Mandisa

Season 5 · Eliminated 9th

Where are they now

Mandisa was found dead on April 18, 2024. Her releases run from True Beauty in 2007 through singles in 2021, including the compilation Overcomer: The Greatest Hits on February 7, 2020. She won the 2014 Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Overcomer.

Key figures

Career score54 points of 100Rank on Encore Index: #9 of 688
Single units1,500,000 certified single unitsRank on Encore Index: #21 (tie) of 38
Billboard 200 albums6 albums on the Billboard 200Rank on Encore Index: #8 (tie) of 94
Studio albums6 studio albumsRank on Encore Index: #11 (tie) of 238
Grammy wins1 Grammy winRank on Encore Index: #4 (tie) of 6
Grammy nominations5 Grammy nominationsRank on Encore Index: #5 of 17
Wikipedia views, 12 months114,569 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #38 of 303
Wikipedia views since 20152,357,804 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #34 of 303

Known for

OvercomerSingle · 2013; RIAA certification: Platinum
Good MorningSingle · 2012; RIAA certification: Gold
OvercomerAlbum · 2013; 320,000 copies sold in the U.S. (reported)Sales as of November 1, 2017
What If We Were RealAlbum · 2011; 269,000 copies sold in the U.S. (reported)Sales as of May 15, 2013
True BeautyAlbum · 2007; 226,000 copies sold in the U.S. (reported)Sales as of March 16, 2011
FreedomAlbum · 2009; 152,000 copies sold in the U.S. (reported)Sales as of April 27, 2011
It's ChristmasAlbum · 2008; 64,000 copies sold in the U.S. (reported)Sales as of January 2, 2013
Christmas JoyEP · 2007; 3,000 copies sold in the U.S. (reported)Sales as of January 10, 2008

Interest over time

Monthly views of the English Wikipedia article, July 2015 – September 2026.

Found dead at home

Career

2006
American Idol, season 5
Eliminated 9th
January 17 – April 5, 2006
2007
Release · May 22, 2007
Her first single, Only the World, was released on May 22, 2007. It debuted at No. 2 on Hot Singles Sales and reached No. 1 the following week.
2007
Release · July 31, 2007
True Beauty was released on July 31, 2007, on Sparrow and peaked at number 1 on Top Christian Albums. Sources give two Billboard 200 positions, a peak of 43 and a debut at 47.
2007
Release · November 20, 2007 – October 14, 2008
Christmas Joy EP was released on November 20, 2007, on Sparrow. It's Christmas, a full-length Christmas album, followed on October 14, 2008, on Sparrow and peaked at number 85 on the Billboard 200.
2008
Release
She is a featured singer, with Kirk Franklin, on tobyMac's 2008 single Lose My Soul, from his 2007 album Portable Sounds.
2009
Release · March 24, 2009
Freedom was released on March 24, 2009, on Sparrow. It peaked at number 83 on the Billboard 200 and number 4 on Top Christian Albums.
2010
2011
Release · April 5, 2011
Sparrow released What If We Were Real in April 2011; sources give two release dates, April 5 and April 11. It peaked at number 66 on the Billboard 200. Stronger, a song from the album, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart on June 18, 2011.
2012
2013
Release · August 27, 2013
Overcomer was released on August 27, 2013, on Sparrow. It peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on Top Christian Albums. The title song reached No. 1 on the Christian chart by October 2013.
2014
Award
She won the 2014 Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Overcomer and had four other Grammy nominations.
2015–2016
2017
Release · May 19, 2017
Out of the Dark, her final studio album, was released on Sparrow on May 19, 2017. She also wrote a memoir, Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God's Joy.
2018–2019
2020
Release · February 7, 2020 – 2021
Sparrow released Overcomer: The Greatest Hits on February 7, 2020. She released the singles Way Maker, You Keep Hope Alive and It's Not Over in 2020, and Breakthrough and Ruins in 2021.
2022–2023
2024
Other · April 18, 2024
On April 18, 2024, she was found dead at her home in Franklin, Tennessee, at age 47.

More milestones

Date not documented
Other
Before her solo career she worked for a short time as a recording session backup singer for artists including Sandi Patty, Shania Twain, and Trisha Yearwood.

Discography

Releases of Mandisa
Title	Type	Year	Label	RIAA certification	U.S. sales	Billboard peak
True Beauty	Album	2007	Sparrow Records	Not documented	226,000March 16, 2011	No. 43Billboard 200
Christmas Joy	EP	2007	Sparrow Records	Not documented	3,000January 10, 2008	Not documented
It's Christmas	Album	2008	Sparrow Records	Not documented	64,000January 2, 2013	No. 85Billboard 200
Freedom	Album	2009	Sparrow Records	Not documented	152,000April 27, 2011	No. 83Billboard 200
What If We Were Real	Album	2011	Sparrow Records	Not documented	269,000May 15, 2013	No. 66Billboard 200
Good Morning	Single	2012	Sparrow Records	Gold	Not applicable	Not documented
Remixed: Get Movin'	EP	2012	Sparrow Records	Not documented	1,000August 22, 2012	Not documented
Overcomer	Single	2013	Sparrow Records	Platinum	Not applicable	Not documented
Overcomer	Album	2013	Sparrow Records	Not documented	320,000November 1, 2017	No. 29Billboard 200
Get Up: The Remixes	Other	2014	Sparrow Records	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented
Out of the Dark	Album	2017	Sparrow Records	Not documented	Not documented	No. 60Billboard 200
Overcomer: The Greatest Hits	Compilation	2020	Sparrow Records	Not documented	Not documented	Not documented

Cover images: Cover Art Archive (MusicBrainz).

Awards

Award wins and nominations of Mandisa
Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2008	Dove Awards	Female Vocalist of the Year		Nominated
2008	Dove Awards	New Artist of the Year		Nominated
2008	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album	True Beauty	Nominated
2009	Dove Awards	Female Vocalist of the Year		Nominated
2010	Dove Awards	Female Vocalist of the Year		Nominated
2010	Dove Awards	Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year	My Deliverer	Nominated
2010	Dove Awards	Short Form Video of the YearShared: tobyMac, Kirk Franklin, Mandisa	Lose My Soul	Nominated
2010	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album	Freedom	Nominated
2012	Grammy Awards	Best Contemporary Christian Music Album	What If We Were Real	Nominated
2014	Grammy Awards	Best Contemporary Christian Music Album	Overcomer	Won
2014	Grammy Awards	Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance	Overcomer	Nominated

Sources

Mandisa (Wikipedia revision 1371035176) — Wikipedia, August 24, 2026.
Mandisa discography (Wikipedia revision 1360241369) — Wikipedia, June 20, 2026.
Mandisa Grammy Awards and Nominations — Recording Academy.
Mandisa - Overcomer Sales — Cum Books, November 1, 2017.
Mandisa Gets the Remix Treatment with Get Up: The Remixes — Hallels, July 28, 2014.
Idol sales: Seven singers in the Billboard 200 — USA Today, May 15, 2013.
Adam Lambert EP sales rise after Idol appearance — USA Today (Idol Chatter), March 2011.
Adele returns to No. 1 album spot — USA Today (Idol Chatter), April 27, 2011.
Kelly Clarkson: One Million Stronger — USA Today, January 2, 2013.
The Ultimate SoundScan Sales/Download Checklist — USA Today, January 10, 2008.
American Idol season 5 — Wikipedia, May 18, 2026.
List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
MusicBrainz release groups for Mandisa — MusicBrainz.
'Idol' album sales: Underwood, Clarkson, McCreery — USA Today (Idol Chatter), August 22, 2012.
Monthly pageviews of the English Wikipedia article "Mandisa", July 2015 – September 2026 — Wikimedia Foundation.
K-LOVE honors the life and musical legacy of Mandisa — K-LOVE.
Christian singer Mandisa, 47, dies at her Nashville home — Fox17.

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