[ot-caption title=”American Idol has a attracted a large following through the years and is ready to begin its final season. (via, American Idol/Wikimedia)”]

American Idol’s fifteenth and final season began on Fox on January 6, 2016. After fifteen seasons of quality entertainment, the show promises to go out with a bang. Ryan Seacrest will be hosting, as he has since the beginning of the show. Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. all decided to return to judge the final season of the show.

Since the beginning, American Idol has discovered some incredibly talented artists, and launched huge careers for them. The winner of the show’s first season, Kelly Clarkson, went on to win three Grammy awards and twelve Billboard Music Awards. Her American Idol performance of “A Moment Like This” is only one of her memorable songs; others including “Stronger”, “Because Of You”, Since You’ve Been Gone”, “My Life Would Suck Without You”, and her more recent “Heartbeat Song.” Season four’s champion, Carrie Underwood, went on to become one of the most memorable country singers of our generation, singing songs like “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats”, and winning seven Grammys, seventeen Billboard Music Awards, and nine AMAs. Taylor Hicks won season five, but it was fourth place contestant Chris Daughtry’s career that really took off, with his band Daughtry winning four AMAs and six Billboard Music Awards for songs such as “What About Now,” “Waiting for Superman,” and “Life After You.” Contestants like Jordin Sparks, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia Barrino, Clay Aiken, Scotty McCreery, and Phillip Phillips also saw their careers take flight after their Idol experiences.

This season’s show will began searching for the next musical superstar in Atlanta, Denver, Little Rock, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. On Wednesday, January 27^th, the show brought the most talented singers to Hollywood for the next round of competition. On February 3^rd, the “showcase round” will commence, with the top twenty-four contestants being revealed on February 4^th. Those top contestants will be mentored and judged, being narrowed down to ten on the 25^th of February. Finally, in a three-night event starting on April 5^th, the next American Idol will be crowned. This season is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Sources: American Idol, Entertainment Weekly, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, Grammys, and Wikipedia