Image Group LA/ABCMove over, Carrie Underwood — here comes Adam Lambert. This year, thanks largely to his tour as the frontman of legendary rock band Queen, the season-eight American Idol runner-up knocks Carrie from the top of Forbes’ list of The Top-Earning American Idols of 2015. The season-four winner raked in $8 million last year, compared to Lambert’s $10 million. Carrie previously topped the list in 2013 and 2014.
Eight million bucks is certainly nothing to scoff at, especially considering the “Heartbeat” hitmaker had other more important ventures happening in the past twelve months. Her son Isaiah was born in February, and while Carrie did manage to finish her best-selling Storyteller album and do a multitude of live and televised appearances, she didn’t mount a major tour in 2015. That’ll all change January 30, when she kicks off her Stories in the Round shows in Jacksonville, Florida.
Another country contender makes an impressive showing on the list. Scotty McCreery ties for fifth place with Kelly Clarkson, putting $4 million in the bank. Most of Scotty’s earnings come from his extensive touring, while soon-to-be mother-of-two Kelly only played three shows last year.
Season 10 winner McCreery responded to the news with his typical homespun North Carolina good humor. “I’m doing a lot better than I was a few summers ago, living off the coin jar in my truck,” he told the magazine.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
