American Idol season 19 (2021)
Aired on ABC from February 14, 2021 to May 23, 2021. 13 finalists and 12 semifinalists, with their show results and what they did after the show.
The 13 finalists.
Finalists
| Finalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| WinnerLast competed May 23, 2021 | Chayce Beckham, winner of American Idol in 2021, records for Wheelhouse Records with 19 Recordings. His single "23," which he wrote, reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated April 6, 2024, and was certified platinum in the United States. His debut album, Bad for Me, came out on April 5, 2024. He released the EP Old Fashioned on September 25, 2026. | |
| Runner-upLast competed May 23, 2021 | Willie Spence, runner-up on season 19 of American Idol, released the six-song EP The Voice on April 2, 2021. He was killed in a car crash on Interstate 24 near Chattanooga, Tennessee, on October 11, 2022, at age 23. Pastor Van henderson's single Weeping won't last, featuring Spence, came out on December 23, 2022. | |
| Third placeLast competed May 23, 2021 | Grace Kinstler, who finished third on American Idol in 2021, released her single Love Someone during the show, on May 14, 2021. Later singles include Breaking Myself and, on October 25, 2024, Water. In December 2023 she played Natalie in Love Actually Live in Los Angeles. | |
| Eliminated (4th)Last competed May 16, 2021 | Casey Bishop, who finished fourth on American Idol in 2021, signed with 19 Recordings and BMG that year. She released the six-song EP Casey Bishop on September 28, 2022, produced by Chris Greatti, including songs written with Willow. | |
| Withdrew (5th)Last competed May 9, 2021 | Caleb Kennedy is a country singer-songwriter from Roebuck, South Carolina. On American Idol he auditioned with his original song Nowhere. After the season he played venues across the Southeastern United States, including the Music on Main series in Spartanburg, with Simple Man and Soulshine in the set, and he worked with Brandon Kinney on trips to Nashville. In August 2021 he took part in local community events. In February 2022 he was involved in a fatal DUI crash in Spartanburg County, and in 2024 he was sentenced to eight years, with three of those years under home detention. | |
| Eliminated (6th–7th)Last competed May 9, 2021 | 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). | |
| Eliminated (6th–7th)Last competed May 9, 2021 | Hunter Metts reached the Top 10 of American Idol season 19. He released the EP Monochrome in 2024 and the single Weathervane on November 15, 2024. In 2025 he released Blue Ridge Run on June 20 and the EP A Crater Wide on October 10, both on Position Music and Interscope Records, and he toured in support of James Bay and headlined his own run in fall 2025. | |
| Eliminated (8th–10th)Last competed May 2, 2021 | Alyssa Wray's season 19 American Idol audition drew more than two million views. Katy Perry called her a once in a generation performer, and she reached the top ten. She records musical-theater videos on TikTok as @alyssawrayy, where she has more than 65,000 followers, including hundreds of videos filmed in a dorm stairwell. | |
| Eliminated (8th–10th)Last competed May 2, 2021 | Cassandra Coleman, a season 19 finalist based in Nashville, released the single Habit in 2022 and Coming of Age on Warner Records on June 6, 2025, a song she recorded with Jack Antonoff. Her eight-track EP End of Your Love came out on Warner Records on September 18, 2026. She was scheduled to play the Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 9, 2026. | |
| Eliminated (8th–10th)Last competed May 2, 2021 | As of September 2021, DeShawn Goncalves was studying music at Jackson State University, playing sousaphone in the Sonic Boom of the South, and recording a debut album. | |
| Eliminated (11th–13th)Last competed April 18, 2021 | Ava August, also credited as Ava Zaharek, is a singer-songwriter from Laguna Niguel, California who plays guitar, ukulele, and piano. She co-wrote Move On with Mikey Reaves on a 2022 songwriting trip to Nashville, and August Productions released it on February 24, 2023, with Mikey Reaves and Davis Naish as producers. August Productions has released her singles since Daybreak in October 2020; the most recent, Cinematic, came out on November 12, 2025. | |
| Eliminated (11th–13th)Last competed April 18, 2021 | Brennan Hepler performs as Beane. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2019. In 2021 he was a server at Club Passim in Harvard Square, a job he had held since 2018, his Idol bio listed him as a wedding singer, and he was lead vocalist of the Silver Arrow Band. On March 27, 2024 he performed with Tiny Habits at the Fine Line on the Little Bit Farther Tour. | |
| Eliminated (11th–13th)Last competed April 18, 2021 | Madison Watkins, an Arkansas native and a top-12 finalist on American Idol, signed with Provident Entertainment/Sony Music in May 2024. She released the five-song EP Letting Go on May 16, 2025, the single God You Are on April 17, 2026, and Open the Eyes (Praise You) on July 3, 2026. |
- Winner
- Runner-up
- Other finalists
Semifinalists
Semifinal round: the Top 24 picked after the Showstopper round, two groups of twelve, who sang over two weeks (Top 24 on April 4 and 5, Top 16 on April 11 and 12).
| Semifinalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| Eliminated in the Top 16Last competed April 12, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 16Last competed April 12, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 16Last competed April 12, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Withdrew in the Top 16Last competed April 11, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 5, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 5, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 5, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 5, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 4, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 4, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 4, 2021 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 4, 2021 | No career summary yet. |
Sources
- List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
- American Idol season 19 — Wikipedia, July 21, 2026.
- Chayce Beckham (Wikipedia revision 1376137684) — Wikipedia, September 22, 2026.
- 23 (Chayce Beckham song) (Wikipedia revision 1335281791) — Wikipedia, January 28, 2026.
- Bad for Me (Chayce Beckham album) (Wikipedia revision 1343466501) — Wikipedia, March 14, 2026.
- Apple album search for Chayce Beckham — Apple.
- Willie Spence — Wikipedia, August 24, 2026.
- Apple album lookup for artist 1485480697 — Apple.
- What Happened To Grace Kinstler After American Idol Season 19? — ScreenRant, July 6, 2024.
- Apple album search for Grace Kinstler — Apple.
- Casey Bishop Signs to American Idol's 19 Recordings & BMG, Plotting EP — mjsbigblog, November 17, 2021.
- Q&A: Casey Bishop Talks Self-Titled Debut EP — The Luna Collective, October 3, 2022.
- Apple album search for Casey Bishop — Apple.
- 'American Idol' finalist Caleb Kennedy out after KKK-style hood video surfaces — CNN, May 13, 2021.
- Caleb Kennedy — Wikipedia, March 14, 2025.
- American Idol season 18 — Wikipedia, July 21, 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 Alum Hunter Metts Shares Plans for New Music — Everything Nash, August 3, 2021.
- Hunter Metts at The Basement — The Basement.
- Apple album search for Hunter Metts — Apple.
- Hunter Metts releases new single Blue Ridge Run — The Concert Chronicles, July 17, 2025.
- Book with Alyssa Wray — Broadway Plus.
- ACL Fest Artist Q&A: Cassandra Coleman — 360°Sound, October 7, 2026.
- Cassandra Coleman Drops Bittersweet Debut Single Habit — mjsbigblog, October 22, 2022.
- Apple album search for Cassandra Coleman — Apple.
- JSU Student Overcomes Personal Obstacles to Showcase Talent on American Idol — Mississippi Free Press, September 1, 2021.
- Ava August drops a heartfelt piano-pop ballad, entitled, Move On — Bong Mines Entertainment, March 8, 2023.
- Move On - Ava August — Shazam.
- iTunes Search API: Ava August albums — Apple iTunes Search.
- Beane, a Berklee graduate and Brighton resident, soars in American Idol audition — Boston.com, March 7, 2021.
- Who Is Beane From American Idol — Hollywood Life, April 5, 2021.
- Beane - First Avenue — First Avenue.
- American Idol Star Madison Watkins Lets Music Speak For Itself — AY Magazine, May 31, 2025.
- Signing Stories: Madison Watkins — Music Connection, June 27, 2025.
- Apple album lookup for artist 767670555 — Apple.