American Idol Could Destroy Carrie Underwood’s Music Career (Look What Happened To Katy Perry’s Music Career)

image of Carrie Underwood with american idol judges in the background

For American Idol season 23, Carrie Underwood will take Katy Perry’s place at the judges’ table alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, but it’s possible that the show that helped Carrie skyrocket to fame when she won in 2005 could now destroy her music career, after what happened to Katy. When ABC revived American Idol in 2018 after FOX canceled it in 2016, Katy, Lionel, and Luke became the new judges. Katy stayed with the show for seven seasons, until leaving to shift her focus back to her own music career.

After Katy announced her departure from the show, there was a lot of speculation about who’d take her place during American Idol season 23. When Carrie was announced, she seemed like the perfect choice because, as the winner of American Idol season 4, she had firsthand experience with being a contestant on the show. While this will be good for American Idol, it’s possible that the show could hurt Carrie’s own music career.

Katy Perry’s First Post-American Idol Album Wasn’t A Success

143 Wasn’t Loved By Fans Or Critics

Katy Perry American Idol Season 21 Finale Smiling

Katy is one of the best-selling music artists of all-time, having sold over 143 million records worldwide and 19 million in the United States. Teenage Dream is her best-selling album, with over 12 million copies sold. Katy has had nine number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “I Kissed a Girl,” “Firework,” “Roar,” “Dark Horse,” “California Gurls,” “E.T.,” “Part of Me,” “Teenage Dream,” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).”

With all of this success, there were high expectations for Katy’s latest album, 143. However, it was considered a critical and commercial failure, and it didn’t give Katy the musical comeback that she wanted. As of December 2024, the album has sold 100,000 copies in the United States, although it performed better in Europe and Australia. Katy is also traveling the world on her Lifetimes tour, her first tour in seven years since she started American Idol. The tour has sold out around the world, so hopefully ticket sales will be as strong in the United States.

Although it’s hard to say exactly why 143 failed, it’s possible that Katy’s time on American Idol contributed to it. Her 2020 album, Smile, which she released while she was an American Idol judge, also marked a commercial decline for the singer. It was certified gold in July 2024, but it couldn’t compare with her previous albums which went platinum and diamond for selling millions of records. Katy is still an immensely popular artist because of her older music, but her new music hasn’t found as much of an audience.

Perhaps this is because she hasn’t toured in seven years because of American Idol, so she hasn’t had as much connection with her fans, and they simply lost interest in her as a music artist. She loved being an American Idol judge, though, not only because of the contestants, but because it gave her more stability as a mom to her daughter, Daisy Dove, who was born in 2020. Katy did have a Las Vegas residency from 2021-2023 called Play, but it didn’t have the same reach as when she toured the United States and around the world. However, being an American Idol judge made that impossible.

Carrie Underwood Will Have To Take A Break From Her Own Music Career

This Could Hurt Carrie’s Music Career In The Long-Run

Carrie Underwood performs

Carrie is also a global superstar, who’s sold 85 million records worldwide and released 28 number one hits, among her many other phenomenal accomplishments. The Grammy Award winner is one of the most successful American Idol winners. She’s been touring consistently since her win, and her most recent tour was the Denim & Rhinestones tour from 2022-2023. Carrie also has a Las Vegas residency called Reflection, which began in 2021 and will conclude in April 2025, before the live American Idol episodes begin.

Carrie is one of the music industry’s most popular and beloved stars, but taking a break from her own music career to focus on being an American Idol judge could hurt her in the long-run. It’s possible that Katy’s break from touring to judge American Idol caused people to forget about her as a music artist. The same thing could happen to Carrie as well. Hopefully, both of these talented women will continue to get the respect and attention that they deserve after American Idol because they’re both phenomenal.