'American Idol' Winner and Runner-Up Both Land Record Deals
"American Idol" crowned its latest -- and last, for now -- winner on Thursday night, with 25-year-old Trent Harmon walking away with the coveted season 15 title. But Harmon isn't the only one who scored big in the competition: Both he and "Idol" runner-up La'Porsha Renae have landed record deals.
Billboard reports that Harmon has been signed to 19/Big Machine Records, and will record a country album. If that sounds slightly confusing, given that Harmon broke out on "Idol" with a cover of Sia's "Chandelier" and will release the soulful single "Falling" as his first post-"Idol" output, Big Machine Label Group founder and CEO Scott Borchetta said that Harmon's album would be an unusual mashup of styles.
According to Billboard, "Borchetta told reporters he envisions Harmon's debut as 'for lack of a better term, that Justin Timberlake country record. Justin ain't going to make it, so we are.'"
But the good news doesn't end with Harmon. Renae will join the winner in the Universal Music Group family, and has also signed a record deal, landing her at 19/Big Machine/Motown Records. Borchetta told Billboard that his decision to also extend an offer to Renae -- a common, but certainly not guaranteed, practice when it comes to "Idol" also-rans -- was due to "the overwhelming fan demand and success of the farewell season of 'American Idol.'"
"I can't think of a better way to bring this American institution to a close," the exec added.
"'American Idol' has always been about the search for a superstar," 19 Entertainment exec Jason Morey explained in a statement to Billboard. "This season, America helped us find two."
No release date for either album has been announced yet.
[via: Billboard]
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