Between American Idol‘s latest season wrapping up, summer tours and music festivals, and new music, there’s plenty happening in the lives of your favorite contestants from the Idol universe. There’s so much going on that it’s hard to keep up, but lucky for you we’ve compiled all the news from May and every upcoming event into one neat and tidy package for you to stay up to date on your favorite artists from the show…
New Music
Idol winner Trent Harmon’s album You Got ‘Em All is available as of May 18, 2018 [Credit: Big Machine Label Group]
Last month, we reported that winner Trent Harmon‘s album You Got ‘Em All was due out this past month. After its release on May 18, we posted a review of Harmon’s electric debut, so check that out. Season 14 runner-up Clark Beckham also released his debut EP entitled Year One on music legend Quincy Jones’ label. The album blends Jones’ stylistic R&B sound with Beckham’s penchant for soul that fans will surely enjoy.
Season 10’s Paul McDonald is also due to release his new album, Modern Hearts, on June 1, which fans can pre-order now. Also from Season 10 is Jacob Lusk, whose first single since being on the show, entitled “My Love Story,” is available now.
Season 14 winner Nick Fradiani also dropped a video which features an acoustic version of his new song “Scared.” We also got a preview of winner Carrie Underwood‘s new music video for her hit song “Cry Pretty” during her mentoring stint on Idol‘s Top 5 show, the full version of which is out now.
Having been crowned Idol‘s most recent champ, Maddie Poppe has been busy performing her new single “Going Going Gone” on Jimmy Kimmel, at the Hollywood Bowl, and soon at the Radio Disney Music Awards. The single, as well as Poppe’s music from before the show, is available everywhere now.
Other News
With the warm weather comes the promise of summer festivals and none more iconic than Nashville’s CMA Fest which, this year, will feature judge Luke Bryan and ex-judge Keith Urban. The festival also features Idol alum like winners Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery, and Trent Harmon, as well as Lauren Alaina, Haeley Vaughn, and Sundance Head. The festival is sure to be a great for country music fans and Idol fans alike!
In addition to winner Maddie, the cast from Idol‘s latest season has been making the most of the limelight. Drag star Ada Vox already has some summer tour dates planned, while rocker Cade Foehner got the chance to perform his new single “No Good” on LIVE! With Kelly & Ryan. Maddie’s boyfriend and runner-up Caleb Lee Hutchinson also performed his single “Johnny Cash Heart” on the morning show. After coming in 3rd, Gabby Barrett is striking while the iron’s hot and has released music videos for two new songs called “Young Blood” and “Jesus and My Momma.”
Fans of the show can also check out this season’s Top 7 (Maddie, Caleb, Gabby, Cade, as well as Michael, Catie, and Jurnee) on tour with Season 8 winner Kris Allen this summer. All the dates are available on the American Idol website. Also important to note is that ABC announced that American Idol is returning next year with Ryan, Katy, Luke and Lionel in tow to find the next Idol winner. We’re already looking forward to that!
Idol alum Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson will both join The Voice‘s judging panel as coaches during the show’s 15th season [Credit: NBC]
Maddie’s not the only Idol alum basking in the glow of a reality TV show victory. Season 1 champ Kelly Clarkson is on top again after she coached 15-year-old Brynn Cartelli to the win on The Voice‘s 14th season on NBC. Cartelli’s single “Walk My Way” is available on iTunes and Apple Music now. Idol fans can also look forward to the show’s 15th season, where Jennifer Hudson will rejoin the judging panel alongside Kelly for a star-studded season. Clarkson also gave a stirring speech at the beginning of her stint as host of the Billboard Music Awards, before delivering two powerful performances: one of her song “Whole Lotta Woman” from her album Meaning of Life and another a medley of pop hits from the past year.
Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee also announced that her run on Broadway starring in the hit show “Waitress” has been extended. Nothing says summer like a road trip to New York to see a Broadway show! Season 2 Runner-up Clay Aiken has also been busy, joining the cast of Amazon’s series New Dog, Old Tricks, a sequel to the movie What Happened Last Night.
Winner Phillip Phillips is also out on the road this summer with singer Gavin DeGraw. You can check out his summer tour dates on his website. Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert also announced on LIVE! With Kelly & Ryan that he would be joining rock band Queen for a Las Vegas residency this September.
Which Idol’s new music are you excited about? Are you planning on attending any summer shows? Let us know in the comments below!
The Hudsucker 
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