Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in 2004 as the runner-up of the third season of American Idol, releasing her debut studio album, Blue Skies, later that year. The following year, DeGarmo ventured into a career in musical theatre. She has starred in two Broadway, one off-Broadway and three national tours. She made her television acting debut in a six-month arc as Angelina Veneziano on The Young and the Restless. DeGarmo has since released two extended plays, Unplugged in Nashville (2009) and Live to Love (2012). She is married to fifth season American Idol finalist Ace Young.
Nashville Star is an American reality television singing competition program that aired for six seasons, from 2003 to 2008. Its first five seasons aired on USA Network, while the last season aired on NBC. Its five seasons on USA made it the longest-running competition series on cable television at the time. In Canada, the show aired on CMT through season 5, but moved to E! beginning with season 6. CMT in the United States reaired each episode in season 6.
The Miss Tennessee USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by Greenwood Productions under the ownership of Miss Tennessee USA 1989, Kimberly Payne Greenwood, since 1992. Since 1999, the pageant has been held at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Hey Y'all is the second studio album by American singer Elizabeth Cook, released on August 27, 2002, by the Warner Bros. record label. The album was the first time its executive producer Richard Dodd worked in country music. A majority of the songs were written by Cook and songwriter Hardie McGehee, who shared a music publisher. Prior to Hey Y'all, Cook had independently released her debut studio album The Blue Album (2000) and performed over 100 times at the Grand Ole Opry. She signed a deal with Atlantic Records, but was later transferred to Warner Bros. after AOL-Time Warner closed Atlantic's Nashville office. Hey Y'all was Cook's debut on a major record label.
"Gunpowder & Lead" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in January 2008 as the third single from her album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The album's third single, it became Lambert's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in July 2008. With over 1,000,000 digital downloads, "Gunpowder & Lead" was certified Platinum by the RIAA on December 3, 2010. The song was written by Lambert and Heather Little.
Daniel Jay Gokey is an American singer and former church music director. He was the third-place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. After his placing on the show, Gokey signed to 19 Recordings and RCA Nashville at the beginning of a career in country music, releasing the single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me." His debut album, My Best Days, was released in March 2010.
Jasmine S. Murray is an American singer and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for being a finalist on the eighth season of American Idol where she placed 12th–13th alongside Jorge Núñez. She also competed in the Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant in 2007. Her musical influences include Christina Aguilera. On July 12, 2014, Murray was crowned Miss Mississippi 2014.
Vered "Didi" Benami is an American singer-songwriter and television host. After placing tenth on the ninth season of American Idol, she released her debut single, "Gasoline", in 2012 and the album Reverie in 2014. In 2023, she began co-hosting the AXS series Banded.
"Don't You Wanna Stay" is a duet recorded by American singers Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. It was written by Andy Gibson, Paul Jenkins, and Jason Sellers. It was released as the second single from Aldean's fourth studio album My Kinda Party, following Aldean's and Clarkson's performance on the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards on November 10, 2010, due to strong demands of radio stations, and was also included on the deluxe edition of Clarkson's fifth studio album Stronger (2011). The song contains elements of country and pop, and its lyrics speak of the difficulties of finding and maintaining love.
Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011. Her second album, Road Less Traveled, was released January 27, 2017. Alaina later achieved her first number one on the Country Airplay chart with the album's title track. Her second number one came later that year when she simultaneously topped five Billboard charts with her friend and former classmate Kane Brown on their duet "What Ifs". In addition to this song with Brown, Alaina became an in-demand duet vocalist throughout the next few years, appearing on number one collaborations with Hardy, Devin Dawson, and Dustin Lynch. Her third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was released on September 3, 2021.
Kendall Phillips is an American country singer-songwriter. She is most recently known for being a 2010 and 2011 National Finalist in the Colgate Country Showdown and for being a contestant on the 2006 season of American Idol.
The eleventh season of American Idol premiered on Fox on January 18, 2012, and concluded on May 23, 2012. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler all returned as judges. Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine, a songwriter and producer, also returned as an in-house mentor to work with the contestants on a weekly basis. This season followed the same format as the tenth season. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler both announced that they would be leaving the show two months after the finale, although Lopez later returned as a judge for the show's thirteenth season.
Michael Colton Dixon is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He placed seventh on the eleventh season of American Idol.
Hollie Jessica Cavanagh is an English-American pop singer. She placed fourth on the eleventh season of American Idol.
The American Idols Live! Tour 2012 is a summer concert tour in the United States, Canada and Philippines that features the Top 10 contestants of the eleventh season of American Idol. The tour began on July 6, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan and ended on September 21, 2012 in Quezon City, Philippines. At most venues, the stage was placed in the middle while the other half was closed off with curtains, thus making a theate-rlike environment.
American Idol Season 11 Highlights is a compilation extended play by Jessica Sanchez based on some of her American Idol performances. The EP was released exclusively through Walmart and consists of a few studio recordings made by Sanchez during season 11 of American Idol. It includes a duet with Joshua Ledet, her potential coronation song, "Change Nothing" and performances that were well received by the judges on the show. Similar EPs were also released through Walmart by fellow contestants from the Top 5, Phillip Phillips, Joshua Ledet, Hollie Cavanagh and Skylar Laine. As of August 2012, it has sold 15,000 copies.
American singer and songwriter Lauren Alaina has released three studio albums, three extended plays, ten singles plus three as a featured artist, and eight music videos. Alaina rose to prominence in 2011 as the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower, released in the fall of 2011, debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200. In 2017, Alaina became the only female to top both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Hot Country Songs chart in 2017. She achieved a further two number ones as a featured vocalist on Hardy and Devin Dawson's "One Beer", and Dustin Lynch's "Thinking 'Bout You". Her third album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, was also released in 2021.
For the state pageant affiliated with Miss Teen USA, see Miss Mississippi Teen USA
Gabby Barrett is an American country music singer. She finished third on the sixteenth season of American Idol. Her debut single "I Hope" was the first top 10 Hot Country Songs debut by an unaccompanied woman since October 2017. It became a top three hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA. Her debut album Goldmine was released on June 19, 2020. Country Now called Barrett "country music's next female superstar".
Laine Hardy is an American singer from Livingston, Louisiana, and the seventeenth season winner of American Idol.
