and saying that she was back, better than ever.

Chayce Beckham

Chayce, a then-24-year-old Apple Valley, California resident, won the fourth season of the American Idol reboot in 2021. His original song, “23,” which he wrote a year before he auditioned for the show, eventually became his winner’s song and was released as a single. He performed it during the Top 4 week and it reached No. 1 on the iTunes chart.

Although Chayce from AI has not yet released a full album, his single, “Can’t Do Without Me” (a duet with Canadian country-pop singer, Lindsay Ell) debuted in November 2021. According to his Instagram account, Chayce is currently touring America and Canada from January until March. In April and May, American Idol alum Chayce will join country music superstar, Jimmie Allen, on his Down Home Tour.

American Idol has produced some of the greatest singers of our time. The four winners from the reboot have proven that winning the competition is just the beginning for talented singers like them. Perhaps Maddie, Laine, Just Sam, and Chayce will make appearances on season 20 to inspire the new group of contestants as they compete to become the next American Idol.

American Idol season 20 premieres on Sunday, February 27 on ABC.

Source: Maddie Poppe/Instagram