Top 24 'American Idols' Of All-Time

Mama Sox was described as a breath of fresh air to many during her run on "Idol" season nine, recalling the likes of Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman and other soulful, bluesy females. The Ohioan released debut record "Farmer's Daughter" in 2010, and the album debuted at No. 28 on the Billboard 200. Though quiet in the months since, Bowersox recently took to Twitter, explaining, "I tend to hush up when I'm in focused creative mode." Does that mean a new album is in the works? Stay tuned.

Post-"Idol," Locke has scored three No. 1s on both the Hot Adult Contemporary (all Christmas covers) and Dance/Club Play ("Fall," "Change," "Band of Gold") song charts. In 2011, Locke created a new entertainment company, I AM Entertainment, through which she released a four-song EP in July; before that, she was the first artist to "Idol" judge Randy Jackson's dance label, DreamMerchant21.

The 17-year-old season 10 runner-up has created a commendable career since "Idol" ended. Described as the lovechild of "Idol" alums Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler, Alaina released her No. 5-debuting "Wildflower" in October 2011 through Interscope/Mercury Nashville. Alaina, who has so far released two singles ("Like My Mother Does" and "Georgia Peaches"), is currently out on the road alongside Jason Aldean on his My Kinda Party tour.

The sixth season runner-up scored a No. 1 single on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart in 2010 with "Heartbreak On Vinyl," but has been fairly quiet in more recent months. The singer/beatboxer did, however, lend his voice to the English dub of the anime "Durarara!!", which aired last year on Cartoon Network.

The long-haired heartthrob of season five was more of a rocker during his stint on the show, but Bucky Covington has transitioned into a different genre altogether since his departure -- country. His 2007 self-titled debut produced three top-20 singles ("A Different World," "It's Good to Be Us" and "I'll Walk") on the Hot Country Songs chart, and the 34-year-old has scored three more moderate hits in the format since.

Though she still has a hand in music, McPhee has recently begun a transition into a whole new medium: acting. Following a role in the 2008 film "The House Bunny" and guest spots on TV, the 27-year-old currently stars (and shows off her pipes plenty) in the NBC musical drama "Smash," which premiered to positive reviews for McPhee and co. earlier this month. The 2006 "Idol" runner-up to Taylor Hicks scaled the Pop Songs chart with "Over It" in 2007 before segueing into a more adult sound on her sophomore album in 2010.