It was only about 18 months ago, when Taylor Hicks was crowned the winner of American Idol Season 5. Fists pumping, and with "Soul Patrol!" being invoked, the gray-haired soulster prepared for a life as America's next pop superstar. How fickle we are as a nation of fans. Reports from Entertainment Weekly now indicate that Hicks has lost his deal with J Records, a division of Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE: SNE) BMG founded in 2000 by pop-music Svengali Clive Davis. While the news has yet to be confirmed publicly by either camp, a label rep told EW that "Taylor is going to record his new album on his own... he is no longer on the J Records roster." Hicks' one and only release with J Records, the self-titled Taylor Hicks, has sold about 700,000 copies to date.
This story comes mere weeks after news that Ruben Studdard, winner of Idol's Season 2, was dismissed from J Records after his third label release, The Return, posted very slow sales numbers.
For those keeping score at home, that's two male winners in six seasons, both of whom are struggling for relevance. Other male runners up (most notably Chris Daughtry and Clay Aiken) have enjoyed better success than their rivals who supposedly earned more votes from Idol viewers.
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