Idol finalist Ramiele Malubay became a stroke and neurology nurse

Ramiele Malubay, Joanna Serenko and Mathai pursued nursing

By May 2021, Ramiele Malubay had become a registered nurse specializing in strokes and neurology. She started singing at age 12, sang at Filipino-American events in Florida, including openings for Kuh Ledesma and Martin Nievera on their American tours, and was eliminated during Dolly Parton week.

Joanna Serenko reached the semifinal on season 18 of The Voice and was studying nursing at Maryville University in May 2022. She graduated from nursing school, pursued music full time, and was scheduled to perform at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville in October 2026. Mathai joined Team Adam on season 2 of The Voice in November 2011, reached the Top 12, and worked as a nurse.

• Ramiele Malubay: career and music
• Joanna Serenko: career and music
• Mathai: career and music

Amanda Overmyer and Paige Thomas pursued nursing before their shows

Amanda Overmyer earned a nursing degree from Ivy Tech Community College and worked in healthcare before American Idol. She finished in 11th place on season 7 in March 2008 and headlined the Women of Rock show at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood in May 2008. Paige Thomas chose to pursue a nursing degree over a record deal before auditioning for season 2 of The X Factor, where Thomas finished in eighth place.

• Amanda Overmyer: career and music
• Paige Thomas: career and music

Stephanie Rice did HIV research; Sofronio Vasquez studied dentistry

Stephanie Rice earned a biology degree at the University of Houston, did HIV research, and worked as a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine. Encouraged by Rice’s wife to try music full time, Rice quit the research job, sent an audition video, and reached the Top 11 on season 12 of The Voice. By July 2022, Rice lived in Los Angeles and continued to write and perform music.

Sofronio Vasquez graduated with a degree in dental medicine and worked as a dental hygienist and a singer for Carnival Cruise Line. Before auditioning for The Voice, he worked as a dental assistant in the United States. Vasquez won season 26 of The Voice.

• Stephanie Rice: career and music
• Sofronio Vasquez: career and music

Charles Grigsby and Rayshun LaMarr lost their voices

Charles Grigsby finished 11th on season 2 of American Idol, joined the group Croonerz in 2008, and in September 2010 became lead vocalist of the band Centric at the Hard Rock Cafe in Pattaya, Thailand. After releasing the single "Headliner" in September 2011, he stopped singing to rest his voice because of a vocal cord problem; his publicist said he lost his singing voice for nine years.

In 2012 Rayshun LaMarr was diagnosed with lymphoma, and two years of treatment brought a temporary loss of hearing and voice. In February 2018, LaMarr made a television debut on season 14 of The Voice with "Don’t Stop Believin’" and reached the Top 8. At the end of 2018 and in 2019, LaMarr sang NFL halftime shows and the national anthem at a Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets game. In September 2026, LaMarr was announced as Kinfolk in the Broadway musical Wanted.

• Charles Grigsby: career and music
• Rayshun LaMarr: career and music

Kat Perkins and McKenna Faith Breinholt had vocal surgery

Kat Perkins had vocal-cord surgery, took a three-year break from singing, and worked as a full-time nanny. She reached the Top 5 on season 6 of The Voice and began touring in October 2014; Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in Minnesota scheduled Kat Perkins’ North Country Christmas for its Fireside Theatre in December 2026. McKenna Faith Breinholt finished in sixth or seventh place on season 22 of American Idol, had surgery in July 2024 to remove a vocal polyp, and paused singing during recovery. In February 2025, Breinholt performed with Kaibrienne Richins for BYU-Idaho’s Center Stage concert series.

• Kat Perkins: career and music
• McKenna Faith Breinholt: career and music

In 2022, Scott MacIntyre started a mentoring retreat for the blind

Scott MacIntyre finished eighth on season 8 of American Idol, and in 2022 he and his wife Christina started the SongSight Music Mentoring Retreat for the Blind. He started playing the piano by ear when he was three years old, made his orchestral debut with the Phoenix Symphony as a guest piano soloist at age 15 in 2000, and co-hosted the Enduring Hope podcast with Christina MacIntyre, which began in 2021.

• Scott MacIntyre: career and music