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Kellie Pickler music biography continued...

for American Idol in the fall of 2005 in Greensboro, North Carolina. She sang both Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and Martina McBride's "A Broken Wing". The judges gave Pickler a golden ticket to Hollywood and she advanced through the semi-final rounds in February. On March 9, she reached the Top 12. Although she was a favorite of Simon Cowell's, who predicted she'd make it to the top 3, Pickler was ousted after her performance of "Unchained Melody," the sixth finalist away from the prize. Pickler pursued her recording aspirations in Nashville, Tennessee, shortly thereafter. In July 2006 she signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/BNA Records, and came out with her first single "Red High Heels" in September of that year. It received a nomination for the CMT Video Awards for "Best Breakthrough Artist Video" and propelled Pickler into the country spotlight. Her debut album, Small Town Girl, released in October 2006, topped Billboard's Top Country Albums and landed at #9 on Billboard Top 200, making Pickler the best-selling new country artist of 2006. In January 2007, the album went gold, and she was nominated for "Top New Female Vocalist" at the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards, cementing her status as the hottest new artist on the country horizon.



Following the release of the third single ("Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind") from her debut album, Pickler returned to the studio to work on her sophomore album. The self-titled album was released in September 2008, and debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 chart, her second consecutive top ten album, and her second consecutive number one on the Top Country Albums chart. In November 2008, she performed "Best Days of Your Life", her second single off her sophomore album at the CMA Awards, where she was once again nominated more "Best New Artist." Today, Pickler's future seems as bright as her platinum blonde hair.