Lee DeWyze
Season 9 · Winner
Where are they now
Lee DeWyze is a singer-songwriter. His album Gone For Days was released in August 2024 on Mavelle Records. In 2026 he was booked for concerts including the Fairfield Theatre Company in Connecticut on January 27 and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix on June 28. His songs have been licensed to more than 100 shows, films and commercials.
Key figures
- Career score30 points of 100Rank on Encore Index: #39 (tie) of 688
- Billboard 200 albums2 albums on the Billboard 200Rank on Encore Index: #34 (tie) of 94
- Hot 100 entries4 Hot 100 entriesRank on Encore Index: #21 (tie) of 80
- Studio albums7 studio albumsRank on Encore Index: #7 (tie) of 238
- Wikipedia views, 12 months36,904 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #87 of 303
- Wikipedia views since 2015703,403 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #68 of 303
Known for
Interest over time
Monthly views of the English Wikipedia article, July 2015 – September 2026.
Career
- 2010
American Idol, season 9
Winner
- 2010
After winning season 9 of American Idol in May 2010, DeWyze signed a recording contract with 19 Entertainment and RCA Records.
- 2010
His coronation song, a cover of U2's Beautiful Day, was released as a digital single on May 27, 2010.
- 2010
As the season 9 winner, DeWyze headlined the American Idols Live! Tour 2010, a 44-date tour of the United States and Canada that ran from July 1 to August 31, 2010.
- 2010
His major-label debut album, Live It Up, was released on November 16, 2010, by RCA Records. DeWyze co-wrote ten of its eleven songs.
- 2011
His option with RCA Records expired in September 2011. RCA chief executive Peter Edge confirmed that DeWyze was no longer on the label.
- 2013
In early 2013 DeWyze signed with Vanguard Records, and the label released his single Silver Lining that April.
- 2014
His Blackbird Song was used in the March 9, 2014 episode of The Walking Dead and was included on The Walking Dead AMC Original Soundtrack, Vol. 2.
- 2018
Paranoia was released on February 16, 2018. Its single The Breakdown was used in the Showtime series Shameless.
- 2020
His single Horizon was the theme song of the 2020 film The Secret: Dare to Dream.
- 2024
Gone For Days was released in August 2024. DeWyze wrote most of it in early 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee, and recorded it at Classic Recording Studios in Bristol with string arrangements by cellist Dave Eggar.
- 2026
He was booked for concerts in 2026, including the Fairfield Theatre Company's StageOne in Fairfield, Connecticut on January 27 and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix on June 28.
More milestones
- Date not documented
After The Walking Dead placement, DeWyze built a career licensing his songs, which have been used in more than 100 shows, films, trailers and commercials.
- Date not documented
Beautiful Day peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Canadian Hot 100.
- Date not documented
Live It Up debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200, with 39,000 copies sold in its first week.
- Date not documented
Louis Svitek signed DeWyze to WuLi Records, the Chicago independent label Svitek runs with Ryan McGuire. DeWyze formed the Lee DeWyze Band with Svitek, McGuire and Jeff Henderson.
Discography
| Title | Type | Year | Label | RIAA certification | U.S. sales | Billboard peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| So I'm Told | Album | 2007 | WuLi | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Beautiful Day | Single | 2010 | Not documented | Not documented | Not applicable | No. 24Hot 100 |
| Falling Slowly (with Crystal Bowersox) | Single | 2010 | Not documented | Not documented | Not applicable | No. 66Hot 100 |
| Hallelujah | Single | 2010 | Not documented | Not documented | Not applicable | No. 44Hot 100 |
| The Boxer | Single | 2010 | Not documented | Not documented | Not applicable | No. 88Hot 100 |
| Slumberland | Album | 2010 | WuLi | Not documented | 17,000November 24, 2010 | Not documented |
| Live It Up | Album | 2010 | RCA/19 | Not documented | 153,000August 12, 2013 | No. 19Billboard 200 |
 What Once Was | Album | 2012 | WuLi | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
 Frames | Album | 2013 | Vanguard | Not documented | Not documented | No. 116Billboard 200 |
 Oil & Water | Album | 2016 | Shanachie | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Paranoia | Album | 2018 | Shanachie | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Castles | EP | 2019 | Mavelle Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
 Ghost Stories | Album | 2021 | Mavelle Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Gone For Days | Album | 2024 | Mavelle Records | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
Cover images: Cover Art Archive (MusicBrainz).
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star | American Idol | Won |
Sources
- Lee DeWyze out to show he's so much more than a former 'American Idol' winner — TribLIVE (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review), October 10, 2024.
- iTunes Lookup API: Apple artist 356767680 (Lee DeWyze) albums — Apple.
- Lee DeWyze @ FTC — Fairfield Theatre Company.
- Lee DeWyze | Phoenix, AZ | Musical Instrument Museum — Musical Instrument Museum.
- Live It Up (Lee DeWyze album) (Wikipedia revision 1349618171) — Wikipedia, April 18, 2026.
- List of American Idol alumni album sales in the United States — Wikipedia, September 21, 2026.
- Lee DeWyze's 'Frames': Exclusive Album Premiere — Billboard, August 12, 2013.
- Lee DeWyze (Wikipedia revision 1364548416) — Wikipedia, July 17, 2026.
- Four 'Idol' albums make the top 200 in a wild chart week — USA Today, November 24, 2010.
- American Idol season 9 — Wikipedia, August 11, 2026.
- List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
- How DeWyze Won 'American Idol' — Pollstar (Associated Press), May 27, 2010.
- Lee DeWyze Dropped By RCA Records — The Hollywood Reporter, October 6, 2011.
- Frames (Lee DeWyze album) (Wikipedia revision 1365330953) — Wikipedia, July 21, 2026.
- Lee DeWyze signs with Vanguard Records — USA Today, April 10, 2013.
- American Idols Live! Tour 2010 (Wikipedia revision 1255661444) — Wikipedia, November 6, 2024.
- 'American Idol' on the Charts: Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban All Rise — The Hollywood Reporter, March 24, 2014.
- No Depression Sessions at AMERICANAFEST 2024: Lee DeWyze — No Depression, October 2, 2024.
- MusicBrainz release groups for Lee DeWyze — MusicBrainz.
- MusicBrainz artist Lee DeWyze — MusicBrainz.
- Lee DeWyze Returns with Folk-Driven "Ghost Stories" — American Songwriter, August 3, 2021.
- 2010 Teen Choice Awards (Wikipedia revision 1374532304) — Wikipedia, September 12, 2026.
- Monthly pageviews of the English Wikipedia article "Lee DeWyze", July 2015 – September 2026 — Wikimedia Foundation.
- Song Premiere: Lee DeWyze Casts His 'Stone' — Yahoo, January 5, 2016.
- Watch 'American Idol' winners pay tribute to David Bowie with medley performance in show finale — NME, April 8, 2016.
- How former Chicago-area contestants said goodbye to 'American Idol' — Baltimore Sun, April 8, 2016.
- American Idol names Harmon its final winner — USA Today, April 7, 2016.
- American Idol's Lee DeWyze Drops Moody "Bridges" (Audio) — mjsbigblog, March 27, 2022.
