Happy Birthday, Taylor Hicks!
America's fifth Idol, Taylor Hicks, celebrates his birthday today! When Taylor auditioned for American Idol, Simon Cowell that he would never make it to the final round of Season 5. After Taylor's first live TV performance for the voting public, Simon admitted he was wrong and that Taylor's personality is what makes him stand out. Taylor sailed through the competition each week and became the oldest contestant to win American Idol, and he was the first male contestant to win without ending up in...
Happy Birthday, Melinda Doolittle!
Season 6's humble second runner-up, Melinda Doolittle, celebrates her birthday today. She won over fans as the back-up singer who broke out of her shell on the Idol stage. Since her time on the show, Melinda has been busy releasing new music and getting involved with charity work.
Melinda has been involved with the Idol Gives Back organization Malaria No More since her time as a contestant on American Idol. In June of 2007, Melinda joined First Lady Laura Bush in Zambia to distribute life-saving...
Happy Birthday, Mandisa!
On October 2, Mandisa celebrated her birthday. The Season 5 finalist was safe every week of the competition until her Top 9 Country Week elimination, and she has continued to be successful after Idol.
Mandisa's debut album, True Beauty, was released in 2007 and debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums and earned her a Grammy nomination for Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year. She released a holiday album entitled It's Christmas in 2008, and in 2009 she released Freedom, which earn...
Happy Birthday, Jorge Nuñez!
Season 8 finalist Jorge Nuez celebrated his birthday on October 1. American Idol traveled to Puerto Rico for the very first time to audition hopefuls for Season 8. Their search turned up Jorge, the only contestant from Puerto Rico to make the Top 13. Originally, Jorge's grandfather was going to send Jorge to the states to audition for American Idol, but, unfortunately, he passed away the December before auditions. Since he was unable to pay for his own trip, Jorge felt blessed when Idol traveled...
Happy Birthday, Nikki McKibbin!
Nikki McKibbin, the third place finalist from the first season of American Idol, celebrates her birthday today. While on American Idol, the Texas native infused her edgy rocker style into her performances. Although she was in the bottom every week of the finals except for one, she made it all the way until the penultimate week of the season.
In 2007, Nikki released her first album, Unleashed. To promote the CD, she toured with Texas heavy metal band Rivethead. Nikki later released two singles, "...
Happy Birthday, Paige Miles!
Season 9's Paige Miles celebrated her birthday on Saturday, September 24! After the preschool teacher made it to the Top 24 of American Idol, she kicked off the live performances with Free's "All Right Now." The judges were fans of Paige and this performance, and Simon Cowell said, "Out of all the girls, you have the best voice." She returned the following week and put her all into Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away," and unfortunately she strained her vocal chords and had severe laryngitis throug...
Happy Birthday, Megan Joy!
Season 8 finalist Megan Joy turned 26 on Sunday, September 18th. Megan took to her tumblr account over the weekend to say, "This has been the best year of my life. Thank you 25, it was incredible from day one."
After earning a wildcard spot in the Season 8 finals, Megan made it all the way to ninth place by putting her own quirky twist on some classic songs. While on American Idol, Megan developed a trademark twisty dance. After performing "Rockin' Robin," Megan shouted, "Caw Caw!" which has now...
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