American Idol season 18 (2020)
Aired on ABC from February 16, 2020 to May 17, 2020. 11 finalists and 9 semifinalists, with their show results and what they did after the show.
The 11 finalists (Top 11).
Finalists
| Finalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| WinnerLast competed May 17, 2020 | Just Sam signed with Hollywood Records and 19 Recordings after winning in May 2020 and left the label about a year later without releasing an album. They released independent singles in 2021 and said in 2023 that they had gone back to singing in New York City subways for money. By late 2023 they had signed with an agent at CrowdMGMT, and on April 28, 2024 they returned to American Idol as a guest performer. | |
| Runner-upLast competed May 17, 2020 | Arthur Gunn (Dibesh Pokharel), runner-up on American Idol season 18, released the album Riti on June 4, 2026. Earlier albums include Grahan (2018), Khoj (2021), and Tell Me, How Do You Sleep at Night? (2022). | |
| Finale, 3rd–5thLast competed May 17, 2020 | Dillon James, a season 18 finalist from Bakersfield, released the EP River Black on July 12, 2024. His first single on Buena Vista Records, Walking Man, came out on October 6, 2023, after a deal with UMG Nashville, Hollywood Records, and 19 Recordings reported on July 10, 2020. By April 2021 he had signed a management deal with The Core Entertainment. | |
| Finale, 3rd–5thLast competed May 17, 2020 | Francisco Martin finished in the top 5 of American Idol season 18. He plays drums and sings with the San Francisco band The Aura. 19 Recordings released his EPs Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind in 2021, Manic in 2022, and Breakfast for Dinner in 2023, along with a run of singles from Swollen in 2020 through Evil Eye in 2023. On April 24, 2025 he released the self-produced single Friend. | |
| Finale, 3rd–5thLast competed May 17, 2020 | Jonny West records for Tomorrow Music. He released the EP Oh. on October 4, 2019, the album The Thing About This Is on June 25, 2021, and the EP Motel California in October 2022. Later releases on the same recording line include the EP meantime in 2024 and the album B on June 23, 2026. Hollywood Records and 19 Recordings issued his American Idol performance of Makin' Love in May 2020. | |
| Eliminated (6th–7th)Last competed May 10, 2020 | Julia Gargano released the single You Don't Get To on 19 Recordings on February 19, 2021, after a featured appearance on Francisco Martin's Swollen. She later said the 19 Recordings deal was a poor fit and left it. With Ferry Townes, the group she fronts, she released the album Side Effects of Happiness on the independent label Licorice Pizza Records on July 26, 2024. Ferry Townes released the single I Once Was a Fighter on August 20, 2026. | |
| Eliminated (6th–7th)Last competed May 10, 2020 | Louis Knight released his first EP, Small Victories, in 2019; sources give two release dates for it, September 2019 and October 20, 2019. The song Change is on that EP. In October 2020 he released Save a Little Love, said he had no record deal, and announced a free tour from October 13 through October 28. He later released the EPs Twenty, Twenty-Two on December 7, 2022, and Better Life on August 28, 2026, under his own name. | |
| Eliminated (8th–11th)Last competed May 3, 2020 | Grace Leer signed a recording contract with 19 Entertainment and a deal with Red Light Management after American Idol. Her self-titled debut EP came out in 2022, and 19 Recordings released the single Brought A Girl on February 25, 2022. She later released Best Friend for Life, then the EP It Was Worth It on October 10, 2025, under her own name. She also acted in the 2023 Hallmark film Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas. | |
| Eliminated (8th–11th)Last competed May 3, 2020 | Jovin Webb signed a multi-record deal with Blind Pig Records, announced on December 21, 2023. Blind Pig released his debut album Drifter on October 18, 2024, and his second album Son of a Sinner on September 18, 2026. Drifter received a 2025 Blues Music Award nomination for Best Emerging Artist Album, and he received two 2025 Blues Blast Magazine nominations. Before the show he had fronted the Bayou Bullets, sung with Captain Green, and led the Jovin Webb Experience. | |
| Eliminated (8th–11th)Last competed May 3, 2020 | Makayla Phillips, from Canyon Lake, California, sang Demi Lovato's Warrior on America's Got Talent in July 2018 and received Heidi Klum's Golden Buzzer. She advanced from the August 21, 2018 quarter-final and was eliminated after the September 4, 2018 semi-final. She released Fool Like You on February 21, 2020 and Lips Like Candy on September 3, 2021. On April 19, 2021 she sang Anyone in the season 19 comeback and was eliminated. In May 2022, Drown In Alcohol won SongwriterUniverse's Best Song of the Month. As of May 5, 2025 she was recording her own music in Los Angeles. | |
| Eliminated (8th–11th)Last competed May 3, 2020 | Sophia Louise Wackerman records as Sophia James and plays piano and guitar. She released the EPs Stand Beneath the Sky on July 30, 2021, Lines on the Freeway on November 25, 2022, Clockwork on April 19, 2024, and The Wrong Shoe Theory on May 1, 2026. Clockwork includes a live performance of Amy Winehouse's Valerie. She has written music for Phineas and Ferb and Hamster & Gretel. She released the single Ryan on June 26, 2026. A Group 7 TikTok using So Unfair reached the Today Show and more than 15.5 million people. |
- Winner
- Runner-up
- Other finalists
Semifinalists
Semifinal round: the Top 20, chosen at the Showcase round (the 20th place by a public vote between two singers).
| Semifinalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 26, 2020 | No career summary yet. |
Sources
- List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
- American Idol season 18 — Wikipedia, July 21, 2026.
- 'American Idol' crowns Season 3 winner virtually — CNN, May 18, 2020.
- 'American Idol' winner Just Sam returns to show after going viral for busking in NYC subway — TODAY, April 29, 2024.
- 'American Idol' 2020 Winner Just Sam Says She Went Broke Paying Back Her Record Label — Blavity (Shadow and Act), February 1, 2022.
- American Idol Winner Just Sam Signs with 19 Recordings — Music Connection, May 18, 2020.
- Just Sam — Wikipedia, August 9, 2026.
- American Idol Runner-Up Arthur Gunn Releases New Album — Talent Recap, April 22, 2022.
- Arthur Gunn (Wikipedia revision 1294026957) — Wikipedia, June 5, 2025.
- Apple album lookup for artist 1151995296 — Apple.
- American Idol 2020 Alum Dillon James Signs Management Deal — mjsbigblog, April 24, 2021.
- American Idol's Dillon James Signs Record Deal with UMG Nashville — mjsbigblog, July 10, 2020.
- Apple album lookup for artist 977830535 — Apple.
- Francisco Martin biography: 13 things about American Idol Season 18 finalist — CONAN Daily, February 15, 2024.
- Francisco Martin finds his way back with the soul-stirring Friend — Melodic Magazine, April 29, 2025.
- Apple Music lookup: Friend, collection 1810106169 — Apple Music.
- Jonny West Drops his New EP, Motel California — Wonderland, October 21, 2022.
- Jonny West is back from his Joshua Tree grave — Ladygunn, June 25, 2021.
- Apple Music lookup: Jonny West, artist 1471824396 — Apple Music.
- American Idol's Julia Gargano Drops You Don't Get To Music Video — mjsbigblog, February 20, 2021.
- Julia Gargano Talks Super-Healing Ferry Townes Project, Life After American Idol — Music Times, April 30, 2024.
- Ferry Townes Releases Debut Album Side Effects Of Happiness Via Licorice Pizza Records — Shore Fire Media, July 26, 2024.
- Apple Music album search: Ferry Townes — Apple Music.
- A Main Line pizza delivery guy advanced on American Idol with a song inspired by his friend's suicide — The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 17, 2020.
- Louis Knight — Deezer.
- Apple Music lookup: Louis Knight, artist 1473804057 — Apple Music.
- American Idol's Louis Knight Drops Save a Little Love, Plots Tour — mjsbigblog, October 10, 2020.
- Bay Area American Idol star releases terrific first single — The Mercury News, April 5, 2022.
- Grace Leer Announces Sophomore EP It Was Worth It Out Friday, October 10th — EIN Presswire, October 7, 2025.
- Grace Leer — Grace Leer.
- Apple Music album search: Grace Leer — Apple Music.
- Jovin Webb Signs with Blind Pig Records — Blind Pig Records, December 21, 2023.
- Jovin Webb Took the Long Way Back to the Blues — Blues Chronicles.
- Apple Music album search: Jovin Webb — Apple Music.
- AGT: 15-Year-Old Singer Slays Some Demi Lovato, Earns Heidi Klum's Golden Buzzer — TheWrap, July 12, 2018.
- America's Got Talent season 13 — Wikipedia.
- Makayla Phillips: 5 Things To Know About The Talented 18-Year-Old Returning To Idol — Hollywood Life, April 19, 2021.
- iTunes Search API: Makayla Phillips albums — Apple iTunes Search.
- American Idol season 19 — Wikipedia.
- Makayla's Drown In Alcohol Named May Best Song Of The Month — SongwriterUniverse, May 9, 2022.
- Rising Stars: Meet Makayla Phillips of Los Angeles — Voyage LA, May 5, 2025.
- Sophia James — Wikipedia, July 29, 2026.
- The Rain - Sophia James — Shazam.
- iTunes Search API: Sophia James albums — Apple iTunes Search.
- Sophia James Embraces the Unexpected with The Wrong Shoe Theory — Pleaser Magazine, July 5, 2026.