‘American Idol' Has Produced Some Of The Most Successful Female Artists This Century

Forbes

21-03-2025

Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Fantasia Barrino make Billboard's top 100 women artists of the ... [+] twenty-first century list, demonstrating American Idol's lasting influence. Kelly Clarkson speaks onstage at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards held at The Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)
For years, American Idol was the biggest reality TV show on television. The series churning out superstar after superstar, with many enjoying lengthy and successful careers.
The program created household names, helped sold millions of records, and, for a time, seemed like a guaranteed pipeline to fame. While the show is still on the air, its ability to launch major careers has dwindled significantly. Despite this fact, the impact it has had on the music industry is undeniable — and a recent Billboard ranking of the top 100 women artists of the twenty-first century proves just how influential the competition once was.
Not one, not two, but three American Idol alumni appear on the list. Two of those winners even come remarkably close to landing inside the top 10.
Kelly Clarkson, the first-ever American Idol champion, lands at No. 11 on Billboard's list. This ranking isn't shocking — if anything, it's expected. Clarkson has been a mainstay in pop music for more than two decades, charting hit after hit while evolving from reality TV winner to one of the industry's most respected vocalists, and a TV host herself.
Since her American Idol win in 2002, Clarkson has amassed multiple No. 1 hits, including 'Since U Been Gone' and 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You).' She's also released several bestselling albums, with Breakaway, Stronger, and Meaning of Life standing out as major successes, all of which helped send her toward the top 10 on this historic ranking.
Not far behind Clarkson comes Carrie Underwood, at No. 13. That's a lofty placement, considering the fact that her primary success has been within the country music genre.
Underwood's placement is a bit more surprising, when compared to Clarkson's. Country stars, even massively successful ones, don't always achieve the same crossover dominance as pop artists.
That said, Underwood has continually defied expectations throughout her career. Since winning American Idol in 2005, she has reigned as one of the biggest names in country music. Songs like 'Before He Cheats,' 'Jesus, Take the Wheel,' and 'Cowboy Casanova,' as well as huge albums such as Some Hearts, Blown Away, and Cry Pretty, have helped her become a country standard – and even find fans beyond the one style.
Fantasia Barrino, yet another American Idol champion, also finds a spot on the ranking — though much lower than her fellow winners. She appears at No. 98, narrowly making the Billboard tally. While her career hasn't reached the same commercial heights as Clarkson's or Underwood's, she found enough success early on to find space on this tally.
Fantasia's career took off after her 2004 victory, with hits like 'I Believe,' 'When I See U,' and 'Truth Is,' and people fell in love with her because of her stunning voice, while many related to her backstory. She's largely remained successful in the R&B genre, but early on, she scored more general wins.
While American Idol hasn't produced a megastar in quite some time – when was the last winner to score several Hot 100 hits? – its past successes continue to shape the music industry. Clarkson, Underwood, and Fantasia's placements on Billboard's women-focused list highlight just how dominant the show was in the 2000s through the early 2010s. At its peak, it didn't just create stars, it produced icons who could compete with the biggest names in the business.