Guitar-playing kitten Kris Allen, who shocked some (but not Movieline!) by beating Adam Lambert to win the eighth season of American Idol, released his self-titled album yesterday, and the outlook for a guerrilla chart victory over John Mayer and Norah Jones isn't looking good. The 24-year-old singer is set to sell 75-80,000 units, a woeful figure when compared to other Idol winners (and plenty of non-winners too). But all hope may not be lost for the "Live Like We're Dying"/"It's Elementary (I Love You)" crooner.
The rankings for first-week album sales of Idol winners are listed here:
1. Ruben Studdard, Soulful: 400,000 copies
2. Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts: 315,000
3. Taylor Hicks, Taylor Hicks: 298,000
4. Kelly Clarkson, Thankful: 297,000
5. David Cook, David Cook: 279,000
6. Fantasia Barrino Free Yourself: 240,000
7. Jordin Sparks, Jordin Sparks: 119,000
8. Kris Allen, Kris Allen: 75-80,000
If anything, these figures point to the fact that first-week sales don't necessarily lead to a lasting music career. Clay Aiken, who came in second during his season, sold 613,000 copies of his debut Measure of a Man in its first seven days out, and he ended up severing a contract with RCA after his fourth album On the Way Here sold poorly. Plus, no one would suggest that Ruben Studdard, listed here as #1, is more successful than four-time Grammy-winner Carrie Underwood. I think we're all equally sorry for 2004.
Kris Allen Predicted 75-80K First Week Sales [MjsBigBlog]