American Idol

American Idol

Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted enters The Billboard 200 at #1 with first-week sales of 255,000. It's her second #1 album, following her 2003 debut, Thankful. Clarkson is the first American Idol alumnus to notch two #1 albums. Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Daughtry and Carrie Underwood have each had one. Six weeks ago, Clarkson became the first Idol alum to amass two #1 singles on the Hot 100. She topped the chart in 2002 with "A Moment Like This" and returned to the top spot with the fizzy "My Life Would Suck Without You." Aiken, Fantasia, Underwood and Taylor Hicks have each topped the Hot 100 once. If Clarkson were a candidate for office, you'd say that she has broad voter appeal. She has the support of pop radio and the record-buying public. Even music critics, who are often dismissive of mainstream pop artists, tend to be in Kelly's corner.
Clarkson has sold 9,836,000 albums, as of this week, more than any other contestant in Idol history. She ranks #187 on Nielsen/SoundScan's running list of the best-selling artists in its history (which dates to 1991). Underwood is second among Idol contestants. She has sold 9,408,000 albums and ranks #198 on the list. I'll have a Chart Watch Extra on Friday, listing, in order, every American Idol contestant with career sales of 500,000 or more albums. I've given you the top two, but there's so much more. Is Clay ahead of Daughtry? Is Fantasia ahead of Ruben? And where's Bo Bice in all of this? (These questions keep me up at night.) Check back on Friday and find out.

All I Ever Wanted is Clarkson's fourth album in a row to debut in the top three with first-week sales north of 250,000 copies. No other Idol contestant has put more than two albums in the top three. Need more proof of Clarkson's dominance? She is the only artist in entertainment history who has prevailed in showdowns with both Justin Guarini (in the initial American Idol final) and Paul McCartney (in the Grammy race for Best Pop Vocal Album of 2005)....

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