Lee DeWyze

S9 · Winner

As of June 28, 2026

Lee DeWyze is a singer-songwriter. His album Gone For Days was released in August 2024 on Mavelle Records. In 2026 he was booked for concerts including the Fairfield Theatre Company in Connecticut on January 27 and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix on June 28. His songs have been licensed to more than 100 shows, films and commercials.⁠[1][2][3][4]

Career

During or around the show

  1. 2010After winning season 9 of American Idol in May 2010, DeWyze signed a recording contract with 19 Entertainment and RCA Records.⁠[5][9]

After the show

  1. May 27, 2010His coronation song, a cover of U2's Beautiful Day, was released as a digital single on May 27, 2010.⁠[2][5]
  2. July 1, 2010–August 31, 2010As the season 9 winner, DeWyze headlined the American Idols Live! Tour 2010, a 44-date tour of the United States and Canada that ran from July 1 to August 31, 2010.⁠[5][13]
  3. November 16, 2010His major-label debut album, Live It Up, was released on November 16, 2010, by RCA Records. DeWyze co-wrote ten of its eleven songs.⁠[2][9]
  4. September 2011His option with RCA Records expired in September 2011. RCA chief executive Peter Edge confirmed that DeWyze was no longer on the label.⁠[10]
  5. 2013In early 2013 DeWyze signed with Vanguard Records, and the label released his single Silver Lining that April.⁠[11][12]
  6. February 16, 2018Paranoia was released on February 16, 2018. Its single The Breakdown was used in the Showtime series Shameless.⁠[2][5]
  7. 2020His single Horizon was the theme song of the 2020 film The Secret: Dare to Dream.⁠[5]
  8. August 2024Gone For Days was released in August 2024. DeWyze wrote most of it in early 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee, and recorded it at Classic Recording Studios in Bristol with string arrangements by cellist Dave Eggar.⁠[1][14]
  9. 2026He was booked for concerts in 2026, including the Fairfield Theatre Company's StageOne in Fairfield, Connecticut on January 27 and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix on June 28.⁠[3][4]

Date not documented

  1. After The Walking Dead placement, DeWyze built a career licensing his songs, which have been used in more than 100 shows, films, trailers and commercials.⁠[3][4]
  2. Beautiful Day peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Canadian Hot 100.⁠[5]
  3. Live It Up debuted at number 19 on the Billboard 200, with 39,000 copies sold in its first week.⁠[9][15]
  4. Louis Svitek signed DeWyze to WuLi Records, the Chicago independent label Svitek runs with Ryan McGuire. DeWyze formed the Lee DeWyze Band with Svitek, McGuire and Jeff Henderson.⁠[5]

Discography

TitleTypeYearLabelRIAA certificationU.S. sales
So I'm Told⁠[5][16][17]Album2007WuLi
Slumberland⁠[5]Album2010WuLi17,000⁠[5][9][15]November 24, 2010
Live It Up⁠[9][16]Album2010RCA/19153,000⁠[9][18][19]August 12, 2013
What Once Was⁠[2][5]Album2012WuLi
Frames⁠[11][16]Album2013Vanguard
Oil & Water⁠[2][5]Album2016Shanachie
Paranoia⁠[5][16]Album2018Shanachie
Castles⁠[2][5]EP2019Mavelle Records
Ghost Stories⁠[2][5][16][20]Album2021Mavelle Records
Gone For Days⁠[1][2][5]Album2024Mavelle Records

Awards

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2010Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star⁠[5][21]American IdolWon

Other activity

  • March 9, 2014His Blackbird Song was used in the March 9, 2014 episode of The Walking Dead and was included on The Walking Dead AMC Original Soundtrack, Vol. 2.⁠[5][22]

Sources

22 sources

  1. Lee DeWyze out to show he's so much more than a former 'American Idol' winner — TribLIVE (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review), published October 10, 2024. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Article body: “which came out in August”
    • Article body: “his new record, “Gone For Days,” which came out in August”
  2. iTunes Lookup API: Apple artist 356767680 (Lee DeWyze) albums — Apple. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Gone For Days copyright: "copyright":"℗ 2024 MAVELLE RECORDS"
    • Beautiful Day - Single copyright: "copyright":"℗ 2010 19 Recordings Limited under exclusive license to RCA Records, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment"
    • Frames copyright: "copyright":"℗ 2013 Vanguard Records, a Welk Music Group Company"
    • Stone - Single: "releaseDate":"2016-01-12T08:00:00Z"
    • Stone - Single copyright: "copyright":"℗ 2016 Shanachie Ent. Corp."
    • Castles - EP: "releaseDate":"2019-10-25T07:00:00Z"
    • Castles - EP copyright: "copyright":"℗ 2019 Mavelle Records"
    • Beautiful Day - Single: "releaseDate":"2010-05-27T07:00:00Z"
  3. Lee DeWyze @ FTC — Fairfield Theatre Company. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Event header: “Tuesday | January 27, 2026”
    • Description: “Lee's music has been featured in over 100+ shows, movies, trailers, and commercials”
  4. Lee DeWyze | Phoenix, AZ | Musical Instrument Museum — Musical Instrument Museum. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Event header: “Sunday, June 28, 2026”
    • Concert Details: “His songs have appeared in more than 100 projects”
  5. Lee DeWyze (Wikipedia revision 1364548416) — Wikipedia, updated July 17, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Lead sentence: “born April 2, 1986”
    • Infobox, Born line (birth_date): {{birth date and age|1986|4|2}}
    • Early career: “Svitek signed DeWyze to”
    • Early career: “an independent record label Chicago-based label he runs with Ryan McGuire”
    • Independent (2016-present): “was released through Shanachie Entertainment and Pledgemusic”
    • Albums table, Gone For Days: “Label: Mavelle Records”
    • Early career: “Dewyze formed the Lee DeWyze Band with Svitek, McGuire and Jeff Henderson.”
    • Infobox: “past_member_of = Lee DeWyze Band”
  6. American Idol season 9 — Wikipedia, updated August 11, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Elimination chart row Lee DeWyze: Pl. 1, Winner in the Finale column (5/26); ratings table episode 'Winner Revealed', May 26, 2010
    • Lead section: “Lee DeWyze, a folk rocker from Mount Prospect, Illinois, won the competition, beating out fellow folk rocker Crystal Bowersox, who was the runner-up.”
  7. List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, updated June 10, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Contestants table, row Lee DeWyze: season 9, place finish Winner
  8. How DeWyze Won 'American Idol' — Pollstar (Associated Press), published May 27, 2010. News report. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Article text: “Lee DeWyze, the bashful paint sales clerk championed early by the biting British judge on the Fox singing contest, was crowned “Idol” on Wednesday over single mother Crystal Bowersox.”
  9. Live It Up (Lee DeWyze album) (Wikipedia revision 1349618171) — Wikipedia, updated April 18, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (7)
    • Recording: “DeWyze signed a recording contract with”
    • Infobox, label: “19 Recordings”
    • Lead: “The album was released on November 16, 2010”
    • Recording: “DeWyze co-wrote ten of the eleven songs on”
    • Commercial performance: “sold 39,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number nineteen on the”
    • Commercial performance citation: “title=Four 'Idol' albums make the top 200 in a wild chart week | date=November 24, 2010”
    • Commercial performance: “As of August 12, 2013, the album has sold 153,000 copies in the United States.”
  10. Lee DeWyze Dropped By RCA Records — The Hollywood Reporter, published October 6, 2011, updated October 21, 2011. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Article body: “DeWyze’s option officially expired in September.”
    • Subheading: “the Sony-owned label”
    • Article body: “newly appointed RCA Records CEO Peter Edge confirmed that the 25-year-old DeWyze is no longer on the label”
  11. Frames (Lee DeWyze album) (Wikipedia revision 1365330953) — Wikipedia, updated July 21, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Lead: “he signed with the label in early 2013”
    • Lead: “"Silver Lining" was released as the lead single off of the album in April 2013”
    • Lead: “The album was released on August 20, 2013, to positive reviews.”
  12. Lee DeWyze signs with Vanguard Records — USA Today, published April 10, 2013. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Article body: “his new deal with Vanguard Records”
  13. American Idols Live! Tour 2010 (Wikipedia revision 1255661444) — Wikipedia, updated November 6, 2024. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Infobox: “start_date = July 1, 2010”
    • Infobox: “end_date = August 31, 2010”
    • Lead: “The 44 date tour started in Auburn Hills and ended in Indianapolis.”
  14. No Depression Sessions at AMERICANAFEST 2024: Lee DeWyze — No Depression, published October 2, 2024. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Article body: “In early 2024, DeWyze sat and wrote songs on the front porch”
    • Article body: “Classic Recording Studios in Bristol”
    • Article body: “who composed the string arrangements on Gone For Days”
  15. Four 'Idol' albums make the top 200 in a wild chart week — USA Today, published November 24, 2010. News report. Cited by another source; not opened by our researchers.
  16. MusicBrainz release groups for Lee DeWyze — MusicBrainz. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (5)
    • So I'm Told: "first-release-date":"2007-07-07"
    • Live It Up: "first-release-date":"2010-11-16"
    • Frames: "first-release-date":"2013-08-20"
    • Paranoia: "first-release-date":"2018-02-16"
    • Ghost Stories: "first-release-date":"2021-08-13"
  17. MusicBrainz artist Lee DeWyze — MusicBrainz. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • URL relations, official homepage: "resource":"http://www.leedewyzeofficial.com/"
  18. List of American Idol alumni album sales in the United States — Wikipedia, updated September 21, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Lee DeWyze row, Live It Up: “(2010) #19 — 153,000”
  19. Lee DeWyze's 'Frames': Exclusive Album Premiere — Billboard, published August 12, 2013. News report. Cited by another source; not opened by our researchers.
  20. Lee DeWyze Returns with Folk-Driven "Ghost Stories" — American Songwriter, published August 3, 2021. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Article body: “upcoming album of the same name, out Aug 13”
  21. 2010 Teen Choice Awards (Wikipedia revision 1374532304) — Wikipedia, updated September 12, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Television, Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star (winner in bold): “Choice TV: Male Reality/Variety Star”
    • Lead: “The 2010 Teen Choice Awards ceremony was held on August 8, 2010”
  22. 'American Idol' on the Charts: Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban All Rise — The Hollywood Reporter, published March 24, 2014. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Article body: “featured on the March 9 episode of The Walking Dead”
    • Article body: “The song will be included on The Walking Dead AMC Original Soundtrack”

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