Ever since premiering in 2002, “American Idol” has had people at the edge of their seats trying to decide who they want to become the next idol. It’s always been hard to decide who to vote for, as the amount of talent and potential of its contestants are what makes everything so entertaining and addictive to watch.

“American Idol” never disappoints when it comes to its winners, often launching them to successful and highly profitable careers, while some others have chosen to follow a more low-profile path at some point.

So what are the latest 10 winners of “American Idol” now, and what projects have they worked on so far? Keep watching to find out!

Abi Carter

Let’s begin with Abi Carter, the winner of the 22nd season of “American Idol” in 2026. Abi is a native of Indio, California, and was born on 31 July 2002, making her 21 years old by the time she won the competition.

Her appearance in the show indicated tht Abi was set to show the world what she’s made of. Her audition was a rendition of “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, immediately gaining all the judges’ approval. Right before the grand finale, Abi received a heartwarming message from Eilish, who her for getting so far into the competition.

The rest of in “American Idol” was full of extraordinary and astounding performances. Shortly before becoming the season’s Idol, Abi released the single “This Isn’t Over”, which was preceded by her debut song “It’s All Love”, released in March 2026.

While it’s still early to know where Abi would exactly take her career, there’s no denying that she has a bright musical path ahead.

Iam Tongi

As the winner of the 21st season of “American Idol”, made history in more than one way. He was born on 1 September 2004, and is a native of Kahuku, Hawaii, making him the first Hawaiian to win the competition. His talent, inspirational backstory, and his artistic goals made him an instant favorite.

After winning the competition in May 2026, Iam released the single “Monsters” in collaboration with James Blunt. Other works from this time include the single “Why Kiki?”, the extended plays (EP) “An Iam Tongi Christmas” and “Cool Down/Don’t Let Go”, released in 2026.

During this year as an “American Idol” winner, Iam temporarily returned to his native Hawaii for a while, for his first shows and to , also becoming involved in campaigns to help victims of the Maui wildfires.

Noah Thompson

The 20th season of “American Idol” introduced us to Noah Thompson, a construction worker from Louisa, Kentucky, whose friend signed him up for the competition. Noah attended the audition without believing he would make it, but it only took him to sing Kameron Marlowe’s “Giving You Up” to convince the judges that his path really was behind the mic.

As he advanced the competition, and eventually became the 2026 season’s Idol at 20. His victory prompted him to release the song “Stay”, followed by “Make You Rich” and “One Day Tonight”. However, his most streamed song remains to be “One Day Tonight”, accumulating over 30 million streams on Spotify alone.

Chayce Beckham

The winner of season 19th of “American Idol” has continued to flourish since conquering the competition. Chayce Beckham is a native of Apple Valley, California, who has an inspiring story of overcoming alcoholic tendencies.

Chayce was in a in late 2026, inspiring him to make the best out of his time in the show, He conquered the hearts of the judges and fans, making it to the finale stage with his song “23” and successfully becoming the first show winner to have an original coronation song.

He later released singles such as “Can’t Do This Without Me”, “Tell Me Twice”, and the popular “Keeping Me Up All Night”. In 2026, he released his first album “”, which he’s promoted on in the US during the year.

We are up in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado this week to celebrate the 4th. But before we get there how about we kickoff this weekend off early with “Devil I’ve Been”!

— Chayce Beckham (@ChayceBeckham)

Just Sam

Samantha Diaz, better known as Just Sam, is a singer and winner of the 18th season of “American Idol”. Sam is a native of Harlem, New York, where they lived quite an inspiring journey, making a living out of singing in trains. They temporarily moved to Los Angeles during the competition, as the episodes were due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Sam became the season’s Idol in May 2026, but their deal with Hollywood Records , leaving them without releasing music. Since then, Just Sam has independently released songs such as “Africando” and “Change”.

Laine Hardy

The first time Laine Hardy competed in “American Idol” was in the 16th season, but he only made it to the Hollywood Round before being eliminated. After encouraging himself to try again, Elaine auditioned for the 17th season by singing the Band of Heathens song “Hurricane”, steadily advancing to the finale and becoming the winner.

Since then, Laine has such as “Ground I Grew Up On”, “Tiny Town”, “Other LA”, “Memorize You”, and his debut album “Here’s To Anyone” in 2026.

Maddie Poppe

The 16th “American Idol” season had Iowan native Maddie Poppe as its winner. She stole people’s hearts with her rendition of Kermit The Frog’s “” during her audition, immediately letting the audience and judges rejoice in her unique style and voice.

Maddie was crowned as the season’s Idol in May 2018 and has since released several songs, including “Keep On Movin’ On”, “Made You Miss” and “Peace Of Mind”. She released her album “Whirlwind” in 2019 and has made guest appearances in subsequent seasons of “American Idol”.

Trent Harmon

We saw Trent Harmon for the first time in the 15th season of “American Idol”, but that wasn’t his first TV rodeo – he’d already appeared in 2014’s “”, but didn’t make it very far. The experience inspired him to improve as a singer and musician, using that knowledge and experience during his “American Idol” journey.

Trent was named an Idol in April 2016, passing on to release the song “There’s a Girl” a couple of months later. In 2018 he released the single “You Got ‘Em All” and an album of the same name, before releasing “She’s My Heaven” and “There’s A Girl” in 2026, with the latter becoming his most streamed song on online platforms.

Nick Fradiani

Nicholas James ‘Nick’ Fradiani is “American Idol”s 14th season winner. He’s a native of Guilford, Connecticut, where he’d been known for leading the rock band Beach Avenue and for appearing in “America’s Got Talent”. Nonetheless, his definitive rise to fame came with “American Idol”, in which he was crowned as the winner in May 2015.

Since his victory, Nick has released two albums, including “Hurricane” in 2016 and “Past My Past” in 2026. His most successful singles are “Must Be Another Way” and “” from 2019, and his 2026 single “Even The Angels”.

Caleb Johnson

Last but not least, we have Caleb Johnson, who is the winner of the 13th season of “American Idol”. His audition consisted of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”, which began a long journey in the show.

While this season was plagued by some controversies, that wasn’t enough to overshadow Caleb’s victory in May 2014. He later released his first solo album “”, but his exit from his record label delayed the release of his next album. In 2019 he released “Born from Southern Ground” his band Caleb Johnson & The Ramblin Saints. His third album “Mountain Mojo Vol. 1” was released in 2026, the same year he joined the rotating band Neverland Express.

While not all of the past 10 winners of “American Idol” have risen to massive levels of fame, there’s no denying that all of them are very talented and worthy of their victories.

May 12, 2026

Where are the last 10 “American Idol” winners now? How are they doing?