1. Kelly Clarkson, 9,836,000. The Season 1 winner this week becomes the first Idol contestant to land two #1 albums. All I Ever Wanted was preceded by her 2003 debut, Thankful. Both albums contained #1 singles, "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "A Moment Like This," respectively. But Clarkson's best-seller is her sophomore album, Breakaway. The 2004 album spawned four top 10 hits, including "Since U Been Gone" and "Because Of You." It's the only album by an Idol contestant to feature four top 10 hits. The album also brought Clarkson two Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album.

2. Carrie Underwood, 9,408,000. The Season 4 winner is the only Idol contestant who has won (or even been nominated for) a Grammy as Best New Artist. Underwood has won a total of four Grammys, more than any other Idol contestant. She has also sold more albums than any other country singer in Idol history. Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts, spawned three top 20 hits: "Inside Your Heaven" (which hit #1), "Jesus, Take The Wheel" and "Before He Cheats." While Some Hearts stalled at #2, her sophomore album, Carnival Ride, opened at #1 with first-week sales of 527,000.

3. Clay Aiken, 4,896,000. The Season 2 runner-up has sold more albums than any other male singer in Idol history. Aiken has also sold more albums than any other singer who didn't win the competition. His debut album, Measure Of A Man, opened at #1 with first-week sales of 613,000. That's still the record for the biggest weekly sales tally of any Idol contestant's album. The album included two top 10 hits: the #1 "This Is The Night" and a cover of the Carpenters' hit "Solitaire." Aiken also had a million-seller with Merry Christmas With Love, the best-selling holiday album by an Idol contestant.

4. Daughtry, 4,413,000. Chris Daughtry, who finished fourth in Season 5, has sold more albums than any other rock artist in Idol history. He has also sold more than any other Idol performer who didn't make the final round, and more than any other Idol performer who went on to form a group. The band's debut album, Daughtry, is the only album by an Idol contestant to climb to #1 (as opposed to debut at #1). It first hit the top spot in its ninth week. The album spawned four top 20 hits, "It's Not Over," "Home," "Over You" and "What About Tonight." Daughtry's tally includes an EP that sold 9,000 copies.

5. Ruben Studdard, 2,487,000. The Season 2 winner has sold more albums than any other African American contestant in Idol history. He's also the only artist on this list who was born outside the U.S. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany, while his father was stationed there in the U.S. Army. Studdard's debut album, Soulful, bowed at #1 with first-week sales of 417,000 copies. It featured two top 10 hits, "Flying Without Wings" and "Sorry 2004." Studdard's sophomore album, the gospel-oriented I Need An Angel, hit #20. His third release, the R&B-focused The Return, hit #8.

6. Fantasia, 2,309,000. The Season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino, shed her last name and became a star. She hit #8 with her debut album, Free Yourself. The album featured four Hot 100 hits, including the #1 "I Believe." Her follow-up album, Fantasia, reached #19. Like Clay Aiken (who played Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot), Fantasia has made her mark on Broadway. She played Celie in The Color Purple in 2007.

7. Jordin Sparks, 1,053,000. The Season 6 winner reached #10 with her debut album, Jordin Sparks. It featured four top 20 hits, "This Is My Now," "Tattoo," "One Step At A Time" and "No Air," a duet with Chris Brown. This tally also includes an EP which has sold 49,000 copies.

8. David Cook, 1,029,000. The Season 7 winner reached #3 with his sophomore album, David Cook. It spawned a #3 hit, "The Time Of My Life," as well as a top 20 follow-up, "Light On." This tally also includes Cook's pre-Idol debut album, Analog Heart, which has sold 2,000 copies.

9. Kellie Pickler, 990,000. Pickler, who finished sixth in Season 5, reached #9 with both her debut album, Small Town Girl, and her follow-up, Kellie Pickler. Pickler is from North Carolina, a state that produced three other top-selling Idol contestants-Clay Aiken, Daughtry and Fantasia.

10. Josh Gracin, 780,000. Gracin, who finished fourth in Season 2, reached #11 with his debut album, Josh Gracin. The album spawned three chart hits, including "Nothin' To Lose," which made the top 40. Gracin's tally also includes his follow-up album, We Weren't Crazy.

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Kelly, Carrie, and Daughtry are without a doubt the most successful Idols. Discuss?

Carrie was a head of Kelly at one point in time. Nice top 2! #4 & #7 are good too!

Kelly might have the top spot now, but when Carrie releases her third album she's gonna knock Kelly DOWNEE.

Wow. Sales back then..

Top 2 are predictable. #4 rules. Great top 4 excluding Gay.

What has Jennifer Hudson sold altogether?

Terrible list. American Idol is a plague.

Kelly Clarkson is listenable at best. The rest are plain BUSTED.

45 HUDSON*JENNIFER JENNIFER HUDSON 10,949 10,998 0 667,830

Taylor Hicks' new album debuted this week...
58 HICKS*TAYLOR DISTANCE 8,990 1 999 8,991

It's hard to believe he won American Idol. Where the Soul Patrol at?

Jennifer will sell more than the last two.

Taylor Hicks is done.

BOW.

Kelly & Carrie >>>>>>

Jordin.

If I was Taylor Hicks I'd be depressed and into drugs. How can you go from being an American Idol where everyone cares to basically a nobody where you have to give your tickets away.

Taylor Hicks should just climb in a hole and pray Daughtry falls off stage.

LMAO @ Madonna. Her sales can't touch "Some Hearts."

Anyways, David Archuleta will join that group soon.

lol, that was a good read except for the first sentence on each idol. It's stupid to include "the first American Idol..." because that isn't that big of an achievement. - _ -

You should count sales WW. Anyways the ultimate idol of course owned. Kelly

She'll never top Kelly's worldwide sales though

Okay Kelly! Knock the Jess wannabe DOWNE!

Where's Jessica's?

63 million >>>> 9 million

American Life>>>>>Some Flops