Brynn Cartelli was 14 when her Voice season began. No winner was younger.

A winning Voice season can begin at 14 or 41

Cartelli was the youngest winner across American Idol, The Voice and The X Factor US by age at the start of the winning season.

The Voice also has the oldest winner: Todd Tilghman was 41 when season 18 began. Todd Tilghman released “Holy Place” in March 2025.

Jordin Sparks and Taylor Hicks reached Broadway

American Idol’s winning seasons began with Jordin Sparks at 17 and Taylor Hicks at 29. They are Idol’s youngest and oldest winners by age at the premiere. Sparks won season 6. Hicks won season 5.

Sparks played Nina in In the Heights in 2010, and Hicks played Teen Angel in Grease in 2008. Both joined the Broadway casts as replacements.

Carly Rose, LeRoy Bell and Wendy Moten kept performing

Carly Rose Sonenclar was 13 when her X Factor season began in 2012. She finished second. In September 2020, she released Wild as Carly Rose, with seven songs on the release. At that time, she was an undergraduate in the Music Industry program at USC Thornton.

LeRoy Bell was 60 when the first US X Factor season began in 2011. No finalist on record was older. He and G.E. Smith released their joint album Stony Hill in August 2020. Bell’s writing partnership with Casey James also produced “Mama Can’t Buy You Love” and “Are You Ready for Love”, recorded by Elton John.

Wendy Moten was 56 when her Voice season began in 2021 and 57 at its finale, where she finished second. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum honored her in a Nashville Cats program recorded in May 2026. She sang “Til I Get It Right” and “Ain’t No Way”, and “Come in Out of the Rain” was among the closing performances. Her earlier backing work included Julio Iglesias, Faith Hill and Martina McBride. She also backed Tim McGraw and did featured singing on Vince Gill’s tours.

Idol opened its auditions to 15-year-olds

Fox announced in June 2010 that season ten auditions would admit singers aged 15 to 28. Executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz explained the change:

Lowering the age limit allows us to tap into this talent pool.

Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Idol executive producer, in Fox’s announcement

The median finalist’s age fell from 23 in seasons 4 to 9 to 20 in seasons 10 to 15.

The median solo winner began the season at 23

Within a season, age gave no clear sign of how far a finalist would go. In the Idol and Voice semifinals on record, those who made the finals and those sent home had the same median age: 22.

Within a season, age at the show also gives no clear sign of the career that followed, on any of the five career measures.