In 19 seasons, American Idol has been a fantastic platform for launching chart-topping superstars who went on to sell millions of albums and sell out arenas around the world. As the story goes, the real hustle behind American Idol isn't actually competing on the show, but all the work that it takes for a singer to launch a career after the show. But unlike any other talent competition on the planet, American Idol has successfully introduced quite a few up-and-coming singers to a world stage that is full of possibilities, and some of them have gone on to sell tens of millions of albums.
Carrie Underwood (16.5 million albums)
Carrie Underwood might be a successful singer with million-dollar properties in 2021, but it all started when she competed on American Idol season 4 and was crowned the winner. In the years that followed, Carrie released a total of eight albums that have collectively sold a whopping 16.5 million copies, making her the best-selling American Idol contestant of all time. Carrie's ultimate best-selling album, 2005's Some Hearts, sold 7.5 million copies. Other notable works are 2007's Carnival Ride (3.4 million copies) and 2009's Play On (2.3 million copies). The last album by Carrie Underwood to sell a million copies was 2012's Blown Away, which sold 1.8 million copies.
Kelly Clarkson (13.5 million albums)
She is now a mainstay coach on The Voice who also happens to host her own talk show, but Kelly Clarkson will forever be remembered as the original winner of American Idol. Kelly has been loved by the American public since she was introduced on the show in 2002 and went on to win that first season. Over the course of her career, which now includes eight albums, Kelly Clarkson sold a total of 13.5 million albums. Her biggest hit album is 2004's Breakaway, which sold 6.3 million copies. But her other popular albums include 2003's Thankful (2.8 million copies sold), 2009's All I Ever Wanted (1 million copies sold), and 2011's Stronger (1.1 million copies sold).
Chris Daughtry (7 million albums)
After coming in fourth place on American Idol season 5, Chris Daughtry has had a long and successful career that even included a cameo as a contestant on The Masked Singer. With just five studio albums released, Chris and his Daughtry band have sold an impressive 7.2 million albums. Their most popular album, the 2006 self-titled Daughtry, sold 5 million copies by itself. Another huge hit for Chris and his band was 2009's Leave This Town, which sold 1.3 million copies.
Clay Aiken (5 million albums)
Clay Aiken may have finished as the runner-up of American Idol season 2, but that didn't stop him from having an incredibly prosperous career. In fact, Clay is the fourth best-selling American Idol alum of all time, only behind Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Chris Daughtry. When adding up all five studio albums, he has sold as many as 5 million copies. Clay's best-selling album is 2003's Measure Of A Man, which sold 2.8 million copies. But his second album, 2004's Merry Christmas With Love, also sold 1.4 million copies, which is quite a lot.
American Idol season 19 airs Sundays & Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC.