American Idol's Blake Lewis dropped from Arista

[folkyboy]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 1:20pm

Taken from RollingStone.com:

The post-American Idol curse continues, as season six runner-up Blake Lewis revealed in an interview that he has already been dropped by his label, Arista. Lewis signed with the label last August and released his debut album Audio Day Dream in December. The album has sold roughly 300,000 copies since and has not charted any singles. In the interview with Maximum Threshold, Lewis expressed that he never really wanted to sign with a major label but that his second place win behind Jordin Sparks required it. It’s been a rough stretch for Idol contestants not named Clarkson, Underwood, Daughtry and Cook: Both Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee, season five’s winner and runner-up, were dropped from their respective labels after eighteen months and season two champ Ruben Studdard was dropped from J Records for falling “short of expectations.”

This doesn't surprise me, though. Considering how wretched the CD was upon release. Eesh!
Updated On: 6/24/08 at 01:20 PM

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 1:26pm

Agreed. That CD was an irritating disappointment.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 2:43pm

Agreed. Best lukc to Cook.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 2:50pm

I actually liked Blake's CD. I do understand though that his music is not to everyone's liking.

[zepka102]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 8:29pm

I actually really loved his CD. It was better than I expected.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/24/08 at 8:36pm

Yikes. He only sold 300k. That is pathetic. Same thing happened with Justin Guarini and his debut album.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 8:59pm

I loved Blake's thoroughly unconvincing denial, and unclear story of what actually happened.

It's sad, he can actually craft a decent pop song, and he has a pleasant voice, but the market of people that can tolerate that other stuff he does on repeated listens is just too small.
Blake Lewis: I wasn't dropped!

Updated On: 6/25/08 at 08:59 PM

[me2]

Posted: 6/26/08 at 7:16pm

Any idea how Jordin Sparks' new album has been doing? It was a low-seller out of the starting gate. Some of the lyrics are pretty dopey (in a teen pop sort of way), but I love her voice and the songs are catchy. I listen to mine often.
Broadway Mouth: 2007-2008 Season, Part 2: What Makes for a Broadway Hit (Stand Aside Oprah, This is the Real Secret)

[Cartwheel]

Posted: 6/26/08 at 9:18pm

"Any idea how Jordin Sparks' new album has been doing? It was a low-seller out of the starting gate."

It sold 825,000 to date.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 6/27/08 at 1:39pm

While not perfect, I liked his album as well. They never even released the best song on it as far as I know.

[me2]

Posted: 6/28/08 at 3:03pm

I really like Jordin Sparks. I wonder if she'll get a second album or if she'll be dropped as well. She's in the Taylor Hicks range of sales.
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[sesot]

Posted: 6/28/08 at 3:38pm

Fantasia has now been dropped by her management team, and rumor has it she will soon be dropped by her record label too. Former Idol contestants are dropping like flies. I twill be interesting to see how David Cook's album does when it comes out. He could do quite well, if they allow him to put out an album in his style and isn't rushed. I just read that the Goo Goo Dolls lead singer wants to write a song with him.

[me2]

Posted: 7/1/08 at 7:09pm

I like Fantasia a lot, but her albums steered her so far from what won her AMERICAN IDOL. That's a big problem--They win a vocal competition, but then their albums embrace pop/r&b sensibilities, forgetting WHY they won in the first place.
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