The glitz and glamor of celebrity-backed talent shows like The Voice and American Idol promise the world to their contestants. The dream of stardom, multiplatinum albums, and the golden ticket to Hollywood shine bright in all the performers' eyes. But how many of those winners can you actually remember, and how many of them do you actually still listen to?
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Once the spotlight is switched off at the end of an American Idol or The Voice season, the dust settles. The production team packs up and starts prepping for next season. The winner is given a pocketful of dollars and a music label contract.
However, in almost every case, the winner disappears into obscurity. We, as an audience, lose interest in them. Most of the time, the contestants release an album or two and then retire to a life of z-list celebrity appearances.
Carrie Underwood, a previous American Idol winner, is an exception to this. Through her metal, she was able to forge a path for herself. She managed to work with what she had and is now widely recognised. But she is an exception.
Why 'American Idol' and 'The Voice' Winners Seem To Fade Into Obscurity
Several of the winners from shows like American Idol and The Voice have spoken about their post-show experience. On the whole, it appears that once the show is over, they're ditched by the producers and judges. They are fixed into an ironclad music contract and given almost no promotion.
Javier Colon, the first winner of The Voice, split from Universal soon after his win. Since then, he has not had a successful album or track. Speaking to BuddyTV about his post-show experience with the label, he said, "I went into it with high hopes, as I believe everyone did. But when you pour your heart and soul into a new album that you think is really great, and your label who is supposed to support, market and promote your music does neither, it's really hard not to be upset."
Due to this type of post-show treatment, winners' music is heavily dictated and hardly promoted. The first album is part of the winnings. In the case of American Idol, the winners are given up to a $300,000 advance, which has to be paid back. According to American Songwriter, they "have a budget of as much as $300,000 to record that album, which is given as an advance that they will have to pay back against future earnings."
Once they have paid back their loan, they then receive only 15% of their royalties. With these oppressive contracts, many of the winners decide to leave the contract behind and try to find something that can make them real money.
In the case of people like Morgan Wallen and Chris Daughtry, both failed to win their contests but still made a go of it. In both cases, they have had more success than their respective winners. Both contestants simply used their publicity on the show to kickstart their careers. They did better out of it as a result. Neither were tied down by contracts after the show and were left with much more freedom.
Winning Is Only A Foot In The Door For Contestants
Some of the winners of both American Idol and The Voice go on to multiple album productions. But few of them become particularly successful. For the shows themselves, there is little to no benefit to promoting them beyond the final curtain.
Looking at someone like Josh Kaufman, winner of The Voice season 6, we see another example of post-win failure. Even now, years after the show, he has only released one album. His tracks have barely any plays on Spotify either, with only around 16,000 monthly listeners.
But some do run with their shows' success. If the time is right, and the winner has that X Factor, then they can make something of themselves. Carrie Underwood is a prime example. But, others have made it big, too.
Cassadee Pope killed it after her win on season three of The Voice. But, she had prior industry experience that I think went a long way to helping her navigate the post show situation. As a solo artist, she has been nominated for a Grammy and hit no. 9 on the Billboard charts.
Although the shows make the various success stories of singing stardom hopefuls look magnificent, reality bites soon after. The manufactured stage presence and the glory the show's production radiates only exist on the screen. Once the season is over for The Voice or American Idol, the winners are left to navigate the often brutal world of music labels and promotion.
