James Durbin
Season 10 · Eliminated 4th
Where are they now
James Durbin issued the singles Hold Me and Capitola On My Mind in 2025 and Paradise in March 2026 under his own name, and performs around California's central coast as a solo artist and in several bands. His most recent albums are Screaming Steel (February 2024), credited to his heavy metal project Durbin, and We Are the Fire (October 2024) with the band Cleanbreak, both on Frontiers.
Key figures
- Career scoreat least 27 points of 100Rank on Encore Index: #44 (tie) of 688
- Billboard 200 albums3 albums on the Billboard 200Rank on Encore Index: #24 (tie) of 94
- Studio albumsat least 6 studio albumsRank on Encore Index: #11 (tie) of 238
- Wikipedia views, 12 months19,886 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #124 of 303
- Wikipedia views since 2015537,700 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #86 of 303
Known for
Interest over time
Monthly views of the English Wikipedia article, July 2015 – September 2026.
Career
- 2011
American Idol, season 10
Eliminated 4th
- 2011
Toured North America and the Philippines with the other top 11 finalists of season 10 on the American Idols Live! Tour 2011.
- 2011
Announced in September 2011 that he had signed a recording contract with Wind-up Records.
- 2011
Released his debut album Memories of a Beautiful Disaster on Wind-up Records, produced by Howard Benson; it debuted at number 36 on the Billboard 200 and reached number 8 on the Billboard rock albums chart.
- 2014
Released his second album, the pop rock record Celebrate, on Wind-up Records; it debuted at number 83 on the Billboard 200 and number 14 on Top Rock Albums.
- 2016
Released his third album, Riot on Sunset, independently after raising funds for it through PledgeMusic in 2015.
- 2017
By February 2, 2017, the first five-song EP of Maps to the Hollywood Scars, his collaboration with Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossi, was scheduled for worldwide release through New Ocean Media on February 17, 2017.
- 2017
Became the lead singer of Quiet Riot in March 2017; the band re-recorded its album Road Rage with his vocals, and Frontiers released it on August 4, 2017.
- 2018
Released Homeland, a mostly acoustic album on which he played most of the instruments and wrote all songs except a closing cover of House of the Rising Sun.
- 2019
Quiet Riot announced on September 8, 2019 that it had parted ways with him; its album Hollywood Cowboys, his second and last with the band, came out on November 8, 2019.
- 2020
Frontiers Music Srl announced on October 28, 2020 a multi-album deal with him for heavy metal recordings under the name Durbin.
- 2021
Released The Beast Awakens, the first album of his heavy metal project Durbin, on Frontiers, with drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Barry Sparks.
- 2022
Co-founded the hard rock band Cleanbreak with Riot guitarist Mike Flyntz and Stryper members Robert Sweet and Perry Richardson; its debut album Coming Home came out on Frontiers on July 8, 2022.
- 2022
Sang lead vocals on Give 'Em My Love, a single from Alan Parsons's album From the New World, released by Frontiers.
- 2024
Released two albums on Frontiers in 2024: Screaming Steel with his project Durbin in February and We Are the Fire with Cleanbreak in October.
- 2025
Self-released the singles Hold Me (August 2025), Capitola On My Mind (September 2025) and Paradise (March 2026).
Discography
| Title | Type | Year | Label | RIAA certification | U.S. sales | Billboard peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Idol Season 10 Highlights: James Durbin | EP | 2011 | 19 Recordings / Interscope Records | Not documented | 71,000January 19, 2012 | No. 31Billboard 200 |
| Memories of a Beautiful Disaster | Album | 2011 | Wind-up Records | Not documented | at least 123,000February 2, 2017 | No. 36Billboard 200 |
| Celebrate | Album | 2014 | Wind-up Records | Not documented | Not documented | No. 83Billboard 200 |
| A Thrill of Hope | EP | 2015 | James Durbin (self-release) | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Riot on Sunset | Album | 2016 | James Durbin (self-release) | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
 Road RageQuiet Riot | Album | 2017 | Frontiers Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Homeland | Album | 2018 | James Durbin (self-release) | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
 Hollywood CowboysQuiet Riot | Album | 2019 | Frontiers Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| The Beast AwakensDurbin | Album | 2021 | Frontiers Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
 Coming HomeCleanbreak | Album | 2022 | Frontiers Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Screaming SteelDurbin | Album | 2024 | Frontiers Music Srl | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| We Are the FireCleanbreak | Album | 2024 | Frontiers Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
Cover images: Cover Art Archive (MusicBrainz).
Sources
- Apple Music catalog lookup: albums for artist id 474401043 (James Durbin) — Apple Music.
- James Durbin (official website, home page) — James Durbin.
- Santa Cruz rocker and "American Idol" alum James Durbin has Capitola on his mind — KAZU (NPR member station), October 15, 2025.
- Apple Music catalog lookup: Screaming Steel, The Beast Awakens, We Are The Fire, Coming Home, Road Rage, Hollywood Cowboys — Apple Music.
- 'American Idol' Finalist James Durbin's Collaboration With Quiet Riot Guitarist Alex Grossi: 'Roads' Lyric Video — Blabbermouth.net, February 2, 2017.
- Memories of a Beautiful Disaster (Wikipedia revision 1291936273) — Wikipedia, May 24, 2025.
- List of American Idol alumni album sales in the United States — Wikipedia, September 21, 2026.
- James Durbin (singer) — Wikipedia, August 24, 2026.
- 'American Idol' Season 10: Where Are They Now? — Billboard, January 19, 2012.
- American Idol season 10 — Wikipedia, September 29, 2026.
- List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
- 'American Idol' Contestant James Durbin Signs to Wind-up Records — Loudwire, September 7, 2011.
- Road Rage (Quiet Riot album) (Wikipedia revision 1335279781) — Wikipedia, January 28, 2026.
- Hollywood Cowboys (Wikipedia revision 1335279808) — Wikipedia, January 28, 2026.
- Ex-Quiet Riot Singer James Durbin Is Working On 'Pure Heavy Metal' Album For Frontiers Music Srl — Blabbermouth.net, October 28, 2020.
- James Durbin Draws Inspiration From Judas Priest, Dio, Black Sabbath On Upcoming Durbin Album, Screaming Steel; Title Track Music Video Posted — Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, December 18, 2023.
- Cleanbreak (Wikipedia revision 1376282709) — Wikipedia, September 23, 2026.
- Cleanbreak Feat. James Durbin And Mike Flyntz: Second Album Announced — Blabbermouth.net, August 27, 2024.
- Stryper, Ex-Quiet Riot And Riot Members Join Forces In Cleanbreak — Blabbermouth.net, March 19, 2022.
- Ex-Quiet Riot Singer James Durbin Taps Chris Jericho, Phil Demmel For 'Kings Before You' Single; 'The Beast Awakens' Album Announced — Blabbermouth.net, November 19, 2020.
- Quiet Riot Parts Ways With Singer James Durbin, Welcomes Back Jizzy Pearl — Blabbermouth.net, September 8, 2019.
- Quiet Riot To Re-Record 'Road Rage' Album With New Singer James Durbin — Blabbermouth.net, March 10, 2017.
- American Idols Live! Tour 2011 (Wikipedia revision 1375445529) — Wikipedia, September 17, 2026.
- Celebrate (James Durbin album) (Wikipedia revision 1356161775) — Wikipedia, May 26, 2026.
- Q&A: Santa Cruz's James Durbin on Moving to Nashville, New Album — Good Times (Santa Cruz), October 16, 2018.
- Quiet Riot (Wikipedia revision 1378858640) — Wikipedia, October 6, 2026.
- From the New World (album) (Wikipedia revision 1377299311) — Wikipedia, September 28, 2026.
- Monthly pageviews of the English Wikipedia article "James Durbin (singer)", July 2015 – September 2026 — Wikimedia Foundation.
- American Idol Series Finale Recap: Alumni Cameos and Star-Studded Performances — ABC News, April 8, 2016.
- It's Official: James Durbin Is Quiet Riot's New Singer — Blabbermouth, March 3, 2017.
- Quiet Riot — Wikipedia.
