If there’s one thing American Idol has that the other currently-airing singing competitions don’t, it’s a long history. And Fox showcases that with their new promo for the upcoming thirteenth season, which debuts in January. The video above takes us through the timeline of some of Idol’s highlights over the years, emphasizing a few of the series’ big winners, going all the way back to the great Kelly Clarkson, who took American Idol’s first crown.
Set to Phillip Phillip’s “Home Home Home”, the new promo begins by highlighting the series’ premiere more than a decade ago. It also shows Kelly Clarkson celebrating her first album going double-platinum, up on stage with Season 2’s Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. The next video highlight shows Carrie Underwood learning she just won Season 4 of Idol, beating out Bo Bice for the prize. And then there are the clips that show us when Daughtry had the fastest-selling debut rock album, Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for Dreamgirls, the Idol Gives Back special raised a whopping $70 million, Jordin Sparks’ first album went platinum, Carrie Underwood won five Grammys, Fantasia won a Grammy, and finally, Phillip Phillip’s “Home” went triple-platinum. That actually only takes us to Season 11, but since Phillip Phillips is probably the last major success story to come out of Idol (so far), and they’re using his song for the promo, that seems fitting. It leaves off at January 2014 and poses the question, “What’s next?” More like Who’s Next?
In addition to reminding us of the longevity of Idol’s history, the promo also does well to emphasize the success of some of the contestants. Not all of the winners have gone on to have massively successful music careers, but more than a few have, not only in creating music people love, but also rising to higher fame in their post-Idol years. It's a mark of Idol's success as a series that seeks out fresh talent. Whether or not the American viewers pick a winner that'll launch to stardom post-Idol, more than a few great artists have gotten their start on this series.
This new promo showcases the contestants, while the previously released one gave us a better look at Season 13’s judges, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr.:
American Idol returns January 15 on Fox.
