Chris Daughtry Inks Record Deal
E! Online, Jul 11, 2006 11:33 am PDTWho needs Fuel when there's solo power?
American Idol fourth runner-up Chris Daughtry, whose elimination from the talent search was perhaps the most controversial event of the fifth season, has signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/RCA Records, the label announced Monday.
Last month, Daughtry turned down an offer to join multi-platinum rock band Fuel, claiming he was "going to be doing my own thing."
Apparently, he knew what he was talking about.
Daughtry's deal is similar to those previously inked by Idol winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee.
According to RCA, the North Carolina native will form a band and work with high-profile collaborators to record self- and co-written songs. His first album is expected to be released later this year.
In the meantime, Daughtry has already seen some action on the charts. His cover of Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" from the American Idol Season 5 Encores compilation debuted at number 16 on Billboard's Hot Digital Tracks survey and number 43 on the Hot 100.
Daughtry's performances on the American Idols Live! tour have also earned him unanimous praise from critics since the sold-out tour kicked off last week. The Boston Globe called him "genuinely talented," while the Worcester Telegram & Gazette praised his "signature combination of fire and feeling."
Positive reviews are nothing new to the bald-headed rocker, who was favored by many fans to win the fifth season of Idol
After he was voted off the talent search, Daughtry admitted that he was taken aback by his elimination because of the glowing feedback he had received from the judges and fans during the competition.
"It's weird because you have all these people telling you for weeks now, 'Oh man you're gonna win this thing. You're gonna win this thing. This is your thing to win. ' And when you have so many people telling you that, you automatically assume this is what America wants," he told People magazine after he was cut.
The win may not have worked out for Daughtry, but it's a safe bet that America will be hearing a lot more from him in any case.
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