By now, most of the American Idol kids are household names. They won't maintain that privilege for too long unless they win or put out an awesome album, but hearing names like David Archuleta, David Cook, Jason Castro or Brooke White immediately makes us think of American Idol and a song for which they're now well-known.
What happened to some of the other kids who may have made it far in competition to Hollywood week, but got knocked out before the Top 12? In the past, most of them would simply fade out into obscurity, try to send out demos and and attempt to get a deal out of their 15 minutes of fame. Thanks to the wonder now that is MySpace music, anyone can record and upload a song, much like many of this year's contestants.
So how do some of the early boots fare? Some show they really deserved their spot, while others were justly dismissed from competition. Here's a look at a handful of selections from the pile.
Drew Poppelreiter (cut pre-Top 24)
Drew may not be immediately recognizable since he didn't make the Top 24, but he did win few girls hearts during his Dallas audition. The young bright-eyed farmer boy never had the chance to be in an airplane, but the judges gave him the opportunity by flying him out to Hollywood.
After making it to the Top 50, Drew, a country crooner, was let go from the competition just before making it to the Top 24. On his MySpace, Drew's country voice and roots definitely shine, but the music shows why the judges passed on putting him through. He may have a good voice, but it's only meant to sing one genre: country.
Tracks
Drew has five tracks available on his MySpace, the best being "Fields of Tupelo." The other tracks range from simply OK to just plain album filler. The songs "Hard Work" and "You Take my Breath Away" fall in the former, but "Double Wide" and "Be The Miracle" are easily forgettable.
Overall
Drew's not a bad singer, but he's a country star. From the music he plays, it's obvious that he's not pop country, but rather regular good ol' country. Not that it's a bad thing, but if he auditioned for Nashville Star instead of American Idol, he may have had a shot. Check out his MySpace page here.
What happened to some of the other kids who may have made it far in competition to Hollywood week, but got knocked out before the Top 12? In the past, most of them would simply fade out into obscurity, try to send out demos and and attempt to get a deal out of their 15 minutes of fame. Thanks to the wonder now that is MySpace music, anyone can record and upload a song, much like many of this year's contestants.
So how do some of the early boots fare? Some show they really deserved their spot, while others were justly dismissed from competition. Here's a look at a handful of selections from the pile.
Drew Poppelreiter (cut pre-Top 24)
Drew may not be immediately recognizable since he didn't make the Top 24, but he did win few girls hearts during his Dallas audition. The young bright-eyed farmer boy never had the chance to be in an airplane, but the judges gave him the opportunity by flying him out to Hollywood.
After making it to the Top 50, Drew, a country crooner, was let go from the competition just before making it to the Top 24. On his MySpace, Drew's country voice and roots definitely shine, but the music shows why the judges passed on putting him through. He may have a good voice, but it's only meant to sing one genre: country.Tracks
Drew has five tracks available on his MySpace, the best being "Fields of Tupelo." The other tracks range from simply OK to just plain album filler. The songs "Hard Work" and "You Take my Breath Away" fall in the former, but "Double Wide" and "Be The Miracle" are easily forgettable.
Overall
Drew's not a bad singer, but he's a country star. From the music he plays, it's obvious that he's not pop country, but rather regular good ol' country. Not that it's a bad thing, but if he auditioned for Nashville Star instead of American Idol, he may have had a shot. Check out his MySpace page here.
