Kristy Lee Cook Sings a Carrie Underwood Song
Just as I was getting into Kristy Lee Cook, her record label confirmed to Country Aircheck that they were parting ways with the American Idol alum. Her short six-month stint with Arista is over. And that's too bad because I heard her on playing a little acoustic set on Sirius radio last week and really, really liked it. Especially this one song, "Not Tonight," which Carrie Underwood wrote. I know. How weird to have one Idol writing for another. Underwood wrote that tune with Brett James and Chris Lindsey and it's my guess that when James started producing Cook's album, maybe he snagged whatever songs Underwood wasn't going to use. The song itself is about a good, strong woman ("Someday, I'll leave you baby/Just not tonight"), and Cook has never sounded better. Even if she's label-less right this minute, this song is a download must.
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Grace says:
I too heard Kristy on the radio. I heard that song and it really is good. I think it is better than her current single 15 Minutes of Shame. I wish her much luck in the future and I think I will download that song…it is that good.
Samantha says:
aww I love her. How come she lost her record label deal with Arista?
K says:
aww, that’s too bad for Kristy :( I know she had another deal with Arista awhile ago that fell through. However, seeing the huge push Arista has given to artist like Carrie Underwood made be think that maybe Kristy would get that support as well.
I also think how well an artist does comerically depends on a lot of different factors including: How huge the fanbase for the artist is: Carrie won AI, obviously she had tons of fans; Kristy was always in the bottom three, and was never a favored vocalist by fans or judges. I think this was probably a factor in low sales.
How much and how well an artists singles do: Carrie’s singles have all gone number one, and all of her covers have generated big bucks for charity and done well on Itunes. Fiften Minutes of Shame got little airplay, on the other hand, and Kristy wasn’t around long enough to have any other notable singles. I think if her first single would’ve done better, she would’ve had a good career.
How much press an artist is given: Carrie is given dozens of awards, put on dozens of magazine covers, and has earned top honors like getting a wax figure at Madame Tusand’s, and becoming a member of the Opry among other things. Kristy wasn’t really on any covers, and I didn’t see her making tv appearances, nor was there a huge push or buzz around the album like there was Carrie’s.
Kristy was also not given the same attention as a lot of new country faces like Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift. All of that probably had something to do with it as well.
Overall, I think Kristy is a very talented lady, but the record company didn’t get her the publicty they could have; publicity generates album sales, cover offers, ect. I also think, judging by Kristy’s AI votes, that many people thought she was talented, but her range for all different types of songs was not there. (Witness her several performances of “God Bless The USA. If people on AI kept putting her in the bottom three, it is not surprising she didn’t get good album sales.
I wish Kristy the best of luck though…
RedMaZ says:
Sounds like another disposable Pop act to me. Oh well…on to the next.
Kim says:
why did she resign with Arista again, if they failed her once? That might not have been the right move. Just because they’re the biggest label doesn’t mean they can (or more importantly will) give her what they did for Carrie. Instant success only happens to a few, and it hasn’t happened with her. Seems like she got lost in the shuffle of the biggest record label out there. maybe she should try a record label that’s interested in her and her career even if they are smaller. Maybe she should try gradually getting there. You know sing some small joints and bars. Maybe the country music muse is trying to tell her she’s not going to be huge all at once, like she seems to want. pay some dues, work hard, be patient.
nonsense says:
boy I do like some of the topic on the CMT blog but I am tired of hearing the same things on every post from the same people. RedMaz do you ever say anything unique or different, if you feel the same way about every post why not just not respond at all cause we already aware of your opinions.
RedMaZ says:
I comment on many posts. If I’m not mistaken, I have just as much right to do so as you. How conveinent of you to pick and choose my replies for you to complain about. Are you trying to tell me that Pop Music isn’t a disposable industry?
K says:
Redmaze- Calm down! We who read these blogs are well aware of your distaste for pop country- we don’t think you need to constantly repeat it, especially if it’s always negative!
RedMaZ says:
‘Ol Red is quite calm, but thank you for your concern.
Jim C says:
I have to say that I never heard of this young lady…I guess that is because I refuse to watch American Idol; however, she isn’t the first American Idol Alumnus to lose their record contract. The various record companies are getting quite the reputation for signing American Idol Finalists….making a quick buck….then unceremoniously dropping the young would-be star. I just hope that she made a little bit of money herself and has something else to fall back on.
Rick says:
Its just purely a matter of economics in these days of music industry belt tightening. Kristy’s debut single didn’t do as well on radio as hoped and her debut album sales figures probably fell far short of what the label had hoped. Fellow A.I. alumnus Phil Stacey hasn’t exactly set the country charts on fire either. I can understand the commercial success levels of A.I. grads Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler, but I still don’t grasp the large and rabid fan base of Bucky Covington…
Kate says:
What exactly is the ‘commercial’ success of Kellie Pickler?
Kellie is a reality show ‘celebrity’. She has yet to become a ’star’.
Also,.record labels and or Reality TV shows do not ‘make’ a person successful or unsuccessful or a star…at the CORE is the artist and their TALENT who attracts fans and the buying/listening public and then the record label…with SUCCESS comes the DEMAND for magazine covers and TV appearances…making a record costs money.. the label forks out the advance then expects to make their money back, often this doesn’t happen..as in Kristy’s case
Just because Kristy was on AI didn’t mean she would be successful..even her success on AI was tentative..why would it change after AI..people didn’t buy her when she was free why would they buy her when they had to pay …it’s talent the audience is looking for and the indescribable ‘it’ factor the audience and record labels look for and Kristy didn’t have it.. then or now.
In general whether or not a person is successful depends to a great extent on the person and their talent and a good dose of luck…but please stop blaming the record label, not enough promo, not enough exposure etc. etc. etc. You don’t have to look any farther than the artist and what they have to offer or not.
tootsiepop says:
I really like Kristy! I think she should have had not tonight as the single instead of 15 minutes of shame!
Davidia says:
Amen Kate. Its not the record label’s fault she couldn’t make it. Maybe a push here and there would help, but totally blaming it on Arista…uh, no. Maybe people should start to reevaluate AI. It is not a great talent finder. Maybe wannabes should reevaluate AI and what it can give them. Maybe try the tried and true; as in bars, small venues working up.
Josey says:
Well, it didn’t take them long to latch her on to Carrie Underwood, did it? they’ve been doing this “talented by association” thing a lot recently. Kellie Pickler to Taylor Swift for instance. now Kristy to Carrie. I guess that was the send-off; we’ll part you with other Arista gal and Idol alum Carrie Underwood for some promotion as a farewell present. I guess we’re supposed to think she’s talented because there are some vague parallels to her and Carrie Underwood.
Kate says:
Davidia
My point is, you have to offer the public something more than what others are offering, like exceptional talent… just because somebody works hard and long in bars and small venues doesn’t mean they will be successful..average talent where you find it or hone it will still lead to average success (and I believe there are examples of such artists in the music industry who make a good living but are not superstars).. exceptional talent in the right place and the right time can lead to superstardom ..and while these occurances are rare they do happen… as a matter of fact it did happen exactly 3 years ago on AI.
But let me be clear the success of an individual is first and foremost on the shoulders of the artist and his/her talent.
lulu says:
I have read Trace Adkins’ interview Re. Reality TV celebrities and I totally agree with him.
This the quote from the interview :
“Reality TV celebrities: “I don’t think reality shows can create stars. Reality shows can create semi-celebrities but not stars.
‘American Idol’ only gave Carrie Underwood the opportunity to be a celebrity. She turned into a star because she had the goods. “
Davidia says:
I agree, just in a badly written way.
MLD says:
Kate for me I would amend that to long term success is first and foremost on the shoulders of the artist and his/her talent.
There have been many people who have had lots of success early through various means and buzz only to then find themselves struggling when that early buzz wears off.
Marcus says:
When Kristy announced she was getting married, that slammed the door on her career. I only buy music from hot chicks that I have a shot at….not married chicks.
Kim says:
That was deep.
luvncountry says:
I’m with Kim. btw, who says you have a shot?
Success of Rising Star Kellie Pickler says:
Kate says:
What exactly is the ‘commercial’ success of Kellie Pickler?
Kellie is a reality show ‘celebrity’. She has yet to become a ’star’.
Kellie is one of the most commercially successful new country artists in years, and she’s far more successful than most new country artists. It would take too long to list everything she’s done over the past 3 years but here are some highlights.
Kellie was 1 of the top 2 best on the best and most competitive season of American Idol ever, voted to the top 3 most weeks and helped draw record ratings to that season. She was one of the 3 most popular performers on the Idols 5 tour, which was so successful and sold so many tickets they had to add 2nd shows to many cities and 15 additional dates, upping it from 45 to 60 shows in 90 days. It was such a great tour that many fans went to multiple shows, and many who never wanted to go to an Idol tour before went to this one. Many shows sold out the first day or so tickets went on sale. Here’s what USA Today had to say about that 2006 tour
‘American Idol’ tour sets a new record
‘American Idol’ fever is still as hot as ever as the fifth season finalists continue with their tour. The gang has packed nearly every venue during their 60-city tour, which comes to an end Sept. 24.
Idol tour: The final scorecard
The commercial verdict is in on this year’s Idol tour, and the word would be “smash.” Thanks to USA TODAY’s Anthony DeBarros, I have the statistics (courtesy Billboard Boxscore) — here’s the summary:
> Total gross: $35.2 million on 59 dates
> Total attendance: 645,782
> Total sellouts: 19 (32% of the shows)
> Percentage of seats sold, overall: 96%
> Top-grossing show: New York (East Rutherford, N.J.), about $890,000 each for two shows, July 13 and 14
> Top attendance: Greensboro, N.C., 15,337, July 30
> Lowest percentage of seats sold: Austin, 80%, Sept. 10
Tony projects that the tour could be among the top 10 of the year, even without the high ticket prices that Madonna and other top individual acts command. (Top ticket price for the tour was $72.50 at several venues.)
I don’t have the equivalent results for previous tours at my fingertips (anyone who does is welcome to post them in a comment), but this has to be the most successful Idol tour yet.
Not bad for an amateur tour where your favorites are allowed to sing just 2 or 3 cover songs each. Kellie was one of the best singers and performers on the tour. I’m sure this is one reason why she was signed to a record deal because they knew she would keep drawing large numbers on professional tours as well.
Moving on to the country music professional “star” level, Kellie has sold over 900,000 albums even with less promotion than other top artists were given, because she makes great albums. Debuted #9 on Billboard 200 and #1 on the country chart. Went gold in just 2 to 3 months. Make a list of all new country artists to sell 800,000 debut or over 900,000 total albums within the past 2 years, all new female country artists, then all country artists. I believe she ranks #2 over the past 2 years for new female artists, and the #1 seller had far more airplay and sales promotion. Taylor, Rodney, who else sold more? Kellie also ranks #8 in album sales for all Idols of all 7 seasons, even passing some winners and runners-up. Only those with more promotion and airplay sold more. The lack of promotion is the main reason why her sales are down now. Taylor got far more promotion the past 2 years so her sales greatly increased.
Kellie has performed many successful concerts, major tours, Opry shows, TV shows, shows for charity, a USO tour in Iraq and going on another. She’s done better than most Idols and new country artists in touring. She toured with Brad Paisley, Sugarland, and many other big artists, and she’s very popular at the biggest country music festivals. If her music had more promotion I’m sure she’d be doing even better.
Kellie was nominated for many and won several country music awards. She had the best performance of 2007 on the CMA awards and won CMT Performance of the Year for it. How many artists give the best performance of the year the first time they perform on any awards show?
Kellie is 1 of just 5 artists radio industry members voted to perform at the 2009 Country Radio Seminar for radio industry executives and programmers.
She’s one of the best national anthem singers and sings it in front of millions at major sports events.
She’s one of the best representatives of country music, Sony, BNA, 19, and Idol, ever.
Kellie holds many talents including singing, songwriting, performing, hosting TV and radio. In many magazines.
Kellie is friends with Carrie and Taylor.
The reality show is merely the vehicle Kellie was discovered on, same as the other top talented contestants, Carrie, Daughtry, Miranda, etc. If Kellie were just a reality show celebrity, her sales would not have grown to over 900,000 after many more country music fans heard and loved her songs on radio, concerts, and TV over the past 2 years. Her total sales over 2 years would be in the lower range of less than 100,000 or so. The country radio industry would not have voted for her to perform at their largest annual event if they didn’t think she’s a star. If she were not a star she would not have written some of the best songs among the stars with some of the best songwriters. If she were not a star she would not be performing on all of the biggest shows country music stars perform on, ACMs, CMAs, CMTs, CMA fest main stage, or won Performance of the Year for the best country performance of all the stars, even the bigger ones, for the entire year. She would not have been able to afford to spend time giving back to charities. Since Kellie has done all the things stars do I guess that means she’s a star. All 3 Idol judges and many of her fans knew she was a star the first time we heard her sing at her Idol audition so we are not surprised.
The bottom line is that Kellie Pickler is not just a star, she’s a fairly big star, and oddly enough she just hasn’t been granted the best or additional star promotion from label execs and marketing superstars required to help anyone become a bigger star, if you define “star” by things like millions of sales. However I see many stars with sales under 1 million. Maybe they aren’t yet “superstars.” With her huge talent, Kellie was born to be a superstar, and she has earned and proven many times that she deserves superstar promotion. She is one of the most talented and underpromoted artists. Other equally and even less talented new artists were given more promotion. Kellie’s huge talent success level is right on par with and limited by the label’s promotion level. If she had any of the additional promotion and airplay the higher sellers were given then I’m sure her sales would be higher too because she has proven many times that when more people hear her music, more people buy it. I guarantee you that if the higher sellers didn’t get as much promotion and airplay as they do, their sales would not be nearly as high as they are. I’m glad they do but it’s wrong that Kellie doesn’t. Kellie has definitely paid her dues and deserves to be treated fairly and get what she has earned and deserves. I’d love to hear her songs more when I’m listening to radio, more singles released, and I’d love to buy more CDs if Sony will add live and acoustic bonus tracks to them. Maybe they prefer to lose money when people go to youtube to watch her sing live and acoustically for free instead of also paying to buy more CDs. I’d rather do both. Maybe they don’t like getting more sales from all of her concerts, TV performances, and airplay. I can’t believe Carrie and Taylor have over 10 CD bonus tracks, Miranda has 3, and Kellie has none.
As for Kristy, you made some great points. For starters it would have helped if she performed better on Idol, and she really needed to make a much better album, one of the best. If Sony added the short acoustic set Alison said she loved to it, maybe that also would have helped her sales. Kellie’s fans have been waiting for this and more for over 2 years and 900,000 sales while they gave Daughtry and others these bonuses on day 1 so we know how that goes. Kellie has never gotten to do the acoustic studio sets on AOL Music or CMT either like the higher sellers have, and all of that is sales promotion.
luvncountry says:
I would say that Kellie is UNDER-rated and does far more than what is known by the general public or media. She is not promoted as much (don’t know why) but she IS a great singer and entertainer. I’m sure she’d say she’s happy with her life though, and her positive attitude will bear her more success in the future. Kellie is no flash-in-the-pan.
Not EVERY artist HAS to be in the limelight to be considered a “success.” I love her music AND personality and wish her the BEST!!!!
Robert says:
Awwww poor Kristy.
I loved her album
I wish her label would have given her more promotion and airplay. ohh well, she is still young and talented. i’m sure this is not the end of her.
luvncountry says:
Well ,even though we got off course, I have to say I like Kristy too, saw her video for the first time the other day, and think she’s just as good as any other newcomer to country music. I saw her on Idol and thought she was ok but like her better now, hope she gets another label soon. I often wonder why some artists never get promoted as good as they could be, esp. if the label wants to make $ off them. It takes spending $ to make $. Look at Taylor, and she doesn’t even sing as good, at least LIVE.
Kate says:
WOW! I think Kellie has some terrific fans. Even if some of your numbers are inflated and took 3 years to achieve but I agree the numbers for the first album are respectable.
But for those of you who blame ‘lack of promotion’ as the major culprit in keeping some one from becoming the ’superstar’ you think they were meant to be, I stick with my previous posts…there’s no better promotional tool than your talent and the success that it brings..it’s a cycle, that starts with talent, which leads to success which leads to demand which leads to exposure which leads to more success which leads to demand etc. etc. get it? So now you have to look at what is considered success? number 1 hits, top 10 songs, awards, (preferably industry awards) album sales, digital sales, awards,attendance numbers, and so on..
Just my opinion but I don’t believe Kellie has achieved the kind of commercial success (post AI) that warrents calling her a ’star’. A personality/celebrity perhaps but not a ’star’. At least not yet. If her second album takes off it may be just the thing to get her moving towards the top.
Mark says:
Kate: what you are saying about talent makes logical sense but; without promotion who would know how good that person is ? I believe you can take good talent and promote them strongly and be successful. On the other hand, you can take a “star” and not promote them and have poor results. Who would know if they have a CD out or when they have their concert dates. It has alot to do with promotion. It would also be alot easier to promote a “star” than a new and upcoming artist. You need to stop and think about all of the promotional tools; radio, internet, TV, news, mailings, etc. You hear and see more promotions than you think you do.
Kate says:
To Mark:
I understand your point and I agree. But I do believe that the promotional gamet is accorded to every artist signed by a record label. As many have said, “Why sign someone and then ignore them?” That’s not good business sense. And for those who keep blaming lack of promotion as the cause for an artist’s poor showing I say you better look elsewhere. Remember the labels can only do so much and in the end it’s the artist’s name and product and degree of success that serve as the best promotion..and record labels can’t fabricate those for an artist.
It is clear why some artists achieve tremendous success and become superstars, then again there are some artists who defy explanations for their success.
I believe all artists work hard but somehow not all of them achieve great success. The music industry is a very competitive field and if you don’t stand out amongst the crowd your chances of becoming a star become more difficult and worse you may get lost in the shuffle.
Gina says:
From what I understand Kristy had no choice but to go with Arista because they had first shot at her after American Idol being an affiliate in some way. Anyway, I do believe they handled her career all wrong. They should of released the song with the video, at least she would of had more time to generate sales. Maybe, like in business and inventions, a company buys a product (i.e. Kristy), so the competition couldn’t get it/her and then shelf the product in a sense to keep it from competing with other products they have (i.e. Carrie/Kelly) either way. It does not seem that they gave her a fair chance. She is talented or she would not of made it this far. Looks can’t make you a talent. There are too many with looks, she has talent. I hope she gets another chance and proves Arista only gave her half a chance. God bless her and her career, may she continue to live her dream.
Short Term Trading says:
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Joyce Landy says:
Well is it luck of fate? I do not care for Carrie or Kristy. One got lucky. Another did not. It’s a hard world.
garland says:
Kristy was not given an option as to sign with Arista or not, they had first ops. Also, Kristy was not given time to choose songs; she was only given a short list and had to settle for the songs on them for her CD. She is very talented and in time this will become common knowledge. Just look at her success so far. Live Kristy is better then most of the artists out there. She is a pleasure to watch and listen to. They were trying to make a cheap buck off her. Did not want to put money in and hoped to win the lottery. Or? They held on to her so she was not competition. Just as Big Business do. Keep watching Kristy Lee Cook. She is on the rise!