American Idol season 20 (2022)
Aired on ABC from February 27, 2022 to May 22, 2022. 14 finalists and 10 semifinalists, with their show results and what they did after the show.
The 14 finalists (Top 14).
Finalists
| Finalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| WinnerLast competed May 22, 2022 | Noah Thompson won American Idol on May 22, 2022. 19 Recordings and BBR released the EP Middle of God Knows Where on June 9, 2023. One Day Tonight reached number 48 on Hot Country Songs. In May 2024 19 Recordings confirmed he was no longer on its roster, and on June 11, 2024 he said he would continue as an independent artist. Next Chapter Records released Upbringing in August 2024, and Find Em in a Bar followed in September 2025. He is a writer on Front Door Famous, the first song on Luke Combs's Fathers & Sons. | |
| Runner-upLast competed May 22, 2022 | HunterGirl is a country singer from Winchester, Tennessee. Her name is Hunter Wolkonowski. She is signed to Wheelhouse Records and 19 Recordings. Sources date her single Dirt to October 9, 2025 and October 10, 2025. | |
| Third placeLast competed May 22, 2022 | Leah Marlene is an independent singer based in Nashville. She released the EP We're All Buying Into a Dream on February 9, 2024. In 2025 she was a Top 50 finalist in the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. Her single My Girl came out on September 25, 2026. | |
| Eliminated (11th)Last competed April 25, 2022 | Tristen Gressett, from Pell City, Alabama, finished at number 11 on American Idol in 2022 and moved to California. Act I: The Poet, a self-released EP, came out on August 10, 2021. His debut album Hello, California came out on May 24, 2024. He self-produced it and played every instrument. Moment With You, dated April 13, 2024, is on that album. Act I: The Poet (Revisited) came out on October 3, 2026. | |
| Eliminated (4th–5th)Last competed May 15, 2022 | Fritz Hager III is a singer from Tyler, Texas. He released the EP Fritz Hager on March 25, 2022, and the singles Caroline, Two Step, and Bad Friend on 19 Recordings in 2023. By January 18, 2023, he had moved to Nashville. | |
| Eliminated (4th–5th)Last competed May 15, 2022 | Nicolina Bozzo, known as Nicolina, reached the top 5 of American Idol season 20 and was the first contestant from Canada to reach the top 7. During the season she released Glitter on 19 Recordings. Way Out followed in June 2023, Pretty in October 2023, and Situations in May 2024. In 2024 she performed at The Sunset Concerts in Toronto. Rearview, an EP, came out on October 11, 2024, and You came out on May 13, 2025. | |
| Eliminated (6th–7th)Last competed May 8, 2022 | Christian Guardino, from Patchogue on Long Island, was a contestant on America's Got Talent in 2017, when he was 16. He released Higher on May 13, 2022, and was scheduled to headline a show in Patchogue on November 4, 2022. On June 2, 2023 he was a credited artist on Wanderer with .Wav Rider and Mykel Coppola Vocal Junkies. | |
| Eliminated (6th–7th)Last competed May 8, 2022 | Jay Copeland is a singer and actor from Salisbury, Maryland. He released the single Unlonely on May 13, 2022, through 19 Recordings. His stage credits include Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar and a 2022 opening set for Patti LaBelle. From April 11 to 29, 2023 he was in the cast of Ain't Misbehavin' at Westport Country Playhouse. | |
| Eliminated (8th–10th)Last competed May 1, 2022 | Emyrson Flora is an independent singer from Twinsburg, Ohio. She released the EP every song is about you in November 2024 and the EP Aren't You Curious? on February 27, 2026. Her single Die Next To You came out on June 26, 2026. | |
| Eliminated (8th–10th)Last competed May 1, 2022 | Lady K, whose name is Kezia Istonia, is a singer from Montgomery, Alabama, and a Tuskegee resident. She released the album Time Of Your Life on April 4, 2022, under MUSIC BY LADYK LLC. As of July 21, 2022, she was preparing a Time Of Your Life tour. | |
| Eliminated (8th–10th)Last competed May 1, 2022 | Mike Parker, a country artist from Virginia, reached the Top 10 of American Idol season 20 and later moved to Nashville. He works with Jimmy Robbins and Mailbox Money Records, which has released his singles since Thinking Of You on January 27, 2023. Just Like Me came out on November 8, 2024, and Bone Dry on March 20, 2026. Withrow Street Music and CTM Entertainment publish his songs. He was a CMT Next Up Now artist and a Spotify Fresh Finds Country cover artist, and he was on the Best Of Fresh Finds Country lists for 2024 and 2025. | |
| Eliminated (12th–14th)Last competed April 24, 2022 | Allegra Miles began playing shows in West Palm at 14 and appeared on The Voice and American Idol. She released the six-song EP Heal My Soul on August 25, 2023, then the EPs CINEMATIC, ARCADE, and Technicolor. On September 11, 2026 she was a credited artist, with San Holo, Kompany, and Underbelly, on SMILING/HIDING (feat. Au5). | |
| Eliminated (12th–14th)Last competed April 24, 2022 | Ava Maybee, a Los Angeles singer, reached the top 14 on American Idol and began taking music seriously at 16. She released the six-track EP Orange Drive on May 16, 2025, and the single I Pray For Composure on January 16, 2026. | |
| Eliminated (12th–14th)Last competed April 24, 2022 | Daniel Marshall Griffith performs as Dan Marshall. The Virginia singer moved to Nashville in the fall of 2022, released She Wants a Ring on May 5, 2023, and by November 11, 2024 had signed an exclusive publishing deal with Jonas Group Publishing. He released Can't Nobody on June 19, 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 10 and 11 in Hawaii, Top 20 on April 17 and 18).
| Semifinalist | Show result | After the show |
|---|---|---|
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 18, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 18, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 18, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 18, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 18, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 20Last competed April 18, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Withdrew in the Top 24Last competed April 11, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 11, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 10, 2022 | No career summary yet. | |
| Eliminated in the Top 24Last competed April 10, 2022 | No career summary yet. |
Sources
- List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
- American Idol season 20 — Wikipedia, December 31, 2025.
- Noah Thompson — Wikipedia, August 24, 2026.
- American Idol Winner Gets Dropped by Record Label — Wide Open Country, May 31, 2024.
- American Idol Winner Joins Forces With Luke Combs on the Heels of Label Breakup — American Songwriter, July 4, 2024.
- iTunes album lookup for artist 1623420824 — Apple.
- HunterGirl — Wikipedia, June 7, 2025.
- HunterGirl Celebrates Roots With New Song Dirt — BBR Music Group, October 9, 2025.
- HunterGirl Offers a Heartfelt Glimpse of Her Childhood — iHeartCountry, October 10, 2025.
- Extended bio — Leah Marlene.
- iTunes Search API: Leah Marlene — Apple.
- A Single Sit-Down: Tristen Gressett – Moment With You — The Indy Review, August 20, 2024.
- iTunes album lookup for artist 1579360888 — Apple.
- Tyler native Fritz Hager III releases first single since American Idol — Tyler Morning Telegraph, January 18, 2023.
- Bad Friend, Fritz Hager — Qobuz.
- iTunes Search API: Fritz Hager — Apple.
- What Happened To Nicolina After American Idol Season 20? — ScreenRant, July 3, 2024.
- iTunes album lookup for artist 347233732 — Apple.
- iTunes album lookup for artist 1522247889 — Apple.
- Rearview, Nicolina — Shazam.
- Christian Guardino Talks Debut Album, His American Idol Journey and His Motivation To Keep Making Music — Music Mayhem Magazine, July 18, 2022.
- Apple album lookup for artist 1434529742 — Apple.
- American Idol: Jay Copeland Announces a New Single — Screen Rant, May 10, 2022.
- iTunes Search API: Jay Copeland Unlonely — Apple.
- Jay Copeland — Westport Country Playhouse.
- Ain't Misbehavin' — Westport Country Playhouse.
- New Cleveland Music: Emyrson Flora, Floco Torres, Solon and More — Cleveland Magazine, November 12, 2024.
- Emyrson Flora announces sophomore EP Aren't You Curious? — Melodic Magazine, December 5, 2025.
- iTunes Search API: Emyrson Flora — Apple.
- MusicBrainz release groups: Emyrson Flora — MusicBrainz.
- Meet Kezia Istonia aka Lady K of Montgomery, Alabama — Voyage ATL, July 21, 2022.
- Tuskegee's Lady K now in top 10 on American Idol — WSFA, April 25, 2022.
- Mike Parker about — Mike Parker.
- iTunes album lookup for artist 1532333825 — Apple.
- Allegra Miles — The Atlantic Current, November 30, 2023.
- Apple album lookup for artist 1111357375 — Apple.
- This former 'American Idol' star just released her debut EP — Deseret News, June 2, 2025.
- Apple album lookup for artist 1534262667 — Apple.
- Who Is Dan Marshall? American Idol — HollywoodLife, April 24, 2022.
- Dan Marshall Griffith's Cover of The Dance by Garth Brooks on American Idol Sends Him to Hollywood — American Songwriter, March 21, 2022.
- Dan Marshall Inks With Jonas Group Publishing — MusicRow, November 11, 2024.
- Apple album lookup for artist 1681307163 — Apple.