'American Idol' Winner Taylor Hicks Is Still Making Music Years After His Big Win

When Taylor Hicks won American Idol in 2005, he was the oldest winner to date at 29 years old. Since then, no other winner has beaten that record, if you can call it that. But Taylor joined the show at a time when he might have considered his music career to be a non-starter, so his win was a big deal at the time.

So, where is Taylor Hicks now, years after his American Idol win?

There are a few winners who went on to have larger-than-life careers that make you forget they were ever on a singing reality show, like Kelly Clarkson. But Taylor made his way as a singer after he won the show in 2006.

And, since then, he has continued to do what he does best, all while gaining new fans in the process.

After Taylor won American Idol, he came out with his debut non-independent album called "Taylor Hicks." According to TODAY, the album went platinum, even if Taylor didn't immediately garner the kind of radio play or success with a wider range of fans than American Idol audiences as he had hoped at the time.

He also joined Grease on Broadway as Teen Angel, and it marked a new outlet for him to show off his musical talent. Until then, he had performed live, but it wasn't to the degree of a theatrical production.

In 2009, he released another album, "The Distance." However, the album didn't reach anywhere near the success of his first, and didn't earn Taylor any awards.

In a 2010 interview, Taylor reflected on his career up until that point and his plans for performing and touring.

"For me, I have to keep building," he said at the time. "I know how this business is. Especially when you're talking about your own live show. You really have to build your live show, you really have to build your live audience. In the long haul, those are the people who really set you up musically in life, and it's so important to me."

As of 2026, his music hasn't won the American Idol alum a Grammy. However, in 2013, Taylor did win the prestigious music award for his part in Jimmy Fallon's album "Blow Your Pants Off." He recorded a parody of the song "Friday" by Rebecca Black with Stephen Colbert, per The Hollywood Reporter.

These days, Taylor still makes music. He continues to perform regularly, including at the Grand Ole Opry. According to his Instagram, he regularly performs locally and even tours occasionally. Outside of that, Taylor is also the co-owner of Saw's Juke Joint in Birmingham, Ala. As far as Taylor's personal life goes, he seems to have kept any dating or relationships as private as possible over the years.

There was that flirty shoutout to fellow American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson that he made when she announced she never received the car she was promised after her own win. But the two have never shared any kind of public romance.