Billboard is reporting the first week sales numbers of Nick Fradiani’s new album Hurricane, and the news isn’t pretty. The American Idol season 14 winner sold 5,000 albums–less than half of the first week total of 11,000 or Season 13 winner, Caleb Johnson. Nick’s post-Idol effort is by far the lowest bow of all the post-Idol winner’s debuts. Billboard also supplied all the stats for comparison.
Nick was hampered by a couple of things: His album didn’t land until over a year after his win. Caleb, on the other hand, rushed his album, Testify, out in August after his May win. Also, Big Machine Label Group chief and Idol mentor, Scott Borchetta, who is in charge of releasing Idol music, doesn’t have a ton of experience launching pop artists. The label’s forte is country music, and I expect–well hope–that season 15 winner, Trent Harmon, will have a smoother launch.
Hurricane is a solid album, so that’s not the problem. The record business is tough. Winning a singing show really means very little these days in terms of lending an artist a built in sales boost.
From Billboard:
Nick Fradiani, the winner of the 14th season of American Idol, arrives on the Billboard 200 with his first post-Idol album, Hurricane. The set blows (sic) at No. 121 with just over 5,000 units (of which 5,000 are pure album sales).
The first 14 winners of American Idol have now all reached the chart with their debut albums. The 15th (and final) season winner, Trent Harmon, is currently at work on his first effort. Harmon was crowned the winner of Idol’s farewell season on April 7.
Fradiani’s debut marks the lowest debut for an Idol winner’s first album, both in terms of position and sales. See list, below.
History of American Idol Winners’ First Albums on Billboard 200 Chart:
- Kelly Clarkson – Thankful – No. 1 – 297,000 – 2003
- Ruben Studdard – Soulful – No. 1 – 417,000 – 2003
- Fantasia – Free Yourself – No. 8 – 240,000 – 2004
- Carrie Underwood – Some Hearts – No. 2 – 315,000 – 2005
- Taylor Hicks – Taylor Hicks – No. 2 – 298,000 – 2006
- Jordin Sparks – Jordin Sparks – No. 10 – 119,000 – 2007
- David Cook – David Cook – No. 3 – 280,000 – 2008
- Kris Allen – Kris Allen – No. 11 – 80,000 – 2009
- Lee DeWyze – Live It Up – No. 19 – 39,000 – 2010
- Scotty McCreery – Clear As Day – No. 1 – 197,000 – 2011
- Phillip Phillips – The World From the Side of the Moon – No. 4 – 169,000 – 2012
- Candice Glover – Music Speaks – No. 14 – 19,000 – 2014
- Caleb Johnson – Testify – No. 24 – 11,000 – 2014
- Nick Fradiani – Hurricane – No. 121 – 5,000 – 2016
